Re: frustrating genius
He definitely wrote The Gods Themselves, a book in three parts, the first "Against Stupidity" set on Earth, finding communication with a parallel universe with different laws of physics, the second "The Gods Themselves" a genuine and somewhat successful attempt at describing a totally alien society with free-spirited ethereal juveniles and 'hard' and more ruthless adults communicating with and exploiting the Earth's universe for free power, and the third "Contend in Vain" back on Earth with a realisation that the power transfer is harming the sun, but that being suppressed by ego and free power.
It could easily have been an environmental allegory, and I often think of "Against Stupidity The Gods Themselves Contend in Vain" when the current crop of politicians appear on the news with their lates twit-belch. I assume it is a quotation from something more classical?
On a non-sci-fi but still fiction note, I loved his Tales of the Black Widowers which was definitely closed room detective work (in this case it was the butler that solved it). Highly recommend for light, entertaining and sometimes amusing detective-like short stories.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
