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Sad Sack: Collected Writing
Sad Sack is a book of collected writing by Sophia Al-Maria, taking feminist inspiration from Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1986 essay ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’; opposing ‘the linear, progressive, Time’s-(killing)-arrow mode of the Techno-Heroic.’ Encompassing more than a decade of work, Sad Sack tracks Al-Maria’s speculative journey as a writer, from the first seed of her ‘premature’ memoir, through the coining and subsequent critique of ‘Gulf Futurism’, towards experiments in gathering, containing, welling up and sucking dry.
Still there are seeds to be gathered, and room in the bag of stars.
– Ursula K. Le Guin
For me this book is a bag... Like any single-use carrier bag – I disapprove. It shouldn’t exist, it contributes to pollution, it should be banned... And yet, in spite of the fact I know this book may be a waste product... I’m still writing, redacting, expanding... I’m still waiting, wasting, wanting. According to Ursula, ‘It is a human thing to do to put something you want, because it’s useful, edible, or beautiful, into a bag.'
– Sophia Al-Maria
Still there are seeds to be gathered, and room in the bag of stars.
– Ursula K. Le Guin
For me this book is a bag... Like any single-use carrier bag – I disapprove. It shouldn’t exist, it contributes to pollution, it should be banned... And yet, in spite of the fact I know this book may be a waste product... I’m still writing, redacting, expanding... I’m still waiting, wasting, wanting. According to Ursula, ‘It is a human thing to do to put something you want, because it’s useful, edible, or beautiful, into a bag.'
– Sophia Al-Maria
- GenresLiterature
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2019
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January 29, 2021
i saw beast type song in 2019 at the tate and it was very formative for me. ive been keeping tabs on al-maria since, although nothings lived up to that film.
some of the texts in this are great, well written and profound. others are a bit trite. bit cis girl. is al-maria a cis girl? theres a lot of chat about gender and genderqueerness that makes me think maybe not, maybe currently a she/they, maybe eggy. theres a lot of that about.
praise and criticism aside, its given me a lot more knowledge about gulf culture, history, politics, and artists - and all filtered through this messy, vague, ambiguous personal history. thats cool.
some of the texts in this are great, well written and profound. others are a bit trite. bit cis girl. is al-maria a cis girl? theres a lot of chat about gender and genderqueerness that makes me think maybe not, maybe currently a she/they, maybe eggy. theres a lot of that about.
praise and criticism aside, its given me a lot more knowledge about gulf culture, history, politics, and artists - and all filtered through this messy, vague, ambiguous personal history. thats cool.
Displaying 1 of 1 review