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Novelty Act
"Novelty Act" is a novelette by Philip K. Dick. It involves a dystopian future in which the characters' lives are based on entertaining the First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ... with "novelty acts." Many of the ideas developed in the story were reworked and reused for his later novel '' The Simulacra''. It was first published in '' Fantastic'' (February 1964). Plot It is All Souls Night and the community of Abraham Lincoln communal apartment building is preparing to discuss the affairs of the building. They are going to put on talent shows in hopes of attracting the attention of talent scouts from White House. If they are chosen, they will get to perform for the First Lady, Nicole Thibodeaux, who everyone refers to as “Nicole” ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip K
Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularized the name include List of kings of Macedonia, kings of Macedonia and one of the apostles of early Christianity. ''Philip'' has #Philip in other languages, many alternative spellings. One derivation often used as a surname is Phillips (surname), Phillips. The original Greek spelling includes two Ps as seen in Philippides (other), Philippides and Philippos, which is possible due to the Greek endings following the two Ps. To end a word with such a double consonant—in Greek or in English—would, however, be incorrect. It has many diminutive (or even hypocorism, hypocoristic) forms including Phil, Philly (other)#People, Philly, Phillie, Lip (other), Lip, and Pip (other), Pip. There ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dystopian
A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one. Dystopia is widely seen as the opposite of utopia – a concept coined by Thomas More in 1516 to describe an ideal society. Both ''topias'' are common topics in fiction. Dystopia is also referred to as cacotopia, or anti-utopia. Dystopias are often characterized by fear or distress, tyrannical governments, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society. Themes typical of a dystopian society include: complete control over the people in a society through the use propaganda and police state tactics, heavy censorship of information or denial of free thought, worship of an unattainable goal, the complete loss of individuality, and heavy enforcement of conformity ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First Lady Of The United States
First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the United States. The first lady of the United States traditionally acts as the hostess of the White House. Historically, when a president has been unmarried or a widower, he has usually asked a relative to act as White House hostess. While the household always had domestic staff, since the early 20th century, the first lady has been assisted by her event staff, which has grown over the years to include communications, personal, and program staff. Her office is now known as the Office of the First Lady of the United States, Office of the First Lady and is headquartered in the East Wing of the White House. Since the 1900s, the role of first lady has changed consider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Simulacra
''The Simulacra'' is a 1964 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The novel portrays a future totalitarian society apparently dominated by a matriarch, Nicole Thibodeaux. It revolves around the themes of reality and illusionary beliefs, as do many of Dick's works. Additionally, it touches on Nazism, Nazi ideology. Publication Dick originally published the story as a novelette in the magazine ''Fantastic'', titled "Novelty Act, The Novelty Act". He expanded the plot and titled the novel ''First Lady of Earth''. Before publication, the title was changed to ''The Simulacra''. The novel was originally published in 1964 as a paperback by Ace Books."The Simulacra: Dick keeps his multiple story lines percolating" ''Fantasy Literature'', by Sandy Ferber. It was one o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fantastic (magazine)
''Fantastic'' was an American digest-size fantasy and science fiction magazine, published from 1952 to 1980. It was founded by the publishing company Ziff Davis as a fantasy companion to ''Amazing Stories''. Early sales were good, and the company quickly decided to switch ''Amazing'' from pulp format to digest, and to cease publication of their other fantasy/science fiction pulp, ''Fantastic Adventures'', which was merged with ''Fantastic''. Within a few years sales fell, and Howard Browne, the editor, was forced to switch the focus to science fiction rather than fantasy. Browne lost interest in the magazine as a result and the magazine generally ran poorer-quality fiction in the mid-1950s, under Browne and his successor, Paul W. Fairman. At the end of the 1950s, Cele Goldsmith took over as editor of both ''Fantastic'' and ''Amazing Stories'', and quickly invigorated the magazines, bringing in many new writers and making them, in the words of one science fiction historian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1964 Short Stories
Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople meet in Jerusalem. * January 6 – A British firm, the Leyland Motors, Leyland Motor Corp., announces the sale of 450 buses to the Cuban government, challenging the United States blockade of Cuba. * January 9 – ''Martyrs' Day (Panama), Martyrs' Day'': Armed clashes between United States troops and Panamanian civilians in the Panama Canal Zone precipitate a major international crisis, resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers. * January 11 – United States Surgeon General Luther Terry reports that smoking may be hazardous to one's health (the first such statement from the U.S. government). * January 22 – Kenneth Kaunda is inaugurated as the first Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
