Song of the Ghost in the Machine

by Roger Horrocks

Song of the Ghost in the Machine is a free-wheeling philosophical poem that emerged during the walks Roger Horrocks took over a year of his life. In this striking, one-of-a-kind work, he seeks to engage as directly as possible with the basic elements of life – the self and the body, sleeping and waking, death and belief, and above all the strangeness of thought (‘the ghost in the machine’). In his curious look at life from unexpected angles, he draws upon state-of-the-art science and philosophy, doing so in a lively, accessible, down-to-earth way.

87 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Roger John Horrocks MNZM is a New Zealand writer, film-maker, educator and cultural activist.

He taught at the University of Auckland from 1967 to 2004, and on his retirement became an emeritus professor.

In the 2005 New Year Honours, Horrocks was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the film and television industries.

Horrocks played a central role in the re-discovery of expatriate film-maker, kinetic sculptor and writer Len Lye. He worked as Lye's assistant during the artist's last year (1980), then after his death he helped to ensure that his papers and works were returned to New Zealand.

abridged from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A large poem made up of others, made up also of notes, quotes, playing out as if the workbook of sketches and the finished product. This is the poem as essay, the poem as journalism, as diary, as series of inter-connected think-pieces. Pretty terrific.