Search for Philip K. Dick, 1928-1982: Revised with New Material, 2009
by Anne R. Dick
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anne R. DickEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Published: 2009-08-15
ISBN: 0984120505
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Point Reyes Cypress Press
Book Reviews of Search for Philip K. Dick, 1928-1982: Revised with New Material, 2009
Book Review: Philip K. Dick: Genius
Summary: 5 Stars
On April Fool's Day in 1959, Anne Rubenstein married Philip K. Dick. At first, the marriage was a happy union of two loving and talented people. Later, though, Anne Dick found herself living in the Twilight Zone. For Philip K. Dick entered what some commentators have described as "an altered state of consciousness," becoming either a madman, or a philosopher, or a mystical prophet. Or perhaps all three simultaneously.
The metamorphosis took place in 1974, when Dick's reality tunnel collapsed and was replaced by a kind of virtual reality, where he envisioned himself living in Rome in 70 AD or as possessed by his friend Bishop James Pike or as channeling telepathic communiqués for alien beings from Sirius. When he finally emerged from his virtual reality, Dick, in his attempt to interpret what had happened to him, believed that `reality' was nothing more than a dream state superimposed upon mankind by the Roman Empire, which was still in existence but concealed and undetectable. Dick referred to this dream state as the Black Iron Prison.
Eventually, Dick discarded this explanation. He then began writing a massive book called Exegesis, in which he tried to comprehend his experiences. In his last novel, Dick concluded that the meaning to everything was love.
Search is the story of Anne Dick's life with Philip K. Dick. She is a talented writer in her own right and tells her story with moving charm. Her love for Philip K. Dick is only matched by her inability to live with him or help him. It's a story of delicious madness and negative joy. The story of a woman's struggle to love a man oppressed by the solitude of his own genius.
In essence, then, Search is Anne Dick's attempt do what Dick tried to do when he wrote Exegesis - comprehend her experiences with Philip K. Dick. Whether or not she was successful, only she can answer. But the resulting book is a wonderful biography of a literary giant, written by a woman who knew him intimately, loved him, and continues to love him even now.
On the Read-O-Meter, which ranges from 1 star (dull and boring) to 5 stars (fascinating), Search channels 5 stars. For Philip K. Dick was one of those rare individuals whose personality and life were more interesting than his novels. Fact is stranger than fiction.
Philip K. Dick was one of the best science fiction writers in the history of literature. The movies Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly and Next were all adapted from Dick's novels or short stories.
Summary of Search for Philip K. Dick, 1928-1982: Revised with New Material, 2009
Anne Dick s book is part memoir, and part a kind of detective novel, as she sifts through the details of her life with Philip K Dick, a prolific genius whose books and novels are being recognized as significant works of literature. Much of Dick's work, currently being celebrated in college courses and prestigious anthologies like The Library of America, consists of a kind of surreal autobiography and Anne's memoir helps us connect his fictional characters to his life. Philip K Dick was quite a character himself, both on and off the page, and Anne's memoir bravely explores her tumultuous relationship with this mercurial man in an attempt to better understand him and his writing. A touching aspect of this memoir is that it represents Anne's search as well. Anne witnessed first-hand the most prolific period in Dick's career, a five year period from 1958 - 1964 during which time Philip wrote many of his most celebrated novels including: The Man in the High Castle, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Martian Time-Slip, Confessions of a Crap Artists, Dr Bloodmoney, We Can Build You, Now Wait For Last Year, and The Simulacra. Anne, a fifty-four-year resident of Point Reyes Station, still lives in the modern Campbell and Wong house she shared with Philip, a house that was featured in many of Dick's books. Reading Anne's memoir will open up many of Philip's works, revealing the autobiographical material often buried deep in his texts. Biography lovers will enjoy the intensity of detail Anne brings to Dick's complex and intense struggles. Anne spent several years conducting interviews with Dick's friends, family, and colleagues, assembling perhaps the most thoroughly researched biography of Philip K Dick currently available.Memoirs Books
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