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https://theconversation.com/space-junk-comes-to-life-in-ceridwen-doveys-aching-and-profound-tales-of-fallen-astronauts-226739>
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Review: Only the Astronauts – Ceridwen Dovey (Hamish Hamilton)
Ceridwen Dovey’s
Only the Astronauts is a book of stories about the fantasies
that have caused humans since the 1950s to launch items – including themselves
– into outer space. The stories are whimsical and, to differing degrees,
factual.
This is what gives them their piquancy. The absurdity of the scenario is
punctured by the realisation that this – or something very much like this –
actually happened. The effect is a little like the work of W.G. Sebald,
although in a broadly comic register.
The first story is about a cherry red sportscar that has been launched into
space with a mannequin named Starman strapped into the driver’s seat. The
premise is patently ridiculous, except that in 2018 Elon Musk did exactly this.
The car is, as we speak, slowly orbiting the sun a little further out than
earth. It takes 557 earth days for Musk’s Tesla Roadster to complete its solar
orbit.
What makes Dovey’s stories intriguing is not just that they are grounded in
historical reality, but that they tell a subaltern history. The narration
erupts from the position of history’s remainder, as if an obscure footnote has
come to life and captured the main narrative.
Interestingly, these quaint extras to history’s main performance bear no ill
will to those who have placed them in the shade. In fact, they typically show a
passionate loyalty to their more vaunted companions."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
