ALTADENA, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Decades ago, had imagined a Los Angeles ravaged by fires. The Altadena cemetery where the science fiction and Afrofuturism author is buried did catch fire last week but suffered 鈥渕inimal damage,鈥� according to a statement on the cemetery's web site.
A spokesperson at the Mountain View cemetery confirmed the accuracy of the website's announcement to The Associated Press, but would not comment on the status of individual markers. The grave of Butler, who died in 2006 at 58, is marked by a footstone etched with a quote from 鈥淧arable of the Sower,鈥� among her most famous novels: 鈥淎ll that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you."
鈥淧arable of the Sower鈥� and other Butler works have been cited for anticipating a world 鈥� and, particularly, a Los Angeles 鈥� wracked by climate change, racism and economic disparity. 鈥淧arable of the Sower,鈥� written in 1993 and set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. 鈥淲e had a fire today,鈥� reads a Feb. 1, 2025, diary entry in the book, referring to a small fire that presages the destructive fires to come in the novel.
The Eaton fire razed large swaths of that for generations eschewed the discriminatory housing practices found elsewhere. In the fire's aftermath, fears have abounded about whether recovery and rebuilding is achievable for Altadena's diverse community, amid the pressures of gentrification.
On Tuesday, crews were inside the closed cemetery, clearing away debris. Singed brush around the perimeter was the main sign of the fire's toll, though the surrounding area was quiet, replete with damaged structures.
Butler's prescience predates this year. In the book鈥檚 sequel, 鈥淧arable of the Talents,鈥� an authoritarian politician promises to 鈥淢ake America Great Again.鈥� (Butler, who died before Donald Trump鈥檚 political rise, heard the phrase used by President Ronald Reagan).
鈥淪he seems to have seen the real future coming in a way few other writers did,鈥� Gerry Caravan, an associate professor at Marquette University and co-editor of Butler鈥檚 work for the Library of America, told the AP in 2020. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard not to read the books and think 鈥楬ow did she know?鈥欌��
Butler herself once remembered a student asking her about her 鈥淧arable鈥� books and whether she believed all of the troubles she described would take place.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 make up the problems,鈥� the author responded. 鈥淎ll I did was look around at the problems we鈥檙e neglecting now and give them about 30 years to grow into full-fledged disasters.鈥�
Widely cited as the first major Black woman author of science fiction, Butler grew up near Altadena, in Pasadena, and spent much of her life in Southern California before moving to the Seattle suburbs, where she died after a fall outside her home. She remains widely identified with her home state. Her papers are stored at The Huntington Library and a Black-owned store named for her, opened in Pasadena in 2023 and is functioning as a donation center in the fire's wake.
Butler won numerous awards in her lifetime and her stature has risen steadily since since her death, with admirers ranging from and other science-fiction writers to and musician Hulu aired an eight-part adaptation of her novel 鈥淜indred鈥� in 2022 and numerous other projects are planned.
In 2000, Butler considered the whole idea of prophecy with the essay 鈥淎 Few Rules for Predicting the Future,鈥� which she broke down into a handful of sections:
鈥楲earn From the Past鈥�
History, she wrote, is 鈥渇illed with repeating cycles of strength and weakness, wisdom and stupidity, empire and ashes. To study history is to study humanity.鈥� For 鈥淧arable of the Talents,鈥� she thought about how countries could fall into autocracy and read books about Nazi Germany.
鈥楥ount On the Surprises鈥�
Butler remembered growing up during the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s, when Americans were building bomb shelters and schools were holding air raid drills. No one would have believed that the Soviet Union could just disappear. 鈥淭here are always these surprises,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭he only safe prediction is that there always will be.鈥�
鈥楤e Aware of Your Perspectives鈥�
Butler warned that 鈥減redicting doom鈥� could have as much to do with your own mindset than with the larger world. She didn鈥檛 shy from imagining the worst, but noted that 鈥渟uperstition, depression and fear鈥� could shape 鈥� or distort 鈥� how we envision what鈥檚 next. Butler did not see her work as a call to despair, but as a way to 鈥渄iscern possibilities鈥� and how to respond, 鈥渁n act of hope.鈥�
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Italie reported from New York.
Hillel Italie And Chris Pizzello, The Associated Press
