Sign in with Facebook
Darwin8u's Reviews > The Drowned World
The Drowned World
by
by
'Nothing endures so long as fear."
J.G. Ballard, The Drowned World
I promise God. I promise I've learned my lesson. I'll review these books sooner. I loved this book, dear God, but now I have to go back to my lizard brain memory to recall why. Oh, yeah, because nobody figured out our 21st-Century global clusterfuckery as early in the 1960s as J.G. Ballard (ok, perhaps PKD, or Pynchon). He seemed to be writing our nightmares now 50+ years ago. It is hard to read this and not feel strapped-on-squeezed between Heart of Darkness and some "global meltdown conference" on Global Warming (oh, Hell, was that another piece of the Antarctica that just banged into the ocean?). One of my favorite things about Ballard is even in the early 1960s the guy was the masterglazier of setting. I mean he could nail a swollen river with plants, iguanas, lagoons, alligators, and swollen biological memories. This book is a warm freakshowdream that oozes a dystopian anxiety hiding just around the corner.
J.G. Ballard, The Drowned World
I promise God. I promise I've learned my lesson. I'll review these books sooner. I loved this book, dear God, but now I have to go back to my lizard brain memory to recall why. Oh, yeah, because nobody figured out our 21st-Century global clusterfuckery as early in the 1960s as J.G. Ballard (ok, perhaps PKD, or Pynchon). He seemed to be writing our nightmares now 50+ years ago. It is hard to read this and not feel strapped-on-squeezed between Heart of Darkness and some "global meltdown conference" on Global Warming (oh, Hell, was that another piece of the Antarctica that just banged into the ocean?). One of my favorite things about Ballard is even in the early 1960s the guy was the masterglazier of setting. I mean he could nail a swollen river with plants, iguanas, lagoons, alligators, and swollen biological memories. This book is a warm freakshowdream that oozes a dystopian anxiety hiding just around the corner.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Drowned World.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Comments Showing 1-11 of 11 (11 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Ilana
(new)
-
rated it 3 stars
Jan 17, 2019 09:36PM
Nice! 👍 I just received a gorgeous illustrated edition of this book this week... maybe I’ll pick it up sooner than later. 🙂
reply
|
flag
Ilana wrote: "Nice! 👍 I just received a gorgeous illustrated edition of this book this week... maybe I’ll pick it up sooner than later. 🙂"I really think Ballard is one of my favorite writers, but I also recognize he might not be for everyone (I don't know who that OTHER might be). I"m totally jealous of your illustrated edition.
Cody wrote: "Fantastic write up"Thanks Cody.
Folio Society. On sale right now. 😊
Well now I have to read it -- though honestly we are living in a freakshowdream of dystopian anxiety these days, so it might be same old same old.
this one of my favourite ballard's, though I still have a lot of the latter ones to read.
I think you may have missed the import of this story which is profoundly racist at its core.
BlackOxford wrote: "I think you may have missed the import of this story which is profoundly racist at its core."While many writers I live have certainly had issues with race, sex, religion, and other bigotries. I'm not completely convinced that Ballard's subtext is racist here. I DO think Imperialism and colonialism (both when it is ascendent and decendent) IS racist. I also think Ballard's dividing people into types and cartoons can easily lead down that road, so I think there is some validity to your critique, but it wasn't (for me) a central issue. I DO appreciate you giving me that lense to view the book through.
Darwin8u wrote: "BlackOxford wrote: "I think you may have missed the import of this story which is profoundly racist at its core."While many writers I live have certainly had issues with race, sex, religion, and ..."
Thanks Darwin. I could be wrong after all. But the mire I’m reading about Ballard, the more suspicious I become. I appreciate the hearing, and the response.
That is just how I pictured the setting in this book!
