영어로 읽는 공상과학 소설 _ 알지스 버드리스의 창조와 파괴
The Rag and Bone Men은 Algis Budrys가 1962년 Galaxy Magazine February에 출간한 공상과학 소설입니다.
Algis Budrys는 리투아니아 태생의 미국 SF 작가이자 평론가로, 1931년 리투아니아에서 태어나 2018년에 세상을 떠났습니다. 그의 작품은 1950년대와 60년대 SF 황금기에 큰 영향을 미쳤으며, 날카로운 심리적 통찰력과 독창적인 아이디어로 잘 알려져 있습니다.
Budrys의 대표작으로는 소설 (Who?, 1958)와 (Rogue Moon,1960)이 있습니다.또한 그는 SF 비평 분야에서도 활발히 활동하였으며, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction을 비롯한 여러 잡지에 비평 글을 기고했습니다. Budrys는 SF 장르에서 독특한 관점과 깊이 있는 주제 의식을 통해 대중과 평론가들로부터 찬사를 받으며 현대 SF 문학의 기틀을 다진 인물로 평가받습니다.
Science Fiction in English _ The Rag and Bone Men by Algis Budrys
The Rag and Bone Men is a science fiction novel by Algis Budrys published in Galaxy Magazine February 1962.
Algis Budrys was a Lithuanian-born American science fiction writer and critic who was born in Lithuania in 1931 and passed away in 2018. His works were a major influence on the golden age of science fiction in the 1950s and 1960s, and are known for their sharp psychological insight and original ideas.
Budrys's representative works include the novels Who? (1958) and Rogue Moon (1960).
He was also active in the field of science fiction criticism, contributing critical articles to various magazines including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Budrys is widely regarded as a founding figure of modern science fiction literature, having been praised by the public and critics for his unique perspective and deep thematic awareness in the science fiction genre.
Summary
Unfortunate castaway! Marooned far from home—with nothing to share his loneliness but humans!
"The Rag and Bone Men" by Algis Budrys is a science fiction novella written in the early 1960s. The narrative is set in a distant future where two characters, Maurer and Charpantier, interact with a mysterious being known as the Veld, who is attempting to create a new transporter to return to his home. The story explores themes of existential struggle, the search for identity, and the limitations of human knowledge when confronted with the unknown. The plot centers on Maurer and Charpantier as they navigate their relationship with the Veld, a powerful entity marooned on Earth who tries to replicate Veldish technology using Earthly materials. The story is steeped in metaphysics as Maurer fears the implications of the Veld's attempt to create something fundamentally different from what is possible with available resources. As the Veld works on his transporter, Maurer grapples with feelings of inadequacy and the existential dread of a world that is distanced from true understanding. The tale delves into the fragile boundaries between creation and destruction, and the tension between aspiration and reality, raising profound questions about what it means to seek one's heart's desire in a seemingly indifferent universe.
서평
Algis Budrys의 'The Rag and Bone Men'(1962)은 미래 사회의 폐품 수집상들을 통해 기술 문명의 이면을 예리하게 포착한 작품이다. 첨단 기술 시대의 '고물상'이라는 독특한 설정으로 소비 사회의 모순과 인간 소외 현상을 효과적으로 드러낸다. 특히 버려진 물건들을 수집하고 재활용하는 이들의 삶을 통해, 현대 문명이 잃어가는 것들에 대한 우화적 성찰을 보여준다. 작품은 진보라는 이름 아래 소외되는 계층과 가치들에 주목하며, 기계화되는 사회 속 인간성 회복의 가능성을 탐구한다. 1962년 당시로서는 매우 선견지명 있게 재활용과 환경, 그리고 인간 소외의 문제를 다룬 의미 있는 작품이다.
Book Review
Algis Budrys' 'The Rag and Bone Men' (1962) is a work that keenly captures the dark side of technological civilization through the scrap collectors of a future society. It effectively reveals the contradictions of consumer society and the phenomenon of human alienation through the unique setting of a 'junk dealer' in the era of advanced technology. In particular, it shows an allegorical reflection on what modern civilization is losing through the lives of those who collect and recycle discarded items. The work focuses on the classes and values that are alienated in the name of progress, and explores the possibility of restoring humanity in a mechanized society. It is a meaningful work that dealt with the issues of recycling, the environment, and human alienation with great foresight for 1962.
Algis Budrys는 1931년에 태어나 2008년에 사망한 리투아니아계 미국인 SF 작가이다. 본명은 Algirdas Jonas Budrys이며, SF 작가이자 편집자, 평론가로 활동했다. 그는 "Who?", "Rogue Moon", "Michaelmas" 등의 대표작을 남겼으며, 작품에서는 주로 정체성, 현실의 본질, 인간의 한계에 대한 철학적 주제를 다루었다. Writers of the Future 콘테스트의 조정자로 오랫동안 활동했으며, Tomorrow Speculative Fiction의 편집자로도 일했다. 또한 Galaxy와 같은 유명 SF 잡지에 평론을 기고하면서 1950년대부터 2000년대까지 SF 장르에서 중요한 영향력을 행사했다.
Budrys는 또한 영향력 있는 편집자이자 비평가였으며, 다양한 공상과학 잡지에서 일했고 이 장르에서 떠오르는 재능을 홍보했습니다. 그의 작품은 종종 철학적 주제와 인간의 상태를 탐구하여 공상과학 독자와 작가 모두에게 존경받는 인물이 되었습니다.
그의 작품들은 냉전 시대의 긴장감과 과학기술 발전이 인간성에 미치는 영향을 주로 탐구했으며, 2008년 일리노이 주 에반스턴에서 77세의 나이로 생을 마감했다.
Algis Budrys, born in 1931 and died in 2008, was a Lithuanian-American science fiction writer. His real name was Algirdas Jonas Budrys, and he worked as a science fiction writer, editor, and critic. His most famous works include "Who?", "Rogue Moon", and "Michaelmas", and his works mainly deal with philosophical themes such as identity, the nature of reality, and human limitations. He was a long-time moderator of the Writers of the Future contest and an editor of Tomorrow Speculative Fiction. He also contributed reviews to popular science fiction magazines such as Galaxy, exerting a significant influence on the genre from the 1950s to the 2000s. Budrys was also an influential editor and critic, working for various science fiction magazines and promoting emerging talent in the genre. His works often explored philosophical themes and the human condition, making him a respected figure for both science fiction readers and writers. His works explored the tensions of the Cold War and the impact of technological advancements on humanity, and he died in Evanston, Illinois, in 2008 at the age of 77.