Substance dead

Substance dead is a Romance of Science-fiction of the American writer Philip K. Dick, published in 1977. The original title, has Scanner Darkly , is a reference to a passage of the First epistle to the Corinthians of Saint Paul: “ for now we see through has knell, darkly ” (“Today we see through a mirror, obscurely, but then we will see face to face; today I know partly, but then I will know as I was known. ”). Corinthians 13:12).

has Scanner Darkly , an adapted film of the novel, left in 2006.

Summary

Bob Arctor is Fred, and Fred is Bob Arctor: a Police member of the brigade of the Narcotic S, infiltrated (or almost) in a medium of drug addicts, and carrying out two lives at the same time. He lives with two other men completely out of phase compared to reality, Luckman and Barris. Gave, his/her friend, is dealeuse and consuming. He are all, except Donna, accro with the Substance M, a Drogue which undermines little by little your identity to end up making you a larva.

“Why” of the Substance Dead one

The text which follows is drawn from a discussion with Gregg Rickman and published in its book Philip K. Dick: in his own words :

“I had lived in contact with drug and of his medium after the departure of Nancy in 1970, during all the year 1971 and the month of January 1972. But I left for the Canada in February 1972, then returned with Orange County, and I did not form any more part of this medium. I wanted to lay down on paper the memory of people that I had known there. I wrote this book to preserve this memory and to denounce drug, because I had seen it killing as well people as I devoted myself from now on to preach the Gospel of his dangers. I had seen dying too many people… I believe that I succeeded in evoking these characters before they are erased of my memory. It is the main thing. I wrote this book as soon as that was possible, at once after having left the medium of drug. I started to describe these people as soon as I could. I had envisaged to do it as of my installation in Canada - one week after having fled this medium, I already tried to evoke his members. The true question could I was describe them before losing the modulations of their voice? And I believe to be parvenu there.

Today, that would be impossible for me. When I read again Substance Died, they return to the life under my eyes. I delighted to have had time to evoke them thus. They all are died, now. Everyone does not test that dislike with regard to Donna. But the girl on whom I took model - it hardly acts that of a creative interpretation - inspired only admiration to me. I never scorned his incredible duplicity. She lived in a layer of the company, in a medium, where cheating was necessary to survive. In other words, if it had not known to be shown also cheating, it would have died. It would not have occurred a few hours before it is killed. It was dealeuse of cam. It was dealeuse and indic' at the same time. It had had to be made choper… and to be seen proposing the option to become indic or of going out of sheet. And it had chosen to become indic. All that was to remain secret. It was in a very difficult position. It was only eighteen years old. It had three different identities: it had a regular job and it still lived in her parents. It was necessary for him to hide with everyone that it dealait. It was undoubtedly cameo also, there to reconsider, it was to be accro with heroin. I will never know it. The junkies with heroin do not come to say to you: hello, I am accro with the héro. Apparently, it also soaked in armed robberies, with a gang, to find corn for its additive. It carried out a very complicated life, and I do not see in which circumstances it could have shown frankness… But I liked it much… His/her boyfriend came to see me one day and he said to me: you will never re-examine it, you will never know where it went, it wants to cut all his fasteners and to begin a new life. And shit, it is what it did! She disappeared in nature… It was the best friend than I ever had, and I doubt that whoever never has the similar one.

But I could put all that in writing before these memories do not grow blurred. And much of peoples of the underworld of drug whom I met and who had read the book said to me that it was the only novel which they found which evokes the drug addicts as well. They sat, and they speak, unceasingly, of nothing. One can advance the four hour old band, and they always discuss the same subject. No progress. They never make least progress. ”

This novel, Dick the dedication thus with his/her former friends drug addicts, died or keeping this time of the after-effects with life. It is thus about a very personal book, very hard, perhaps which puts in scene America not so remote. America where all is made safe and controlled by the authorities, but where the Drogue reign as a mistress. Because contrary to other drugs, the substance M is cheap… But its effects are much more disastrous than the others.

Criticisms

“probably the masterpiece of Philip K. Dick, certainly its book more succeeded, that where is expressed best its art to distort the world of appearances insidiously and to insert it in lived. ” (Philippe Curval, Le Monde , July 21st, 1978)
“ Substance Dead is not a novel of S.F. : more than one document over our time, it is a very large novel. This work is with my direction one of most beautiful, most authentic, more moving that he wrote. Entirely stripped artifice or of literary research, Dick literally wrote it with its tripe. A very beautiful work. ” (Antoine Griset, the literary Magazine , n°140, September 1978)
“Romance of an infinite tenderness for the characters whom it puts in scene. This book is not closed again: a door is pushed: it snap behind us, with a great noise which resounds. ” (Pierre Pelot, Fiction , n°293, re-examined today disappeared)

Editions

Presence of the future N°252, 1978

See too

has Scanner Darkly (film)

External bond

Critical of " Substance mort" on Psychovision.net

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