George Orwell’s “1984”

 "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."

It's not every day that you have the opportunity to review one of the greatest books ever written. Wait... What the hell am I saying? Who am I to review one of Literature's masterpieces? This is not a review. This is simply me trying to tell you how great George Orwell's 1984 is.

Ok. Deep breath. Focus on the task at hand.

I assume that everybody who is minimally connected with the surrounding world is somewhat familiar with the sentence "Big Brother if watching you" (even if not for the right reasons). It is but one of the memorable phrases from George Orwell's dystopian view of future society, where a central government monitored every daily aspect of each citizen's life, controlling knowledge, information, routines, and eliminating any kind of deviation. In 1948 (the year the book was written) it was merely a work of fiction, but looking in retrospective to what was the 20th century, one can't help but wonder where fiction became reality in so many unfortunate examples.

Although I haven't read all important books in the History of Mankind, I'm pretty sure this is one of its most marvelous masterpieces. It is a gigantic introspection about being human, living in society, and the everlasting struggle between repression and freedom.

Winston Smith is the ordinary government employee, working for the Ministry of Truth, that goes by every day fulfilling his duties of controlling information and rewriting History, replacing existing texts with the government's version. But Winston starts questioning himself... That's how human beings start everything. By questioning. From there on, the book is a rollercoaster on sociology.

It is of the utmost importance, in my judgement, to have always present that the book was written around 1948, only three years after World War II ended. I have no doubt that everything revolving around the conflict played a major role in the inspiration for the novel. Propaganda, war against "all enemies", shifting alliances, controlling every aspect of daily life, the focus around an undisputed leader. And I can't help but wonder if the protagonist's name wasn't inspired in the most famous Winston in the History of Mankind.

I don't want to talk a lot about the plot, because I really want you to read the book. It's an amazing travel that'll put us questioning everything, and then some more. It is overwhelming to be a witness of Winston's daily struggle, how he feels the drive to escape from Big Brother's control and discipline, and how difficult - how impossible! - it seems to be. You don't question. You don't think. Because "thoughtcrime" is punishable by death. And, suddenly, the world is shaken by a small piece of paper hand-delivered to Winston. That exact moment is one of Literature's unique "oh, my!" moments. That is the trigger that makes us join Winston. We want to become part of his army of insurrects that challenge tyranny and oppression. We walk in Winston's shadow, plotting with him, crossing our fingers so that everything will turn out for the best. We become breathless.

There is a torture scene that is so majestically written that one can almost feel the impact of each blow. It is extenuating to read those chapters, and feel blow after blow. But, along the way, while we bear witness to Winston's resistance, we know that in the end the good guys will triumph! I mean, isn't that what always happens in books? Deep breath…

Rare times have I been so immersed in a book. And, presently, one can't look at 1984 as a Fantasy or Sci-Fi book. Rarely have I felt so related with a novel. George Orwell had the foresight of anticipating the second half of the 20th Century. Today we can read his work and "almost feel it as a History book". It also lights the fire within us to resist all attempts of control, all ways of preventing our access to free thinking, culture, poetry, diversity. We feel the responsibility to act, thus forbidding our world to close on 1984.

Will we?

Just for an ending note, let us all be reminded that 2+2 =5.

This article is pending approval by the Ministry of Truth.

1984 – George Orwell, England, 1949

The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller

You don’t talk about Batman without talking about Frank Miller. If you do, you probably believe that Batman is a superhero dressed in a weird costume that fights supervillains. Otherwise, you’ll know that Batman is The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight Returns (TDKR) may well be the greatest comic book ever made. Frank Miller reached stardom with a collection of sublime works such as Sin City, 300, and Daredevil – The Man Without Fear, but his creations for Batman(TDKR and Year One)  top the vast majority of published works in the history of the Ninth Art. Miller’s grim writing is absolutely unique. Forget about superheroes. With Miller you’re always punched with the raw, dark, ugly side of human psyche, wrapped in sociological pathos.

Not many artists are tailored to illustrate histories with this background. Fortunately, not only Frank Miller is a conceptual genius, he has also always known exactly who to team up with. In this case, Klaus Janson was the one-in-a-million choice to give life to Miller’s magnificent script. On rare occasions have two Artists fused so perfectly to breathe life into a masterpiece.

But let us, for start, focus on the story. The Dark Knight Returns confronts us with an aged Batman. At 55 years old, Bruce Wayne has long abandoned the role of the vigilante detective. As it is said in the book, younger generations believe “The Batman” to be no more than a myth. But crime and chaos are escalating in the ever present Gotham City, much thanks to a group of punks that go by the name “The Mutants”. Still fighting the traumas of the past, Batman has no other choice but to come back from retirement.

The vignettes are marvelously knitted in each page, with much of the story being reported to the reader by TV reporters. In 1986, Miller had already the notion of the 24/7 thirst for non-stop news that people nowadays seem to suffer. Obviously, each piece of news has to be exhaustively analyzed by a panel of “specialists”. Any similarities with reality are… well, absolutely accurate. Miller’s acid perspective is delicious when presenting all the media coverage around Harvey Dent’s release. His therapist presents Harvey as a new man, victim of society, someone who is completely changed and needing the loving embrace of his fellow citizens. Anyone who shows any kind of reserve is immediately dismissed as a caveman unable to witness the magnificent effort of redemption of a poor tormented soul. It is impossible to be more sarcastic. Had the book been published today and it would have been shunned by the countless morons of the “politically correct”.

The writing is so perfect, and so actual, that it even has an amazing news report that I’ll simply quote: Porn Star Hot Gates today signed a twelve million dollar contract with Landmark Films to star in a screen version of Snow White. “I’m doing it for the kids,” says Gates…

Can anything display more vividly the rotting hypocrisy of today’s “role models” of our society? Has Frank Miller foreseen the decadence of western culture 30 years in advance?

And after dozens of pages of dark sociological bath, we reach the “vintage Batman”. It is time for the always anticipated clash with The Joker! And, my, oh my, is the Joker brilliant in all the complexity of Miller’s pen. Once again, I have to praise the phenomenal work of Klaus Janson when depicting the Joker, especially in the gripping last sequence of the maniacal laughter. The entire scene is chilling, unforgettable, and mesmerizing. This is, undoubtedly, one of the scenes that made Batman the success the character enjoys today.

Yet, let us not forget that this is supposed to be a superhero comic book, and to remind us of that we get the special appearance of Superman, the government’s tool. The confrontation with Batman is inevitable, since both have quite distinct views of civil rights. All of this is happening with a confrontation between USA and Russia in the background, with a nuclear escalation occurring in a small island that Miller in homage baptized Corto Maltese. If you don’t know who Corto Maltese is, you’re wasting your life.

Published in 1986, The Dark Knight Returns is the Batman book of excellence. And, as I’ve tried to share, it is far from being just a Batman book. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy would be impossible without Frank Miller’s work. The “cinematography” achieved by Klaus Janson and Frank Miller is in no way inferior to the works by the brothers Nolan. People who, three decades ago, thought that superhero comic books were all about colorfully dressed guys saving the world from weird villains and alien invasions may have had a sheer heart attack when Frank Miller stepped into the scene.

Ancient Greece As It Was, by Eric Chaline

“According to legend, Hephaistos was so enamored of the virginal Athena that he attempted to rape her. The goddess escaped but his seed fell upon the earth, and Erechtheus, half-man, half-snake, was born. The child was taken by Gaia, the earth, to the Acropolis and given to Athena to raise. She in turn entrusted him, hidden in a basket, to the three daughters of Kekrops: Pandrosos, Herse, and Aglauros. Herse and Aglauros were so curious that they opened the basket, went mad when they saw the child, and jumped to their deaths, while the dutiful Pandrosos survived. When he was fully grown, Erechtheus became king of Athens and founded the first temple to Athena Polias.”

Being the History aficionado that I am, I’ve read several History books along my life. I believe my Father is to be blamed on this, since the first History book I read was offered by him when I was a kid. It was a small book about ancient Greece (which I still have), and I recall its mesmerizing illustrations in black, orange, and white. Two and half decades later here I am, returning to the Greeks.

When I laid my eyes on this Ancient Greece As It Was I wasn’t so sure with what to expect of it. It presented itself as a travel guide to Greece as if it was written in 415 BC. Hum, this is probably just something silly for idiots to buy. But, with a price bellow five euros at the bookstore… why not? Besides, I love travelling, and usually buy a lot of travel guides, so I’m widely familiar with the style.

Oh, Zeus, how I looove being wrong. The book is far from being silly. It is one of the most creative and intelligently assembled History books I’ve read so far. It is edited precisely as a travel guide, presenting information about demographics and the geography of Attica (the region of Athens), and even being so amusing as this: “If you are coming from Athens, exit from the Diplyon Gate and walk along the two-lane road outside the northern long wall. The distance of 50 stadia will take you two or three hours depending on the traffic”. This is priceless! Who could have guessed that you could ACTUALLY write a travel guide in Athens 415 BC exactly as you do in 2015 AD? You even have a chapter named “Entertainment on a Budget” and the always present How to Get There, Food and Drink, and – obviously! – Shopping.

Again, I insist: it is in no way a kitsch thing. Each of the entries is marvelously written with all the attention to historical detail, and with all the juicy content that a traveler in 415 BC would want to learn about life, tradition, and History. Even architecture is widely explained, with text boxes explaining the differences, for instance, between Doric and Ionic columns.

Our travel guide starts with a brief highlight of the History of Greece. Needless to say that talking about the History of Greece in 415 BC is recounting the deeds of Theseus, Herakles, and all the praised heroes of yonder. The episodes are ingeniously inserted amidst the chapters that present the structural wonders of Athens, such as the Acropolis. Throughout several pages we are introduced to all the buildings that exist in the Acropolis – not just the Parthenon – where it is explained (when there is information available) who ordered its construction, what are the materials used, and what rituals are performed. It is magnificent the amount of wide spanning information that is cramped in each entry.

The sanctuary of Zeus Polieus (Zeus of the City) overlooks the north of the Acropolis and is divided into two enclosures: the first has a small temple and altar; while the second provides stabling for the oxen sacrificed during the Bouphonia, or ox-killing festival, held in late summer. The altar is a bronze table on which barley cakes are offered. Oxen are driven around the table until one eats the cakes. The guilty ox is sacrificed with an ax by the bouphonos (ox-killer), who immediately drops the ax and runs off. The ax is then tried, cursed, and thrown into the sea. The ox is “resurrected”, with its hide stuffed and displayed in the precinct.

As you didn’t have photos or Google Maps at the time, the book is enriched by many maps and hand-drawn depicted scenes of daily life. It is so well assembled that you can actually imagine the countless blacksmiths working the bronze around the temple of Hephaistos. Your imagination starts buzzing when you try to feel the pulse of the polis of Athens, whose low fertile surrounding terrains pushed the city to become a marvel of industrializations, with countless pottery workshops and amphorae full of olive oil being transported along the roads, to be traded overseas by the much needed cereals and vegetables. This isn’t just a clever History book disguised as a travel guide; this is a jewel that makes you understand who those people were, why they were like that, and captivatingly helps you envision ancient Greece as it was. In the best tradition of Homer, this book addicts you in the History of Greece.

I am unable to enrich this article with further information and images, because, according to the Internet, the book doesn’t exist! You barely can find any info about the book, encountering different versions, titles, even author names (as in the cover that is presented below). And when you search in the publishers’ website (Lyons Press)… you get no results! Yup, just like ancient Greece, I have a thing of myth!

I also have the remaining collection of the series: Ancient Rome As It Was and Ancient Egypt as It Was. I only regret that there isn’t an Ancient Olisippo As It Was.

Oooh, yes: now I have picked your interest. Now you feel compelled to go to Wikipedia and find out “what the heck is Olisippo”. Well, I can only wish you an interesting voyage, and… send my regards to Odysseus. Yes… that one.

Ancient Greece As It Was – Eric Chaline, 2008, Lyons Press

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, by Philip K. Dick

“You were wrong,” Eldritch said. “I did not find God in the Prox system. But I found something better.” With a stick he poked at the gluck; it reluctantly withdrew its cilia, and contracted into itself until at last it was no longer clinging to Leo; it dropped to the ground and traveled away, as Eldritch continued to prod it. “God,” Eldritch said, “promises eternal life. I can do better; I can deliver it.”

Philip K. Dick has been amply celebrated as the best sci-fi writer of all times. And, although I twist my eyebrow and say "Ok, but Frank Herbert (...)", one must say that K. Dick was a master at his craft. After all, he did write the book that inspired Blade Runner, the best movie in History (sorry guys, The Empire Strikes Back is only second best), as well as many books that inspired other successful films, but for now let us focus in The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.

"For everyone lost in the endlessly multiplicating realities of the modern world, remember: Philip K. Dick got there first." This is the quote by Terry Gilliam displayed in the cover of the edition I own (SF Masterworks). It would be hard to find a more appropriate one.

The story runs in a near future when Earth is colonizing Mars, and using "Evolution Therapy" to make human brains more advanced (obviously, only available to whom can afford it). Life for the colonists on Mars isn't easy, so most of them find escapism in a drug called Can-D. But this is no ordinary drug. Can-D allows access to controlled environments predefined by layouts (a sort of maquette), which can be shared by several users (much like nowadays online multiplayer games). Everything seems to be running smoothly, until the day a man named Palmer Eldritch crashes his ship on Pluto, after returning from a voyage to the Proxima Centauri system. Something "out there" may have changed Eldritch, which rapidly starts to threaten the monopoly of Can-D by sampling a new drug called Chew-Z.

Where exactly ends the "real" story, and starts the alternate reality (realities)? Good luck finding out!

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch isn't an easily accessible book to readers not used to hardcore science-fiction. Most will get lost in the alternating dimensions of the narrative. And that just feels marvelous. This is not a book about spaceships and laser guns. It is a book about different struggles, desperation, philosophy, maybe religion, and losing control.

Barney Mayerson is the "favored victim" (but not the single one) of K. Dick's ever changing realities. He works as a sort of market analyst, benefiting from his precog abilities to assess the futures success of new products. Although Mayerson has no difficulty in acquiring lovers, he can't stop obsessing with his ex-wife. The capacity that K. Dick demonstrates in dealing with mundane human aspects, in a sci-fi novel revolving around countless states of reality, is astonishing.

Then, you have Palmer Eldritch, the character that triggers the "translation" that keeps readers twisting the eyebrows. K. Dick is a trickster; no one is really sure of what is reading. "Is this the real reality, or is this...? Waaaait... something doesn't feel right about this..."

It isn't easy to talk about Palmer Eldritch without making some spoilers, but also because you end the book without really knowing who (what?) Eldritch is. And I have to say that is one of the alluring aspects of the story: you're never quite sure about anything in it. And, as expected, you don't really know how it ends. It is good, old, philosophical science fiction, allowing open speculation about almost everything. You never get actually lost in the story (K. Dick was a master weaver), but it requires your full attention and focus. Otherwise, you'll be lost in the... "translation".

It is rather thought-provoking to compare the idea behind the book, published in 1965, with the addiction that today’s communities have with massive multiplayer online roleplaying games. The allure of immersing oneself in an entire fictional world, assuming a different persona (or several), as a way to deny real life itself… Be careful, much like the ending of Christopher Nolan’s Inception, you may end up without knowing whether you are dreaming or awaken.

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch – Philip K. Dick, USA, 1965

O Mostrengo, por Fernando Pessoa

O mostrengo que está no fim do mar

Na noite de breu ergueu-se a voar;

A roda da nau voou três vezes,

Voou três vezes a chiar,

E disse: «Quem é que ousou entrar

Nas minhas cavernas que não desvendo,

Meus tectos negros do fim do mundo?»

E o homem do leme disse, tremendo:

«El-Rei D. João Segundo!»

«De quem são as velas onde me roço?

De quem as quilhas que vejo e ouço?»

Disse o mostrengo, e rodou três vezes,

Três vezes rodou imundo e grosso.

«Quem vem poder o que só eu posso,

Que moro onde nunca ninguém me visse

E escorro os medos do mar sem fundo?»

E o homem do leme tremeu, e disse:

«El-Rei D. João Segundo!»

Três vezes do leme as mãos ergueu,

Três vezes ao leme as reprendeu,

E disse no fim de tremer três vezes:

«Aqui ao leme sou mais do que eu:

Sou um povo que quer o mar que é teu;

E mais que o mostrengo, que me a alma teme

E roda nas trevas do fim do mundo,

Manda a vontade, que me ata ao leme,

De El-Rei D. João Segundo!»

A Mensagem, Fernando Pessoa, 1934