By Dan Murphy
Would you be surprised if I told you that one of the greatest authors of the 20th century grew up in Yonkers? Many Yonkers historians did not know, nor had heard of Avram Davidson, but his story needs to be told.
Avram Davidson (1923-1993) was author of nineteen published novels and more than two hundred short stories and essays collected in more than a dozen books. He won the Hugo Award in science fiction, the Queen’s Award and Edgar Award in the mystery genre, and the World Fantasy Award (three times).
His writings have been described as “defying genre stereotypes and are filled with wit, wonder and the bizarre.”
His major works are the novels and stories of Vergil Magus, set in an alternate ancient Rome, including The Scarlet Fig; the adventures of the learned Dr. Eszterhazy in a mythic southeastern European empire; and the Jack Limekiller stories set in British Hidalgo.
Davidson has been compared to short story writers such as Saki or John Collier or Isaac B. Singer (and many others), but he was truly a unique writer. The Avram Davidson Treasury and The Other Nineteenth Century, published by Tor Books, collect many of his best stories and will reward new readers and long-time fans alike.
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction calls him, “perhaps SF’s most explicitly literary author”. Famous American Author Ray Bradbury wrote about Davidson’s writings, “this is what story writing once was, and can be again, if we leave it in such capable hands.” Actor Paul Giamatti and Stephen Colbert spoke about their love for Davidson’s books.
After his death, a collection of his mystery stories were printed as The Investigations of Avram Davidson. Another collection of his true crime stories came with the publication of Crimes and Chaos, which share a historical setting and are intricately plotted.
During prohibition, Avram was a young, seven-year-old boy in Yonkers when DPW workers and police found a mile-long hose filled with beer running under the streets of the City. One of the stories in his book Crimes and Chaos is a story titled, Beer Like Water, which tells the story of this same incident, which Yonkers Rising has been writing about for years.
A member of Davidson’s family reached out to us and shared the short story, which includes new information about the coverup and the people involved. I loved Beer Like Water, and have been given permission to share it with our readers in a future Yonkers Rising, and online at YonkersTimes.com
As for Avram Davidson, we encourage all book lovers in Yonkers to look into him and buy his books on Amazon or Ebay. Like the beer that flowed under Yonkers when he was a boy, Avram Davidson is a hidden Yonkers treasure. Avram might just be the next Van Gogh tragically, not knowing the acclaim he would receive until after his death. His books are a must read!
We will contact the Yonkers City Council, and the Mayor’s office to ask that they recognize Avram Davidson and his family for his contribution to American storytelling and to ask that a resolution and proclamation be made to appreciate his Yonkers connection. Perhaps we can find where he lived in Yonkers and rename that street after him.
And our search for the truth about what happened in Yonkers during prohibition and the beer hoses under the streets continues. Keep reading us to learn more, or email with your information to dmurphy@risingmediagroup.com.
