Musings and Meditations
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- 3,99 €
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- 3,99 €
Publisher Description
Presenting acclaimed essays from one of contemporary science fiction's most imaginative wordsmiths, this collection shows that Robert Silverberg's nonfiction is as witty and original as his fiction and full of acute observations and matter-of-fact insights. Whether he is discussing science fiction, history, cultural effects, science, or writing, Silverberg is always exploring new territories. As in his fiction, no cultural icon escapes his scrutiny, including fellow writers such as Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, H. P. Lovecraft, and Isaac Asimov. Delightfully wicked commentaries on the concepts of thoughtcrimes, space exploration, the ancient Antikythera Computer, and the universal translator in science fiction fill these essays, many of which were originally published as columns in Asimov Science Fiction magazine.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Silverberg (Dying Inside) one of science fiction's all-time greats, introduces this as a follow-up to Reflections and Refractions as a "quasi-autobiographical series of statements about science fiction by someone who has loved it and tried to serve it well for the past six decades." Dividing the genre into three broad categories gadget, adventure, and social he shows how a writer in 1880 might have built a story around the yet-to-be invented automobile: an initial concentration on technical details would give way to adventure about a daring rescue by a hero pushing an automobile to the reckless speed of 20mph. In his own writing Silverberg favored the third approach social which in this instance would have anticipated the automobile's transformation of the culture in "completely novel and unexpected" ways. In six sections, Silverberg tackles sci-fi "in general," science and society, the task of "being a writer," his colleagues, and current events (including Iraq), ending by getting personal with "Something of Myself," wherein he talks of libraries real and invented, autograph writing and collecting, email vs. letter correspondence, and more. This delightful collection reflects Silverberg's wide-ranging interests, wit, and mastery of the craft.
