Difference between revisions of "Philip K. Dick"
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| − | |birth_date= | + | |birth_date=1928-12-16 |
| − | |birth_place= | + | |birth_place=Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| − | |death_date= | + | |death_date=1982-03-02 |
| − | |death_place= | + | |death_place=Santa Ana, California, U.S. |
|constitutes=writer | |constitutes=writer | ||
| + | |birth_name=Philip Kindred Dick | ||
| + | |nationality=American | ||
| + | |employment= | ||
| + | |description=US science fiction writer concerned with the nature of reality, perception, human nature, and identity. | ||
}} | }} | ||
| + | '''Philip Kindred Dick''' was an American writer known for his work in [[science fiction]]. He wrote 44 published novels and approximately 121 short stories, most of which appeared in [[science fiction magazines]] during his lifetime.<ref>https://www.metacritic.com/feature/movies-based-on-philip-k-dick-stories </ref> His fiction explored varied philosophical and social themes, and featured recurrent elements such as [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternate realities]], [[simulacra]], [[evil corporation|monopolistic corporation]]s, [[drug abuse]], [[authoritarian]] governments, and [[Altered state of consciousness|altered states of consciousness]]. His work was concerned with questions surrounding the [[ontology|nature of reality]], [[perception]], [[human nature]], and [[Personal identity|identity]].<ref>https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/just-because-you-re-paranoid-philip-k-dick-s-troubled-life-1.3243976</ref> | ||
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| + | Born in Chicago, Dick moved to the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] with his family at a young age. He began publishing science fiction stories in 1952. His stories initially found little commercial success,<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070425103235/http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/pkdick.htm </ref> but his 1962 [[alternative history]] novel ''[[The Man in the High Castle]]'' earned Dick early acclaim, including a [[Hugo Award for Best Novel]].<ref>http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=196</ref> He followed with science fiction novels such as ''[[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]'' (1968) and ''[[Ubik]]'' (1969). His 1974 novel ''[[Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said]]'' won the [[John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel]].<ref>http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1975 |</ref> Following a series of [[religious experience]]s in 1974, Dick's work engaged more explicitly with issues of theology, philosophy, and the nature of reality, as in novels ''[[A Scanner Darkly]]'' (1977) and ''[[VALIS]]'' (1981).<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20080412044539/http://www.themodernword.com/scriptorium/dick.html</ref> A collection of his nonfiction writing on these themes was published posthumously as ''[[The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick]]'' (2011). He died in 1982 in [[Santa Ana, California]], at the age of 53, due to complications from a [[stroke]]. | ||
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| + | Dick's posthumous influence has been widespread, extending beyond literary circles into [[Hollywood]] filmmaking.<ref>Chi Hyun Park, Jane (2010). Yellow Future: Oriental Style in Hollywood Cinema. U of Minnesota Press. p. 54.</ref> Popular films based on Dick's works include <!--This list is representative, not exhaustive--> ''[[Blade Runner (film)|Blade Runner]]'' (1982), ''Total Recall'' (adapted twice: [[Total Recall (1990 film)|in 1990]] and [[Total Recall (2012 film)|in 2012]]), ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]]'' (2002), ''[[A Scanner Darkly (film)|A Scanner Darkly]]'' (2006), and ''[[The Adjustment Bureau]]'' (2011). | ||
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| + | ===Themes=== | ||
| + | Dick's stories typically focus on the fragile nature of what is real and the construction of [[personal identity]]. His stories often become surreal fantasies, as the main characters slowly discover that their everyday world is actually an illusion assembled by powerful external entities, such as the suspended animation in ''Ubik'',<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070307193543/http://www.stud.hum.ku.dk/rydahl/pkd/PKDcritic1.htm</ref> vast political [[conspiracies]] or the vicissitudes of an [[unreliable narrator]]. "All of his work starts with the basic assumption that there cannot be one, single, objective reality", writes science fiction author [[Charles Platt (science-fiction author)|Charles Platt]]. "Everything is a matter of perception. The ground is liable to shift under your feet. A protagonist may find himself living out another person's dream, or he may enter a drug-induced state that actually makes better sense than the real world, or he may cross into a different universe completely."<ref>https://archive.org/details/dreammakers00char</ref> | ||
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| + | [[Parallel universe (fiction)|Alternate universes]] and [[simulacrum|simulacra]] are common [[plot devices]], with fictional worlds inhabited by common, working people, rather than galactic elites. "There are no heroes in Dick's books", [[Ursula K. Le Guin]] wrote, "but there are heroics. One is reminded of [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]]: what counts is the honesty, constancy, kindness and patience of ordinary people."<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070307193543/http://www.stud.hum.ku.dk/rydahl/pkd/PKDcritic1.htm</ref> Dick made no secret that much of his thinking and work was heavily influenced by the writings of [[Carl Jung]].<ref>Carrère, Emmanuel (2004). I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philp K. Dick. New York: Metropolitan Books.</ref><ref>A Conversation With Philip K. Dick https://web.archive.org/web/20120511082635/http://www.philipkdick.com/media_sfeye87.html </ref> The Jungian constructs and models that most concerned Dick seem to be the archetypes of the [[collective unconscious]], group projection/hallucination, [[synchronicity|synchronicities]], and personality theory.<ref>Carrère, Emmanuel (2004). I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philp K. Dick. New York: Metropolitan Books.</ref> Many of Dick's protagonists overtly analyze reality and their perceptions in Jungian terms. | ||
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| + | Dick identified one major theme of his work as the question, "What constitutes the authentic human being?"<ref>Dick, Philip K. (1985). I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon. Doubleday. p. 2.</ref> In works such as ''[[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]'', beings can appear totally human in every respect while lacking soul or compassion, while completely alien beings such as Glimmung in ''[[Galactic Pot-Healer]]'' may be more humane and complex than their human peers. | ||
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| + | {{quote box | ||
| + | |quote= Dick's third major theme is his fascination with war and his fear and hatred of it. One hardly sees critical mention of it, yet it is as integral to his body of work as oxygen is to water.<ref>The Collected Stories Of Philip K. Dick, Volume 1, ''[[The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford (collection)|The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford]]'', (1990), Citadel Twilight, p. xvi, {{ISBN|0-8065-1153-2}}</ref> | ||
| + | |source= —Steven Owen Godersky | ||
| + | | align = right | ||
| + | | width = 20% | ||
| + | | style = padding:4px; | ||
| + | }} | ||
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| + | Mental illness was a constant interest of Dick's, and themes of mental illness permeate his work. The character Jack Bohlen in the 1964 novel ''[[Martian Time-Slip]]'' is an "ex-schizophrenic". The novel ''[[Clans of the Alphane Moon]]'' centers on an entire society made up of descendants of lunatic asylum inmates. In 1965, he wrote the essay titled "Schizophrenia and the Book of Changes".<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20080410161534/http://www.philipkdick.com/aa_biography.html</ref> | ||
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| + | Drug use (including [[Entheogenic|religious]], [[Recreational drug use|recreational]], and [[Drug abuse|abuse]]) was also a theme in many of Dick's works, such as ''[[A Scanner Darkly]]'' and ''[[The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch]]''. Dick himself was a drug user for much of his life. According to a 1975 interview in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'',<ref>http://www.philipkdickfans.com/mirror/articles/1974_Rolling_Stone.pdf</ref> Dick wrote all of his books published before 1970 while on [[amphetamine]]s. "''[[A Scanner Darkly]]'' (1977) was the first complete novel I had written without speed", said Dick in the interview. He also experimented briefly with [[psychedelics]], but wrote ''[[The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch]]'' (1965), which ''Rolling Stone'' dubs "the classic [[LSD]] novel of all time", before he had ever tried them. Despite his heavy amphetamine use, however, Dick later said that doctors told him the amphetamines never actually affected him, that his liver had processed them before they reached his brain.<ref>http://www.philipkdickfans.com/mirror/articles/1974_Rolling_Stone.pdf</ref> | ||
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| + | Summing up all these themes in ''Understanding Philip K. Dick'', Eric Carl Link discussed eight themes or 'ideas and motifs':<ref>Link, Eric Carl (2010). Understanding Philip K. Dick. University of South Carolina Press. p. 48.</ref> Epistemology and the Nature of Reality, Know Thyself, The Android and the Human, Entropy and Pot Healing, The [[Theodicy]] Problem, Warfare and Power Politics, The Evolved Human, and 'Technology, Media, Drugs and Madness'.<ref> Link, Eric Carl (2010). Understanding Philip K. Dick. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 48–101</ref> | ||
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{{SMWDocs}} | {{SMWDocs}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 01:26, 14 February 2021
 Philip K. Dick      (writer) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Philip Kindred Dick 1928-12-16 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | 1982-03-02 (Age 53) Santa Ana, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
US science fiction writer concerned with the nature of reality, perception, human nature, and identity. | |
Philip Kindred Dick was an American writer known for his work in science fiction. He wrote 44 published novels and approximately 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime.[1] His fiction explored varied philosophical and social themes, and featured recurrent elements such as alternate realities, simulacra, monopolistic corporations, drug abuse, authoritarian governments, and altered states of consciousness. His work was concerned with questions surrounding the nature of reality, perception, human nature, and identity.[2]
Born in Chicago, Dick moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with his family at a young age. He began publishing science fiction stories in 1952. His stories initially found little commercial success,[3] but his 1962 alternative history novel The Man in the High Castle earned Dick early acclaim, including a Hugo Award for Best Novel.[4] He followed with science fiction novels such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) and Ubik (1969). His 1974 novel Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.[5] Following a series of religious experiences in 1974, Dick's work engaged more explicitly with issues of theology, philosophy, and the nature of reality, as in novels A Scanner Darkly (1977) and VALIS (1981).[6] A collection of his nonfiction writing on these themes was published posthumously as The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick (2011). He died in 1982 in Santa Ana, California, at the age of 53, due to complications from a stroke.
Dick's posthumous influence has been widespread, extending beyond literary circles into Hollywood filmmaking.[7] Popular films based on Dick's works include Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (adapted twice: in 1990 and in 2012), Minority Report (2002), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and The Adjustment Bureau (2011).
Themes
Dick's stories typically focus on the fragile nature of what is real and the construction of personal identity. His stories often become surreal fantasies, as the main characters slowly discover that their everyday world is actually an illusion assembled by powerful external entities, such as the suspended animation in Ubik,[8] vast political conspiracies or the vicissitudes of an unreliable narrator. "All of his work starts with the basic assumption that there cannot be one, single, objective reality", writes science fiction author Charles Platt. "Everything is a matter of perception. The ground is liable to shift under your feet. A protagonist may find himself living out another person's dream, or he may enter a drug-induced state that actually makes better sense than the real world, or he may cross into a different universe completely."[9]
Alternate universes and simulacra are common plot devices, with fictional worlds inhabited by common, working people, rather than galactic elites. "There are no heroes in Dick's books", Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, "but there are heroics. One is reminded of Dickens: what counts is the honesty, constancy, kindness and patience of ordinary people."[10] Dick made no secret that much of his thinking and work was heavily influenced by the writings of Carl Jung.[11][12] The Jungian constructs and models that most concerned Dick seem to be the archetypes of the collective unconscious, group projection/hallucination, synchronicities, and personality theory.[13] Many of Dick's protagonists overtly analyze reality and their perceptions in Jungian terms.
Dick identified one major theme of his work as the question, "What constitutes the authentic human being?"[14] In works such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, beings can appear totally human in every respect while lacking soul or compassion, while completely alien beings such as Glimmung in Galactic Pot-Healer may be more humane and complex than their human peers.
Dick's third major theme is his fascination with war and his fear and hatred of it. One hardly sees critical mention of it, yet it is as integral to his body of work as oxygen is to water.[15]
Mental illness was a constant interest of Dick's, and themes of mental illness permeate his work. The character Jack Bohlen in the 1964 novel Martian Time-Slip is an "ex-schizophrenic". The novel Clans of the Alphane Moon centers on an entire society made up of descendants of lunatic asylum inmates. In 1965, he wrote the essay titled "Schizophrenia and the Book of Changes".[16]
Drug use (including religious, recreational, and abuse) was also a theme in many of Dick's works, such as A Scanner Darkly and The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Dick himself was a drug user for much of his life. According to a 1975 interview in Rolling Stone,[17] Dick wrote all of his books published before 1970 while on amphetamines. "A Scanner Darkly (1977) was the first complete novel I had written without speed", said Dick in the interview. He also experimented briefly with psychedelics, but wrote The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965), which Rolling Stone dubs "the classic LSD novel of all time", before he had ever tried them. Despite his heavy amphetamine use, however, Dick later said that doctors told him the amphetamines never actually affected him, that his liver had processed them before they reached his brain.[18]
Summing up all these themes in Understanding Philip K. Dick, Eric Carl Link discussed eight themes or 'ideas and motifs':[19] Epistemology and the Nature of Reality, Know Thyself, The Android and the Human, Entropy and Pot Healing, The Theodicy Problem, Warfare and Power Politics, The Evolved Human, and 'Technology, Media, Drugs and Madness'.[20]
A Document by Philip K. Dick
| Title | Document type | Publication date | Subject(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Zap Gun.pdf | book | 1965 | The Zap Gun | A novel expanded from 'Project Plowshare', first published as a two-part serial in the November, 1965, and January, 1966, issues of Worlds of Tomorrow magazine. |
References
- ↑ https://www.metacritic.com/feature/movies-based-on-philip-k-dick-stories
- ↑ https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/just-because-you-re-paranoid-philip-k-dick-s-troubled-life-1.3243976
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070425103235/http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/pkdick.htm
- ↑ http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=196
- ↑ http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1975 |
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080412044539/http://www.themodernword.com/scriptorium/dick.html
- ↑ Chi Hyun Park, Jane (2010). Yellow Future: Oriental Style in Hollywood Cinema. U of Minnesota Press. p. 54.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070307193543/http://www.stud.hum.ku.dk/rydahl/pkd/PKDcritic1.htm
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/dreammakers00char
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070307193543/http://www.stud.hum.ku.dk/rydahl/pkd/PKDcritic1.htm
- ↑ Carrère, Emmanuel (2004). I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philp K. Dick. New York: Metropolitan Books.
- ↑ A Conversation With Philip K. Dick https://web.archive.org/web/20120511082635/http://www.philipkdick.com/media_sfeye87.html
- ↑ Carrère, Emmanuel (2004). I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philp K. Dick. New York: Metropolitan Books.
- ↑ Dick, Philip K. (1985). I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon. Doubleday. p. 2.
- ↑ The Collected Stories Of Philip K. Dick, Volume 1, The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford, (1990), Citadel Twilight, p. xvi, ISBN 0-8065-1153-2
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080410161534/http://www.philipkdick.com/aa_biography.html
- ↑ http://www.philipkdickfans.com/mirror/articles/1974_Rolling_Stone.pdf
- ↑ http://www.philipkdickfans.com/mirror/articles/1974_Rolling_Stone.pdf
- ↑ Link, Eric Carl (2010). Understanding Philip K. Dick. University of South Carolina Press. p. 48.
- ↑ Link, Eric Carl (2010). Understanding Philip K. Dick. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 48–101
