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Tuesday, 20 February 2007 16:09 |
| | David Forbes |
January was a hard month for lovers of truly original writers and their work.
On Jan. 11, at the age of 74, the novelist, anarchist and philosopher Robert Anton Wilson died. Then, on Jan. 31, renowned firebrand journalist and commentator Molly Ivins succumbed after a long fight with terminal breast cancer.
Both were true American originals. Wilson managed to consistently upset what people thought about the universe and open up plenty of doors for the future while doing it.
Ivins
combined hard-working investigative journalism with a deep belief in
the possibility for a better world and a sharp sense of humor.
Importantly, in
a time that sometimes seems filled with humorless fanatics shouting at
one another, they both had fun throughout their long and sometimes
difficult careers. They both made a point to skewer anyone or anything
that they thought was taken too seriously. Perservering to the end,
they both kept a sense of optimism, even in the face of death.
I will devote
the column this week to highlighting Wilsonís work. Sadly, there is not
space for a suitably in-depth appreciation of Ivins as well in this
edition. I will devote the entirety of my next column to her work.
These
retrospectives are by no means comprehensive. While I have read plenty
of the works of both of these freethinkers, it has not been nearly
enough.
The marvel of
the printed word, however, is that a work can outlast its author. Ivins
and Wilson may have both gone to their rest, but their words, their
ideas and ñ in some small way, part of their essence, still resonate
within us.
Rubbing Reality RAW
ìThe most
thoroughly and relentlessly Damned, banned, excluded, condemned,
forbidden, ostracized, ignored, suppressed, repressed, robbed,
brutalized and defamed of all Damned Things is the individual human
being. The social engineers, statistician, psychologist, sociologists,
market researchers, landlords, bureaucrats, captains of industry,
bankers, governors, commissars, kings and presidents are perpetually
forcing this Damned Thing into carefully prepared blueprints and
perpetually irritated that the Damned Thing will not fit into the slot
assigned it. The theologians call it a sinner and try to reform it.
The
governor calls it a criminal and tries to punish it. The psychologist
calls it a neurotic and tries to cure it. Still, the Damned Thing will
not fit into their slots.î
Pardon the long
quote, dear reader, but he earned it. Robert Anton Wilson (also known
by his initials, RAW), repeatedly said that his main purpose was to
break peopleís preconceptions about, well, everything. Through over
four decades of writing, he did just that, with absolutely no tolerance
for the line or dogma of any group.
His works
included essays, fiction and treatises on magic, technology and
politics (he was a lifelong opponent of the war on drugs and authority
in general).
The book to
start with is his most famous, ìThe Illuminatus! Trilogyî (Dell, 816
pp. $20.00), which he co-authored with Robert Shea. While both were
editors at Playboy in the ë60s and ë70s, they received (as anyone
working in the media does from time to time), a great many conspiracy
theories.
These provided
the foundation for the trilogy, which starts with a detective
investigating a strange bombing and ends in places I canít even begin
to describe. Along the way, Wilson weaves together practically every
conceivable theory about how the world really works behind the scenes.
Yes, these theories contradict each other. Wildly. Yes, the plot still
functions on the assumption that theyíre all (in some way) true.
Seguing wildly
from between characters, points in time and plot lines,
ìIlluminatus!î refuses to be constrained by reality, preconceptions or
anything even remotely resembling ìgood taste.î Donít read it expecting
anything. Just read it, enjoy and prepare to look at the world just a
little differently afterwards.
His historical follow-ups to the trilogy (beginning with ìThe Earth Will Shakeî) were also very, very good and a load of fun.
Other important
works include ìPrometheus Rising,î the ìSchrodingerís Cat Trilogy,î and
ìQuantum Psychology.î Sadly, Iíve not yet gotten a chance to read those.
Ironically, for
someone who poked fun at the New Age movement, Wilsonís work is often
found in New Age stores today. He would have appreciated the joke.
ï
David Forbes, who writes book reviews and covers news for the Daily Planet, may be contacted at marauderAVL-at-hotmail.com.
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