The Owl in Daylight

by Salvador Bayarri

Philip K. Dick is the author of science-fiction classics that have inspired movies like Bladerunner, Total Recall and Minority Report. Sadly, Dick did not live enough to see how his suspicion of reality and his search for the human essence in an artificial world became mainstream concerns and pop culture icons.Based on a careful review of biographical materials and his personal acquaintance with some of Dick's closest friends and relatives, Salvador Bayarri has written Dick's life story in a screenplay format, preserving the richness of the writer's character as his charming humor and foretelling genius mixes with a personal struggle to make sense of his own visions, the human nature and the meaning of the universe.“The Owl in Daylight” was the working title for Dick’s last book project, in which he planned to create a character much like a visionary artist who discovers that his work improves as an alien intelligence takes control of it. Blinded by his unique perception –like a night owl in daylight– the artist has to make the Faustian choice between reaching for the ultimate secrets of the universe and die in glorious flames, or trying to save the remains of a normal life.The screenplay follows the key episodes that propelled Dick to his prophetic visions, from the death of his twin sister shortly after birth, through the paranoia of the 50s and the psychedelic culture of the 60s, towards his final and most dramatic visions of love, good and evil.

Genres: Science Fiction

140 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 13, 2013

About the author

Salvador Bayarri es doctor en Física y licenciado en Filosofía. Especialista en simulación visual y realidad virtual, es autor de “El Profeta Americano”, un guión sobre la vida de Philip K. Dick, y de la trilogía de aventuras de ciencia-ficción compuesta por “La Ciudad de las Esferas”. "El Juego de las Esferas" y "Dioses de las Esferas". Posteriormente, ha publicado las novelas "El Espejo del Tiempo" con Apache Libros y "Las Edades de Itnis" con Editorial Premium. También escribe relatos publicados en diferentes revistas y antologías, y un blog sobre temas de Física, Filosofía y Ciencia Ficción. Ha realizado numerosas presentaciones y conferencias, y colaborado en varios guiones cinematográficos.
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Salvador Bayarri has a PhD. in Physics and a Master degree in Philosophy. A specialist in visual simulation and virtual reality, he is the author of “The Owl in Daylight”, a screenplay based on the life of Philip K. Dick, and of the science fiction adventure trilogy composed by “La Ciudad de las Esferas”, "El Juego de las Esferas" and "Dioses de las Esferas". Later, he's published the novels "El Espejo del Tiempo" with Apache Libros and "Las Edades de Itnis" with Editorial Premium. Salvador also writes short stories published in magazines and antologies, and a blog on topics from Physics, Philosophy and Science Fiction. He has participated in many conferences and presentations, and collaborated in several screenplays.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tribute, a play, a portrait of a life you may have guessed at, or glimpsed pieces of thru snippets of news that percolated around the debut of the man in the high castle filmic series on amazon, or from auto-biographical fragments, but none of those will stick with you quite like this - Bayarri paints a multi-dimensional picture of Philip K Dick that I find myself recalling time and again for both its novelty and its pathos.

[Anthony O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

A screen play of the life and death of Phillip K Dick. Hard, harsh and brilliant. The protagonist is of course just like one of the hapless characters in one of his own novels. Tying together the themes of his later VALIS novels the third one of which was meant to be ‘the owl in the daylight’. But then he died. Would love to see this as a movie.