UPDATE: My Wind/Pinball review can be found here . ISBN: n/a Publisher: n/a Paperback: 160 pages In Murakami fan circles, simply owning a copy of Pinball, 1973 is a mark of hardcore-ness. Like Hear the Wind Sing before it, Haruki Murakami does not allow English translations of Pinball, 1973 to be published outside of Japan. Back in the 80s, Alfred Birnbaum translated it into English and Kodansha published it as a novel for Japanese students who wanted to improve their English. While the English edition of Hear the Wind Sing continues to be reprinted and sold in Japan (and available for a moderate sum via eBay, see my review ), Kodansha stopped its reprint runs of the English edition of Pinball, 1973 and has now become a collector's item, fetching vast amounts of money on auction sites and reseller stores. Last time I checked, the cheapest copy went for USD$2500. Of course, Murakami addicts or the curious can always download a less than legal PDF of the book, painst...
To each his own. You could argue that both of them showed distinct versions of scientific use. Verne prefers science gone right strengthening the industrial revolution, and Wells showcased things that effed up in the name of science and cause havoc to a typical British mind. Whom you chose might be indicative of your perpectice on life.
ReplyDeleteAsk me who the daddy is, I'd call Asimov. Coz in the end, it was his take on sci-fi that determined how other authors write their story.
The final argument could be that 'science fiction' as a term is really badly overgenerallized.
Yes, Verne wanted to show how science could benefit man, while Wells wanted to warn the dangers it could bring.
ReplyDeleteBut personally, I would hesitate in calling Asimov "The Daddy". He plays a big role in influencing the sci-fi scene certainly, especially with robot fiction, but I think the title should go to either Wells or Verne.
But you're right, sci-fi as a term is too generalised.
Albert Robida is often overlooked, yet more than most science fiction writers, many of his technologies are part of our modern world eg flat screen TVs, iPod.
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