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Insight and Incitement

2012; Liverpool University Press; Volume: 53; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

2047-7708

Justin Raymond,

Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life

Insight and Incitement. Robert Silverberg. Musings and Meditations: Reflections on Science Fiction, Science and Other Matters. New York: Nonstop Press, 20II. 344 pp. ISBN 9781933065205. $19 pbk.Reviewed by Justin RaymondMusings and Meditations is an edited collection of commentaries written by Robert Silverberg between 1995 and 201 1. The majority of the essays are from Silverberg's (nearly) monthly contributions to Asimov's Science Fiction, which, in their original context, gave readers something to mull over for the few weeks between each issue. However, the act of organizing these articles into a book engenders a second form of meaning-making - one that asks readers to draw on the broad themes and currents that pull across the mind of the author of the brilliant To Live Again (1969) and Downward to the Earth (1970). Confronting both these micro- and macro-level challenges makes Musings and Meditations a delightfully challenging text to read.Silverberg's writing is brisk and clear - a style that draws on the scope and complexity of his lengthy sf career. Musings and Meditations is immediately approachable, yet it does not hesitate to make full use of Silverberg's capacity for drawing historical, cultural, and scientific allusions. It is this style of authorial voice that makes the book accessible to anyone with an interest in his perspective and fascinating to even the most learned fan of sf.The essays take a number of forms, most frequently narratives that address the historical and cultural legacy of the community of sf authors, providing a framework for understanding the social formations that shape their collective experiences. These historical considerations are often combined with explorations of important sf conventions and technology, such as time travel and universal translation devices. An example of this style of hybrid article is when Silverberg imagines going back in time to join his younger self at his first World Science Fiction Convention. This twist allows him to comment on time travel while articulating a historical recollection of the event. Silverberg rounds out this collection with a number of social commentaries. In these articles, his unwavering confidence leaves the reader with both a sense of curiosity and unease. He is perfectly positioned to make authoritative statements about sf conventions he has attended or the subtleties of his novels, but this same conviction lends his political declarations a menacing air - e.g., his repeated characterizations of Indians as mystical Luddites who lack the sophistication to defer to the objectivity of science. This charge, while valid within the positivistic framework of Silverberg's personal philosophy, overlooks the cultural importance of these historical narratives to the people he criticizes. …