''The Overloaded Man'' is a collection of
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
stories by British writer
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist and short-story writer, satirist and essayist known for psychologically provocative works of fiction that explore the relations between human psychology, technology, s ...
, first published in 1967 as a paperback by
Panther Books
Panther Books Ltd was a British publishing house especially active in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, specialising in paperback fiction.
Company history
It was established in May 1952 by Hamilton & Co. (Stafford) Ltd. and titles carried the line ...
.
Contents
* "Now: Zero" - A man discovers that he can cause deaths by writing about them in his notebook.
* "The Time-Tombs"
* "Thirteen to Centaurus"
* "
Track 12"
* "Passport to Eternity"
* "Escapement"
* "Time of Passage"
* "The Venus Hunters"
* "The Coming of the Unconscious"
* "The Overloaded Man"
The first seven stories are
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
originally published in the 1950s and early 1960s.
"The Venus Hunters" is concerned less with aliens than with our need to believe in them. "The Coming of the Unconscious" is an essay on
surrealism
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
in art. The protagonist of "The Overloaded Man" reduces his perception of the world to abstract forms and colours: this has been called "the death of affect".
References
*
External links
The Terminal Collection: JG Ballard First Editions
Short story collections by J. G. Ballard
1967 short story collections
Panther Books books
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