Olaf Stapledon (1886–1950)
Autore di Star Maker
Sull'Autore
Fonte dell'immagine: Courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery (image use requires permission from the New York Public Library)
Serie
Opere di Olaf Stapledon
Talking Across the World: The Love Letters of Olaf Stapledon and Agnes Miller, 1913-1919 (1987) 13 copie
Collected Stories 4 copie
Through the Depths of the Universe: Complete Sci-Fi Works of Olaf Stapledon: Star Maker, Last and First Men, Odd John,… (2021) 3 copie
Arms Out Of Hand 3 copie
A Modern Magician 3 copie
A World Of Sound 3 copie
East Is West 3 copie
Waking World 2 copie
Interplanetary Man 2 copie
The Man Who Became A Tree 2 copie
Saints and revolutionaries 2 copie
Last and First Men Illustrated 1 copia
Warwick the Kingmaker 1 copia
Philosophy and Living Volume 1 1 copia
Philosophy and Living Volume 2 1 copia
STA Juan Raro 1 copia
X Rare stories 1 copia
HACEDOR DE ESTRELLAS 1 copia
Critaturas de fuego 1 copia
Beyond the "isms" 1 copia
Complete Works of Olaf Stapledon 1 copia
X Biography 1 copia
Last And First Men [Short Story] 1 copia
THE ROAD TO THE AIDE POST 1 copia
William Olaf Stapledon 1 copia
Opere correlate
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Nome legale
- Stapledon, William Olaf
- Data di nascita
- 1886-05-10
- Data di morte
- 1950-09-06
- Luogo di sepoltura
- Dee Estuary, Wales, UK (ashes scattered)
- Sesso
- male
- Nazionalità
- UK
- Nazione (per mappa)
- England, UK
- Luogo di nascita
- Seacombe, Wallasey, Cheshire, England, UK
- Luogo di morte
- Caldy, Wirral, Merseyside, England, UK
- Luogo di residenza
- Seacombe, Merseyside, England, UK
Caldy, Wirral, Merseyside, England, UK
Port Said, Egypt
Rocester, Staffordshire, England, UK
Manchester, England, UK
West Kirby, Merseyside, England, UK - Istruzione
- Oxford University (Balliol College)
University of Liverpool (Phd)
Abbotsholme School (Rocester, Staffordshire, England, UK) - Attività lavorative
- novelist
teacher
lecturer
ethicist
philosopher
ambulance driver (WWI) (mostra tutto 7)
peace activist - Relazioni
- Stapledon, Sir Reginald George (uncle)
- Organizzazioni
- University of Liverpool
- Premi e riconoscimenti
- Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award (2001)
Croix de Guerre (WWI)
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (2014) - Breve biografia
- Olaf Stapledon, englischer Philosoph und Schriftsteller, wuchs in Ägypten auf und studierte in Oxford. Neben seiner Tätigkeit in einer Reederei hielt er an der Universität Liverpool Gastvorlesungen über englische Literatur und über Geschichte der Industrialisierung. Nach seiner Promotion zum Doktor der Philosophie wandte er sich der Erforschung der philosophischen Richtungen im 20. Jahrhundert zu. Von 1930 an schrieb er Science Fiction. In der Tradition von H. G. Wells stehend, schuf er mit seinen Romanen gigantische Extrapolationen der menschlichen Entwicklung und der Entfaltung des Lebens im Kosmos. (Rückentext »Der Sternenschöpfer«)
Utenti
Discussioni
Olaf Stapledon Question in Science Fiction Fans (Febbraio 2014)
"Last and First Men" Group Discussion in Group Reads - Sci-Fi (Agosto 2013)
Recensioni
Liste
Premi e riconoscimenti
Potrebbero anche piacerti
Autori correlati
Statistiche
- Opere
- 64
- Opere correlate
- 13
- Utenti
- 5,625
- Popolarità
- #4,406
- Voto
- 3.8
- Recensioni
- 124
- ISBN
- 241
- Lingue
- 13
- Preferito da
- 17
Of course, Stapledon was a child of his time and there are expressions and opinions that are ‘not done’ any more in our time (almost a century later), such as the description that 'negro dance' (sic) has a "sexual and primitive character". Especially in the first chapters, which describe the succession of wars between European countries and then between America and China, Stapledon candidly expresses his opinion about peoples and countries. In this way, the unique merits of England are highlighted (English pacifism is interpreted as the highest expression of civilization in our era), and America in particular is hit hard ("this was essentially a race of bright, but arrested, adolescents. Something lacking which should have enabled them to grow up.”). In fact, the entire Americanization of the world would lead to the eventual demise of the First Man. Perhaps it is indeed better to skip the first 4 chapters, because they are too close to Stapledon's own time and as a consequence are too colored by his present views.
From the fifth chapter onwards, the new human species and their ascending and descending civilizations follow each other in rapid succession, spread over millions of years, with regularly very long Dark Ages. What Stapledon serves here testifies to a particularly inventive mind, which was also surprisingly well informed with the state of science at the time. It is striking that he has a good command of the principles of evolutionary theory, and is even up to date with the latest developments in atomic science and quantum physics. Before you start to think that Stapledon mainly focuses on abstract aspects: he pays a striking amount of attention to culture and religion. Almost all civilizations he describes, have special cultural characteristics and in almost all of them forms of religion set the tone, bringing those civilizations to both great heights and terrible lows. For example, during the third human species there is an extremely musical civilization, also called the Holy Empire of Music, which in no time falls into a tyrannical regime, a musical theocracy.
There is, of course, a system in Stapledon's review of the heroic history of the human species: “again and again folk after folk would clamber out of savagery and barbarism into relative enlightenment; and mostly, though not always, the main theme of this enlightenment was some special mood either of biological creativity or of sadism, or of both.” Apparently, Stapledon's vision was strongly marked by the horror of the First World War, and undoubtedly also by Oswald Spengler's Untergang des Abendlandes (the Decline of the West), 1918-1922. He may have derived his cyclical view of man (perhaps it is better to speak of a spiral view of history) from Spengler. But Stapledon certainly did not share the German's deep pessimism. In many respects (as is evident from his other writings) he stands in the utopian tradition, with the associated optimism. This Last and First Men ends with a striking eulogy for humanity (we are now at the 18th and last human species): “Great are the stars, and man is of no account to them. But man is a fair spirit, whom a star conceived and a star kills. He is greater than those bright blind companies. For though in them there is incalculable potentiality, in him there is achievement, small, but actual. Too soon, apparently, he comes to his end. But when he is done he will not be nothing, not as though he had never been; for he is eternally a beauty in the eternal form of things.”
As mentioned, my appreciation for this book may be a bit exaggerated. But the lyrical description of so many eras, and the infectious (naive) recurring resurrection of the human species, really appeal to me. Even with almost 50 years between my first and second reading of this book. No doubt that says something about me.… (altro)