Philip K. Dick: Essays of the Here and Now(69 Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy)

Philip K. Dick was a visionary writer of science fiction. His works speak to contemporary fears of being continually watched by technology, and the paranoia of modern life in which we watch ourselves and lose our sense of identity. Since his death in 1982, Dick's writing remain frighteningly relevant to 21st century audiences. Dick spent his life in near poverty and it was only after his death that he gained popular and critical recognition. In this new collection of essays, interviews, and talks, Philip K Dick is rediscovered. Concentrating both on recent critical studies and on reassessing his legacy in light of his new status as a "major American author," these essays explore, just what happened culturally and critically to precipitate his extraordinary rise in reputation. The essays look for his traces in the places he lived, in the SF community he came from, and in his influence on contemporary American literature and culture, and beyond.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction to Philip K. Dick Now That He Is Philip K. Dick David Sandner Future Ecologies Philip K. Dick’s Futuristic Ecologies Ursula Heise From Soft Totalitarianism to TV Introjection: Philip Kindred Dick and the Tube Umberto Rossi Voices, Consciousness and the Bicameral Mind: A Scanner Darkly on the Road to Julian Jaynes’ Psychology Richard Feist Ubik Does Not Yet Exist: Reading Ubik as a Case of Extro– Science Fiction Sean Matharoo Rereading Dick’s Mainstream Fiction within a Science Fiction Framework Gabriel Cutrufello Evolving Dickian Criticism: The Exegesis and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Michael ­Kvamme-O’Brien Philip Dick, the Earthshaker Gregg Rickman Galactic ­Pot-Healer: A Singular Way Station Gary Westfahl Archaeologies The Philip K. Dick Society: A Preliminary Archaeology Jonathan Lethem PKD at California State University, Fullerton: A ­Question-and-Answer Session with Nicole Vandever and Paige Patterson Tim Powers and James Blaylock PKD Goes to the Movies: A Panel Discussion Daniel Gilbertson, Gary Westfahl and Paul Sammon Dick’s SoCal Dream Jonathan Lethem in Conversation with Samuel Sousa Appendix: Images and Ephemera from the 2016 Philip K. Dick Conference About the Contributors Index

About the Author :
David Sandner is a professor of English at California State University, Fullerton.

Review :
“There are some excellent and informative insights into Hollywood’s interpretations. … An important book about an important writer. It’ll broaden and deepen even an aficionado's understanding and appreciation of one of the 20th century’s most important and influential writers. 5 stars”—Fortean Times