i consider the universe to be a clever fake with streets and houses and shops and cars and people all standing in the center of a stage surrounded by props by furniture to sit on kitchens to cook in cars to drive food to fix and then behind the props the flat painted scenery painted houses set farther back painted people painted streets everything not real only a series of tapes been played for us
Philip K. Dick
October 26, 2008 at 8:27 pm |
Help me out here… was it Time Out of Joint?
October 26, 2008 at 8:39 pm |
No, can’t be from the novels. Most probably from his essays/letters/interviews. Anyway, I took it from A Day In the Afterlife of Philip K. Dick (BBC)
October 26, 2008 at 9:39 pm |
Cheers, I will pursue that. It still strikes me as something that one of his character would be likely to say, rather than PKD himself.
October 27, 2008 at 6:51 am |
Cheers. Do let me know if u find the source.
November 9, 2008 at 8:27 pm |
Ah! Margo in Time Out of Joint (the old memory! it works!)
“…and her intuition, then grew. A sense of the finitiness of the world around her. The streets and houses and cars and shops and people. Sixteen hundred people, standing in the center of a stage. Surrounded by props, by furniture to sit in, kitchens to cook in, cars to drive, food to fix. And then, behind the props, the flat, painted scenery. Painted houses set further back. Painted people. Painted streets. Sounds from speakers set in the wall. Sammy sitting alone in the classroom, the only pupil. And even the teacher not real. Only a series of tapes being played to him.”
(p. 198 of the 2003 Gollancz edition)
I think what you’re doing in your two blogs is very interesting, by the way.
November 9, 2008 at 10:05 pm |
Well done! Giovanni. Thanks! And I should eat my hat for being such a fool, full of certitude.
January 21, 2009 at 5:56 am |
i assume the rest of the quote was invented?
‘i consider the universe to be a clever fake…?’
thanks,
a
January 21, 2009 at 3:53 pm |
No inventions, no fakes. Real…
January 21, 2009 at 10:15 pm |
‘i consider the universe to be a clever fake…’ is from dirk’s book ‘time out of joint’ as well? i don’t seem to be able to find it. this is a great quote (thanks for putting it up). i would love to cite it. thanks, a