Ted Chiang: Respiro (Paperback, Italian language, 2021, Sperlink & Kupfer)
Paperback, 338 pages
Italian language
Published Aug. 31, 2021 by Sperlink & Kupfer.
ISBN:
978-88-5544-097-4
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4 stars
(112 reviews)
"L'universo ha avuto origine da un immenso respiro trattenuto. Perché non si sa, ma quale che ne sia stato il motivo, mi fa davvero piacere sia andata così, se sono vivo lo devo infatti a quel fenomeno. Tutti i miei desideri e le mie riflessioni non sono altro che vortici d'aria generati dalla successiva e graduale espirazione dell'universo. E finché questa grande espirazione non avrà termine, i miei pensieri continueranno a vivere.". Nel racconto che dà il nome alla raccolta, il protagonista è uno scienziato che fa una scoperta impossibile sulla propria esistenza. E chiude proprio con un'esortazione che contiene la poetica dell'autore: «Anche se quando mi leggerai, esploratore, io sarò morto da tempo, mi congedo adesso rivolgendoti un invito: contempla la meraviglia che è l'esistenza e rallegrati di poterlo fare. Mi sento in diritto di dirtelo. Mentre scrivo queste parole, infatti, io sto facendo lo stesso.» In questo uso …
"L'universo ha avuto origine da un immenso respiro trattenuto. Perché non si sa, ma quale che ne sia stato il motivo, mi fa davvero piacere sia andata così, se sono vivo lo devo infatti a quel fenomeno. Tutti i miei desideri e le mie riflessioni non sono altro che vortici d'aria generati dalla successiva e graduale espirazione dell'universo. E finché questa grande espirazione non avrà termine, i miei pensieri continueranno a vivere.". Nel racconto che dà il nome alla raccolta, il protagonista è uno scienziato che fa una scoperta impossibile sulla propria esistenza. E chiude proprio con un'esortazione che contiene la poetica dell'autore: «Anche se quando mi leggerai, esploratore, io sarò morto da tempo, mi congedo adesso rivolgendoti un invito: contempla la meraviglia che è l'esistenza e rallegrati di poterlo fare. Mi sento in diritto di dirtelo. Mentre scrivo queste parole, infatti, io sto facendo lo stesso.» In questo uso della fantascienza come contenitore dei sentimenti e dei pensieri umani, Chiang è degno erede di Philip K. Dick. Nelle altre otto storie che compongono la raccolta ci sono sempre personaggi fuori dall'ordinario, che sperimentano la vita in dimensioni diverse dalla nostra. Come ne "Il mercante e il portale dell'alchimista", il racconto che apre la raccolta, in cui un varco temporale costringe un venditore di stoffe nell'antica Baghdad a fare i conti con i propri errori e gli offre il modo di rimediare. Come in tutte le sue opere, Chiang sfiora la fantascienza immaginando mondi diversi, intelligenze artificiali, forse viaggi nel tempo (sicuramente nella memoria), e in realtà mette sul tavolo temi umanissimi: il valore della vita, l'ineluttabilità, la paura e il dolore della morte, la necessità della memoria, la ricchezza salvifica del sapere, e volere, comunicare.
While the first story and the second one, the titular story, are some of the best scifi I've ever read since Asimov, I did not love the other ones so much. While they are certainly good, Ted Chiang's mind was not a comfortable one for me to interact with. He is almost too sharp, his character's are entirely subordinated to the speculation of the idea, and his imagery and prose is almost too precise. That style is typical of science fiction, and I probably would not be bothered so much had I not read each story after the other. Beats watching Black Mirror though (they definitely ripped off the Remem story out of this book).
Un poco como en La historia de tu vida, hay cuentos de todo tipo. Lo que tienen en común es que siempre se dejan leer muy bien.
Ciencia ficción, sí, pero con una vuelta de tuerca. No es lo típico leer saifai ambientado en el bagdad antiguo.
La historia que da título al libro, aunque no fue mi preferida, sí que es muy alienígena e interesante de leer.
Quizás lo que menos me gustó fue la historia más larga del libro, que va sobre IA, y aunque no me enganchó muchísimo la historia en sí, sí que quería ver a dónde iba, pero acaba de una forma tan abrupta que te deja con mal sabor...
Una de las historias va sobre la lengua, la escritura y la comunicación (¡Hola, La historia de tu vida!) y se nota que es un tema que al autor le interesa, porque siempre es un …
Un poco como en La historia de tu vida, hay cuentos de todo tipo. Lo que tienen en común es que siempre se dejan leer muy bien.
Ciencia ficción, sí, pero con una vuelta de tuerca. No es lo típico leer saifai ambientado en el bagdad antiguo.
La historia que da título al libro, aunque no fue mi preferida, sí que es muy alienígena e interesante de leer.
Quizás lo que menos me gustó fue la historia más larga del libro, que va sobre IA, y aunque no me enganchó muchísimo la historia en sí, sí que quería ver a dónde iba, pero acaba de una forma tan abrupta que te deja con mal sabor...
Una de las historias va sobre la lengua, la escritura y la comunicación (¡Hola, La historia de tu vida!) y se nota que es un tema que al autor le interesa, porque siempre es un gusto leerlo.
Una tontería, pero también me han gustado las notas del autor al final del libro que hablan de la inspiración y las referencias para las historias.
Several great short stories, though the longest one in the book is not as successful. Chiang keeps the spirit of his previous book 'Stories of your life', with short narratives that investigate deep philosophical questions in a creative and engaging way, without being artificial. I found the earlier book to be brilliant cover-to-cover, while this one is more uneven.
Every story is a thought experiment—like the best episodes of Twilight Zone. I was completely absorbed. I still talk about stories in this collection. "The Great Silence," the story from the perspective of a (critically endangered) Puerto Rican parrot, left me choked up. "Omphalos," a pseudo-epistolary story from a timeline where creationism is real and science and religion are closely intertwined. I'm still telling people about those about 4 months after reading them.
The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate: 4 stars: surprisingly good for what it was. Exhalation: 5-stars, top-notch, feels like 1950s era scifi, very good concept. What's Expected of Us: 4.5 stars until it says some stupid stuff that implies it doesn't even remotely understand the concept, made me mad by being stupid: 2 stars. The Lifecycle of Software Objects: 3.5 stars: feels like it had a bunch of points, none of which were well-explored. Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny: 2 stars: boring, uninteresting. The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling: 4 stars: good concept. The Great Silence: 3 stars: good concept, fine for what it is, but what it is isn't a great read. Omphalos: 4 stars: again, great concept, also feels like 1950s era scifi, but not developed as well as it could've been. Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom: 4.5 stars: great concept, pretty good story, weird ending …
The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate: 4 stars: surprisingly good for what it was. Exhalation: 5-stars, top-notch, feels like 1950s era scifi, very good concept. What's Expected of Us: 4.5 stars until it says some stupid stuff that implies it doesn't even remotely understand the concept, made me mad by being stupid: 2 stars. The Lifecycle of Software Objects: 3.5 stars: feels like it had a bunch of points, none of which were well-explored. Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny: 2 stars: boring, uninteresting. The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling: 4 stars: good concept. The Great Silence: 3 stars: good concept, fine for what it is, but what it is isn't a great read. Omphalos: 4 stars: again, great concept, also feels like 1950s era scifi, but not developed as well as it could've been. Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom: 4.5 stars: great concept, pretty good story, weird ending that distracts from some of its better points.
1. Exhalation 2. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate 3. Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom 4. The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling 5. The Lifecycle of Software Objects 6. Omphalos 7. What's Expected of Us 8. The Great Silence 9. Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny
I don't usually read short stories but this one was recommended to me. Maybe I had too high expectations? Anyway, I enjoyed the first stories "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", "Exhalation" and the "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" and "Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny". But I had a hard time engaging with all the other stories. I didn't find the ideas that interesting and for the most part, I didn't care at all about the characters/narrator of the story. Most of the stories were disturbingly weird to me. I was a little bit disappointed overall.
Many of the stories are glaringly built around a fixed idea so that the notes at the end are redundant—or are more interesting than the stories themselves. The surrounding texts are more filler than breathing worlds. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", "The Lifecycle of Software Objects", and "Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom" are the most organic.
Some really solid speculative fiction. The good stories are really good (Omphalos, Exhalation, Software Objects, Anxiety), and the collection as a whole was great.
Some really solid speculative fiction. The good stories are really good (Omphalos, Exhalation, Software Objects, Anxiety), and the collection as a whole was great.
My kind of sci-fi. Chiang transcends the engineering approach to life typical of much science fiction. He creates believable cultures that aren't superficial tweaks but shows a deep understanding of what life is about.
Confession time: I am in love with Ted Chiang. Deeply. I fell hard in 2003 with his story “Liking What You See: A Documentary.” Today, having finished “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling” and “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom,” I’m head over heels. What a beautiful mind. The stories in this collection all dance around the nature of consciousness; of personality, decisionmaking, determinism. Communication, empathy, freedom, culture, storytelling, adapting to change. Everything we think about what makes us human, he takes in interesting directions. All told with grace, empathy, humility, compassion and gentle humor. All of them, every one, making me stop reading afterward to reflect.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, read these. You’ll grow.
