Editing R. A. Lafferty (section)

==Themes==
Lafferty's quirky prose<ref name="NYTObit"/> drew from traditional storytelling styles, largely from the [[Irish people|Irish]] and [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]], and his [[Shaggy dog story|shaggy-dog characters and tall tales]] are unique in science fiction. Little of Lafferty's writing is considered typical of the genre. His stories are closer to [[tall tale]]s than traditional science fiction and are deeply influenced by his [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] beliefs; ''[[Fourth Mansions]]'', for example, draws on ''The Interior Mansions'' of [[Teresa of Ávila]].

His writings, both topically and stylistically, are not easy to categorize. Plot is frequently secondary to other elements of Lafferty's writing. While this style has resulted in a loyal cult following, it causes some readers to give up reading his work. Not all of Lafferty's work was science fiction or fantasy. His novel ''[[Okla Hannali]]'' (1972), published by University of Oklahoma Press, tells the story of the [[Choctaw]] in [[Mississippi]], and after the [[Trail of Tears]], in [[Oklahoma]], through an account of the larger-than-life character Hannali and his large family. This novel was thought of highly by the novelist [[Dee Brown (novelist)|Dee Brown]], author of ''[[Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee]]'' (1970), who on the back cover of the edition published by the [[University of Oklahoma Press]], writes "The history of the Choctaw Indians has been told before and is still being told, but it has never been told in the way Lafferty tells it ... Hannali is a buffalo bull of a man who should become one of the enduring characters in the literature of the American Indian." He also wrote, "It is art applied to history so that the legend of the Choctaws, their great and small men, their splendid humor, and their tragedies are filled with life and breath."

"<nowiki>[Once a]</nowiki> French publisher nervously asked whether Lafferty minded being compared to [[G. K. Chesterton]] (another Catholic author), and there was a terrifying silence that went on and on. Was the great man hideously offended? Eventually, very slowly, he said: 'You're on the right track, kid,' and wandered away."<ref>From an [[SFX magazine]] column by [[David Langford]]; issue #92, June 2002.</ref>