Robert Jordan R.I.P.
Damn. I just found out that Robert Jordan died yesterday. (See Neil Gaiman’s rather touching post about this here.)
I saw him two years ago at DragonCon, and was charmed by how intense he was about his books, and how patient he was with people who kept mispronouncing the names of his characters while still gently insisting that they get it right (”It’s pronounced ‘Az-MOH-dee-an,’ not “AZ-moe-dean’”). Never once did I see him snap at someone who mispronounced a name, despite the phonetics keys in the glossaries, and I must say that he withstood some sore provocation. Sadly, I didn’t quite have the nerve to ask him why the women in his books kept folding their arms under their breasts — I mean, where else would they fold them, behind their heads? — but I came out of the session all reenergized and newly excited about the series.
He’ll be missed. How could you not love an author who fills in the time before his session starts by politely instructing the incoming audience on how to pronounce the names of his characters, places, and objects correctly?
