The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings
by Philip K. Dick
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"Philip K. Dick has established himself as a major figure in American literature. The landscape of his imagination features a wealth of concepts and fictional worlds: Nazi-rule in a postwar nightmare; androids and the unification of man and machine; and an existence that no longer follows the logic of reality. His vision has shaped the way we perceive the past and present and how we look to the future." "This first-time collection assembles his nonfiction writings (the bulk of which either show more have never before been published or have appeared only in obscure and out-of-print publications) - essays, journals, speeches, and interviews. In these writings he explores issues ranging from the merging of physics and metaphysics to the potential influences of "virtual" reality and its consequences to a plot-scenario for a potential episode of "Mission: Impossible," to the challenge that fundamental "human" values face in the age of technology and spiritual decline." "This collection is at once penetrating and entertaining. It is sure to reconfirm Philip K. Dick not only as an important science-fiction writer but also as an explorative thinker."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved show lessTags
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An 'everyting else' book of PKD. There are absolutely fantastic parts and there are incomprehensible, chaotic parts of it. A look into the mind of a genius who was crazy or a madman who was a genius....
This was an interesting book to read and should be for any PKD fan. It's nonfiction of his over the years -- writings, interviews, speeches, essays, etc. A lot of it's repetitive, but still proves interesting. However, I enjoyed the first four sections much more than I did the last two. These include "Autobiographical Writings," "Writings on Science Fiction and Related Ideas," "Works Related to The Man in the High Castle and Its Proposed Sequel," and "Plot Proposals and Outlines." Really good stuff here and it gives you an insight into his mind over the years. What I didn't like as much, and what most people apparently did like, were the last two sections -- "Essays and Speeches" and "Selections From the Exegesis." These centered around show more his VALIS-inspired philosophy and religious thoughts and this topic has always bored me. VALIS is perhaps one of my least favorite Dick works. Still, if you can wade through the essays, you can pick up some gems, like the fact that he believed that the world of Flow My Tears was an actual alternate world, etc. Yes, he was a little crazy, but he was a genius. Recommended for PKD fans. show less
Great insight into PKDs mind however some ended up being nothing more than rants.
a bit uneven, although parts like the exegesis make this book interesting. if you are interested in discovering that we are all still living in the year 66 and prisoners of the Roman Empire read on...
"if you think this universe is bad, you should see some of the others"
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669+ Works 146,677 Members
Phillip Kindred Dick was an American science fiction writer best known for his psychological portrayals of characters trapped in illusory environments. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 16, 1928, Dick worked in radio and studied briefly at the University of California at Berkeley before embarking on his writing career. His first novel, Solar show more Lottery, was published in 1955. In 1963, Dick won the Hugo Award for his novel, The Man in the High Castle. He also wrote a series of futuristic tales about artificial creatures on the loose; notable of these was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which was later adapted into film as Blade Runner. Dick also published several collections of short stories. He died of a stroke in Santa Ana, California, in 1982. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings
- Original title
- The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings
- Original publication date
- 1995
- People/Characters
- Philip K. Dick
- Original language
- English
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Statistics
- Members
- 738
- Popularity
- 38,149
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.81)
- Languages
- English, Hungarian, Italian
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 3
