"A Momentary Taste of Being" is a science fiction novella written by

Alice Bradley Sheldon Alice Bradley Sheldon (born Alice Hastings Bradley; August 24, 1915 – May 19, 1987) was an American people, American science fiction and fantasy author better known as James Tiptree, Jr., a pen name she used from 1967 to her death. It was not ...

, published under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr. in the 1975 anthology ''The New Atlantis and Other Novellas of Science Fiction'' (also featuring stories by

Gene Wolfe Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short story writer and nove ...

and

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

Plot

In a world where the excessive human population necessitates an interstellar search for a habitable planet, Aaron Kaye is the resident psychiatrist of ''Centaur,'' the second relativistic starship sent by the United Nations for this endeavor. The ship's crew has discovered a planet potentially capable of supporting human life, and after sending an away team to investigate the planet, only one crew member returns—Lory Kaye, Dr. Kaye's sister. The story primarily concerns what occurred on the planet and why Lory was the only returning member. Lory insists that the planet is a paradise, and that the samples she retrieved are harmless, but she and others who came into contact with the samples are held in quarantine regardless. Tensions among the multinational crew grow as the leaders of the expedition try to decide if they should send a message back to Earth telling them to come to the planet or not.

Origin of Title

The title is taken from Edward Fitzgerald's translation of

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam ''Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám'' is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his 1859 translation from Persian to English of a selection of quatrains (') attributed to Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), dubbed "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia". Alth ...

, quatrain XL: :::::::''A Moment's Halt -- a momentary taste'' :::::::''Of Being from the Well amid the Waste --'' :::::::''And Lo! the phantom Caravan has reach'd'' :::::::''The Nothing it set out from -- Oh, make haste!''The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
translated by Edward Fitzgerald o
sacred-texts.com

Publication History

In addition to its inclusion in the various printings of ''The New Atlantis and Other Novellas of Science Fiction'', the story also appeared in '' Star Songs of an Old Primate'' (first published 1978) and ''

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever ''Her Smoke Rose Up Forever'' is a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by author James Tiptree, Jr. It was released in 1990 by Arkham House. It was originally published in an edition of 4,108 copies and was the author's second book ...

'' (first published 1990), both of which are collections of Tiptree's short fiction.Bibliography
of ''A Momentary Taste of Being'', on th
Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Reception

"A Momentary Taste of Being" was nominated for the

Nebula Award for Best Novella The Nebula Award for Best Novella is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novellas. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novella if it is between 17,500 and 4 ...

in 1976, and received 7th place in the 1976 ''

Locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Entertainment * Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front * ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine ** ''Locus Award' ...

'' Poll for Best Novella

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Momentary Taste Of Being, A 1975 science fiction novels American science fiction novels American novellas Works by James Tiptree Jr. 1975 American novels