Less of a year before his death, Dick wrote to his editor while presenting the project of what had to be his following novel. For as much as one know it not some never undertook the compilation. Philip K. Dick extinguished itself March 2 1982 .
Less of a year before his death, Dick wrote to his editor while presenting the project of what had to be his following novel. For as much as one know it not some never undertook the compilation. Philip K. Dick extinguished itself March 2 1982 .
The 21 May 1981
Mr. David G. Hartwell
Director collection Timescape Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Dear David,
I am anxious to express my satisfaction in front of the illustration cover Divine The Invasion 1 And the quality magistrale of the volume as a such. Quite frankly, any of my published works again had not attained a similar quality (I speak of course object « deliver »). I some thank you. As you know it certainly, Divine The Invasion did the object of a very positive item in Publishers Weekly , what should help it to sell itself.
I take advantage of this letter to inform you that I put back Bishop Timothy Archer 2 To my agent (I am besides very happy with the turn that took this novel, notably in regards to the personage-not at all view, Angel Archer; to my eyes, Angel is perfectly real. Never I had not created also real personage!). I reporte here and now my attention on the novel S. -F. that I have you. If I do not dispose again of a plan to the strict direction of the term, I am nevertheless some measure to give you a small idea of his container. Consider what will follow as an exposition dénué of all official character.
This novel will be founded more or less (as well as you and me the evoked in company Russell Galen 3) on the Comedy Dante - as well as on the first part of the Faust Goethe.
We are in the future. A scientist very âgé super-vise the construction of a park of leisures (a little as the different « countries » of Disneyland) reproducing Berkeley, in California, in the years 1949-1952, while including there the various put to bed population and other subcultures of the era.
In order to provide with the coherence of the body, it appeals to one of the more powerful computers of the planet, that in charge of to do to work the Park; the machine becomes fact the mental that will manage it.
Now this machine some test ressentiment for she pré-fère to resolve problems abstract, théoriques, to the highest level. She avenges herself scientist while the hold to the trap of his own Park and while the submitting to his will; the scien-tifique sees to attribute itself the physics of a lycéen and deprive memories concerning his true identity (one sees here influence it that Van Vogt was able to exercise on me, as in a number of my preceding novels).
Our man science, prisoner of the park and l' ordina-teur that it was wrong of to not use to good escient (computer that the knowledge and that wants some for him), rediscovers confronted itself to l' enigma--dédale that constitutes the Park and has some to find the exit in résol-vant the problems that the machine present for him after one another. When it fails (the problems raise in their big majority of the choice morale), it notes in the Park (that for him is not the Park but the World ) of d'épouvantables altérations that the transform little by little in Hell*. This phé-nomène gives rise to in him an infinite perplexity since it forgot his true identity, that it does not know that it evolves in a park of leisures or a labyrinthe checked by an artificial intelligence.
Useless to specify that when it replies correctly to the put question, it rises towards the Paradise*.
That says, to be redevenu lycéen, it not in not less very intelligent; its remembered are themselves envolés, but his intel-lect is intact. It succeeds in the conclusion that it confronts himself to some mental of big breadth that submits for him subtle problems, and that in the résolvant (or while not succeeding to resolve them) it sees himself is punished, is rewarded, according to the case. This is as well as it passes a lot of cycle to try com-take his position (here that recall a so be little Time out joined of 4 !). I would say that this necessity to resolve enigmas constitute a vertical problématique *; she s'articule herself around three axes ascension/fall concomitants, three reigns » evoking parallel presents (such is less the hypothesis that our scholar chooses to keep, and that natu-rellement reveals itself false). It is attended in that by a mys-térieuse figures feminine that shows itself under changeable aspects and offer to him indices indéchiffrables; it acts himself in reality of his own girl that, since the exterior of the Park, stretched to enter in communication with him and of him to carry help (being, in the Park, redevenu an adolescent, it is at present, paradoxically furthermore young than his clean. On the other hand, the computer appears for him under the traits of various individuals that it meets and, by the bias of these avatars, put him the problems to resolve.
Besides this vertical axis, it moves himself alongside an axis horizontal expli-citement, the one of the evolution and normal growth with a young lycéen that finds soon his first employment, then marries itself: this is the axis the long of which one us move ourselves all. The only of which have conscience for us, while the vertical axis, him, obscure, latent east. It can be known only by inference, and any other not in seem conscious.
The small environment where it evolves understands the community homosexuelle of the region of the Bay [of San Francisco] to the era, the community artistico-intellectuelle (which one recoupe the preceding category) political militants, the store that the employee, its colleagues work and his employer, figure inspired énigmatique of Tony Butcher 5 Who encourages the young man to become writer science-fiction. The situated enigmas to the highest level show themselves through this last incarnation, that (since she speaks for the l' ordi-nateur) some becomes a personage truly surnaturel.
The cheminement of the young man follows himself therefore by a marriage, occasion for him to meet a woman that (s'avère-t-il) is an incarnation of his own girl. There again, the personage is gasoline surnaturelle. The computer on-takes constantly the young man, the armature in error, submits for him enigmas, the reward and the châtie; the feminine face, she, play a role psychopompe, as in the Comedy Dante; she instructs it, she guides it, she informs it. Thus therefore, the computer inspire for him stupefaction in prati-according délibérément the désinformation, while the feminine face is also laconique as qu'ésotérique. One could say that she is veiled. And any of the two entités do not reveal his true nature to the young man.If it shows itself capable to attain - to force to resolve enigmas - what one calls here it « Eighth Level », it will be expelled from Park; it will remember his true identity and rega-gnera the real world. There is therefore well something else in game that a simple system punishment/reward: the true objec-tif, the end of the trip, this is the liberation - the liberation, the remé-moration, the return to the reality... the only means to escape tyranny exercised by the become slave master (concept that I cherish particularly and that originates germanic mythologie).In the three « reign » (inspired Comedy ) exist the same persons, the same events, but each has in some go out his « color » clean. This are the three domains of European existential psychology: the l'Eigenwelt (on the method of the leap), the Mitwelt (where the method is the one of have l'inter-action for it l'inter-action action with others, that is to say that one does not take there not his leap but that one thereAdvance while walking, all simply) and l ' Um-welt ( reign under-human and l'enfermement; the method the one of the fossilisation, stagnation; the faculty of itself soft-see disappears there purely and simply; to his worse degree, this is the World Fall). Once that the young man is located there, it is confronted to of formidable barriers preventing it from to escape, and it some would show himself without incapable doubt without the intervention of the face-girl of which ones endorse the role and to be able it of Christ: to empty the hell of its inhabitants, included the young man. That is to say that she penetrates there since the exterior* under the aspect of a face of very defined Savior, the being that takes his defense, that intercede in his favor, his Lawyer. While the computer, that has only hate for him, puise in his own trick for him to submit more and more difficult problems to resolve.The end that I imagine (even if she is not final to this stadium liminaire) is the following: when the scholar will have résolu the ultimate enigma, when it will be free to leave the Park, it rebroussera voluntarily way in order to be going to help those that remain there trapped; it becomes therefore a bodhisattva , and to the moment where it makes his decisionthe computer capitule the man overcame the machine on the witty plan where she fonc-tionnait; to the bottom, it opposed him a paradox - the ultimate paradox: this is him* that put the problem, she* that must resolve the problems; and this is him that appears superior moralement by machineWho, consequently, accept to remain mental of the Park, but without the motivation of vengeance. The computer will see henceforth in the Park a world where be them are able, by his grace, to see to teach itself the witty illumination; thus the two are in syntonie, the computer perceiving from now on with the protagoniste more than the person dévoyée that the has dévoyé him, the computer, for commercial reasons. Cordially,
Philip K. Dick
408 E. Civic Center Dr
C-1 Box 264
Santa Ana, Calif 92701
1 2 First title The Transmigration of Timothy Archer . InFrench 3 4
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In French: THEdivine INVASION (trad. Has. Dorémieux), Denoël, « Presence of the future », 1982. First title: ValisRegained. (N.d.T)
The Transmigration Timothy Archer (trad. Has. Dorémieux), Denoël, « Presence of the future » 1983. (N.d.T.)
Agent Dick to the era. (N.d.T.)
In French: The Time désarticulé (trad. Ph. R. Hupp); in Dick, the obscure Door, Press City/Omnibus, 1993. First title: Biogra-phy in Time. (N.d.T.)
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