The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth
Novelette by Roger Zelazny / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" is a science fiction novelette by Roger Zelazny. Originally published in the March 1965 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, it won the 1966 Nebula Award for Best Novelette[1] and was nominated for the 1966 Hugo Award for Best Short Fiction.[2]
"The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" | |
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Short story by Roger Zelazny | |
Country | USA |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Science fiction |
Publication | |
Published in | The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction |
Publication type | Periodical |
Publisher | Mercury Publications |
Media type | Magazine |
Publication date | March 1965 |
Writing in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, John Clute found that Zelazny's story "intoxicatingly dashes together myth and literary assonances—in this case Herman Melville's Moby-Dick—and sex".[3] Gardner Dozois opined that "Doors of His Face" was inspired by "a loving nostalgia for the era of the pulp adventure story that was then widely supposed to be ending".[4]
In the introduction to the novelette in Nebula Award Stories 1965, editor Damon Knight noted that not only did the story receive more votes than the other nominees in its category, but that it received more votes than all of the others combined.[5]
The story has been seen as engaging in New Wave stylistics via its onomastics, metaphors and similes.[6] The title is based on verses from the Book of Job in the King James Version of the Bible, chapter 41 verses 14 and 19, which are part of the description of the Leviathan: "Who can open the doors of his face?" and "Out of his mouth go burning lamps".[7]