Il paradiso maoista

by Philip K. Dick, Giuseppe Costigliola (Translator)

1949. Nella Cina postrivoluzionaria, la Compagnia, una grande azienda americana, viene nazionalizzata e requisita dal governo comunista. Tutti i dipendenti stranieri devono andarsene, rimarranno solo tre persone, estratte a sorte, per consegnare l'impianto ai nuovi il giovane, ingenuo Carl Fitter, Barbara Mahler, poco più vecchia ma già disillusa dalla vita, e il cinico e maturo Verne Tildon. Tra di loro si instaura uno strano ménage à anni addietro Barbara e Verne hanno avuto una relazione che ha lasciato loro amarezza e risentimento, e finiscono per intrappolare nel clima di tensione che li avvolge anche l'innocente Carl. Il paradiso maoista - tra i primissimi romanzi scritti da un Philip K. Dick poco più che ventenne, ma pubblicato solo postumo nel 1994 - mette in scena un claustrofobico gioco di sentimenti disgregati, alienazione, un'elegia sulla fine di ogni ideale e sulla morte dell'amore.

369 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2025

About the author

Philip Kindred Dick was a prolific American science fiction author whose work has had a lasting impact on literature, cinema, and popular culture. Known for his imaginative narratives and profound philosophical themes, Dick explored the nature of reality, the boundaries of human identity, and the impact of technology and authoritarianism on society. His stories often blurred the line between the real and the artificial, challenging readers to question their perceptions and beliefs.

Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.

Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.

One of Dick's most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott's iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.

In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.

Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.

Dick's legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.

Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His wor

Reviews

[Paolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Per un attimo rimase ferma su di lui, nel buio, tenendolo sotto. Carl si irrigidì, e si lasciò scappare un grido di dolore. Poi, silenziosamente, lei gli si stese sopra, un peso schiacciante, inesorabile.
Sentiva il suo alito sul volto, come un sibilo. Con le ginocchia lo forzò ad aprire le gambe. Giaceva supino, senza fiato, una creatura debole e cieca smarrita nel buio. Quel corpo avvinto al suo nell’oscurità ebbe un fremito, trasformandosi in un fuoco ardente di passione, che lo avviluppava completamente, un calore incessante che si muoveva senza requie, fluendo su e giù, sempre più intenso. Chiuse gli occhi. Si rilassò. Smise di lottare.”

[Gilberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'inizio è molto promettente ma poi dialoghi e situazioni sono alquanto banali. Abbastanza deluso.

[Starbuck17 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Titolo fuorviante e praticamente nulla di fantascientifico. La cosa più bella è la copertina