Not-so-silly Millie. An Appreciation of Millie Niss (1973 – 2009).

This article is co-published by Furtherfield and The Hyperliterature Exchange.

Not-so-silly Millie. An Appreciation of Millie Niss (1973 – 2009). By Edward Picot.

Millie Niss, the writer and new media artist, died at 5 a.m. on 29th November 2009, of swine flu with complications. Her mother and longtime collaborator, Martha Deed, was with her at the time. She had been in hospital for four weeks, mostly in intensive care, after picking up the virus, which quickly became serious in her case, probably because she already had respiratory difficulties as a result of a rare condition known as Behcet’s Disease. She was 36 years old.

http://www.furtherfield.org/displayreview.php?review_id=372

“Millie’s work for me, has always reached beyond the surface of things. Managing to communicate an essence of her character and her varied intentions successfully. There is a unique sense of humour in much of her work, even when dealing with dark themes. A surreal edge, informed by her particular views on humanity and all of its, seemingly perpetual absurdities. Mixed with a playful, open spirit and a twist of simplicity. Her work was and is, more for those not bound by distracting trends – open for all. A rare wisdom with an authentic voice in this strange and complex world. Good bye Millie…” Marc Garrett.

This article by Edward Picot can also be read on The Hyperliterature Exchange – http://hyperex.co.uk/reviewmillieniss.php