Itemize Books Supposing The Absolute at Large
| Original Title: | Továrna na absolutno |
| ISBN: | 0803264593 (ISBN13: 9780803264595) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Karel Čapek
Paperback | Pages: 248 pages Rating: 3.86 | 1618 Users | 148 Reviews
Description To Books The Absolute at Large
In this satirical classic, a brilliant scientist invents the Karburator, a reactor that can create abundant and practically free energy. However, the Karburator’s superefficient energy production also yields a powerful by-product. The machine works by completely annihilating matter and in so doing releases the Absolute, the spiritual essence held within all matter, into the world. Infected by the heady, pure Absolute, the world’s population becomes consumed with religious and national fervor, the effects of which ultimately cause a devastating global war. Set in the mid-twentieth century, The Absolute at Large questions the ethics and rampant spread of power, mass production, and atomic weapons that Karel Capek saw in the technological and political revolutions occurring around him. Stephen Baxter provides an introduction for this Bison Books edition.
Specify Out Of Books The Absolute at Large
| Title | : | The Absolute at Large |
| Author | : | Karel Čapek |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Frontiers of Imagination |
| Pages | : | Pages: 248 pages |
| Published | : | January 1st 2006 by Bison Books (first published 1920) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Science Fiction. European Literature. Czech Literature. Classics |
Rating Out Of Books The Absolute at Large
Ratings: 3.86 From 1618 Users | 148 ReviewsComment On Out Of Books The Absolute at Large
Perhaps you did not know it, but the former Czechoslovakia had its own H.G. Wells in Karel Capek. (The "c" is pronounced like "ch.") "The Absolute at Large," published in 1922, was Capek's first novel. He had previously written a play in which the word "robot" was used for the first time in print (the word comes from a Slavic root, which means "to labor").This novel is both prescient and hilarious. Capek foresees something a bit like nuclear fission, but with a twist: one of its by-products isI first heard about this novel a couple of weeks ago on NPR's You Must Read This series, which, in case you aren't familiar with it, features well-known authors recommending books other than their own for your consideration; your favorite authors' favorite reads, if you will. I was not familiar with the author who recommended this, and I can't remember her name now, but when she described the plot, I knew I needed to read it. Apparently, Capek was a well-known Czech novelist and playwright (whom
Karel Capek is, of course, the author credited with the invention of the term 'robot', but this story isn't concerned with artificial intelligence in any way. He was a philosopher. The book first appeared in Britain, in translation by Thomas Mark, in 1927. The style and language reflect this period and the version I read had been edited by Damon Knight, the anthology editor, to remove certain chapters he described as 'nearly half the book - (chapters) that go nowhere and contribute nothing to
The premise: what if a machine was created that could be the unlimited energy source for anything, and could through that energy make an unimaginable supply of anything and everything? The problem: that same machine, by using up all the atomic particles of energy, releases one nasty byproduct: the Absolute, aka God or the Spiritual, trapped within all energy, yet until now imprisoned there and relatively harmless.With a premise like that, I couldn't help but think of that episode of the Simpsons
interesting satire, run-of-the-mill spec, meh translation, superb printing and paper quality, nonexistent copy-editing.
I hesitate to call Čapek's work science fiction because of the childish/nerdish and fantastical associations of the term; speculative fiction might be a better term. Unlike much science fiction (of the Dr Who mould) Čapek's work is actually grounded in extant scientific knowledge and for that reason all the more astounding. Part of this story might be the atomic industry's fantasy an energy source that burns any material, breaks down its essential form, and destroys all to leave no residue: the
The Absolute at Large is a deft, straightforward, drily laugh-out-loud satire on spiritualism. When a frazzled inventor accidentally invents a nuclear power engine that offgasses God, a.k.a., the Absolute, he begs his old friend and industry baron to buy the machine and get it off his hands. As its curious byproduct converts factory workers, board members, bankers, and innocent bystanders to rapturous spirituality, neither capitalism or Marxism can withstand its effects on society--and the
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