The Memory Librarian
And Other Stories of Dirty Computer
Published on 27. April 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-0-00-851244-6 (ISBN)
Description
In The Memory Librarian music, fashion, film and futurist icon Janelle Monae returns to the Afrofuturistic world of her critically acclaimed album, Dirty Computer, to explore how different threads of liberation - queerness, race, gender plurality, love - become tangled in a totalitarian landscape... and to discover costs of unravelling them.
Whoever controls our memories controls the future.
Janelle Monae and an incredible array of talented collaborating creators have written a collection of tales comprising the bold vision and powerful themes that have made Monae such a compelling and celebrated storyteller. Dirty Computer introduced a world in which thoughts - as a means of self-conception - could be controlled or erased by a select few. And whether human, A.I., or other, your life and sentience was dictated by those who'd convinced themselves they had the right to decide your fate.
That was until Jane 57821 decided to remember and break free.
Expanding from that mythos, these stories fully explore what it's like to live in such a totalitarian existence... and what it takes to get out of it. Building off the traditions of speculative writers such as Octavia Butler, Ted Chiang, Becky Chambers, and Nnedi Okorafor-and filled with the artistic genius and powerful themes that have made Monae a worldwide icon in the first place - The Memory Librarian serves readers tales grounded in the human trials of identity expression, technology, and love, but also reaching through to the worlds of memory and time within, and the stakes and power that exists there.
Whoever controls our memories controls the future.
Janelle Monae and an incredible array of talented collaborating creators have written a collection of tales comprising the bold vision and powerful themes that have made Monae such a compelling and celebrated storyteller. Dirty Computer introduced a world in which thoughts - as a means of self-conception - could be controlled or erased by a select few. And whether human, A.I., or other, your life and sentience was dictated by those who'd convinced themselves they had the right to decide your fate.
That was until Jane 57821 decided to remember and break free.
Expanding from that mythos, these stories fully explore what it's like to live in such a totalitarian existence... and what it takes to get out of it. Building off the traditions of speculative writers such as Octavia Butler, Ted Chiang, Becky Chambers, and Nnedi Okorafor-and filled with the artistic genius and powerful themes that have made Monae a worldwide icon in the first place - The Memory Librarian serves readers tales grounded in the human trials of identity expression, technology, and love, but also reaching through to the worlds of memory and time within, and the stakes and power that exists there.
Reviews / Votes
'Each story in this collection is a searing but ultimately hopeful glimpse into how marginalized groups can hope and create in a world set against them'BUZZFEED
'A reminder for those who've ever been told they don't fit in that there's a world beyond this harsh one'
WASHINGTON POST
"A poignant commentary on the power of technology, the preservation of queer identity, and the commodification of time'
USA TODAY
'THE MEMORY LIBRARIAN might not be the answer to the social and political upsets of our time, but it is an answer, and a fiercely inspiring one: a deepening of Afrofuturism's potential to weaponize our dreams for a freer, more joyous world."
WIRED
'Blistering, hopeful, and richly written. . . All readers will finish the book craving more'
BOOKLIST (starred review)
'A moving, triumphant collection...This is a knockout'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)
'Highly recommended for readers of conspiracy and thought-control sf or of Afrofuturist works by the likes of Octavia Butler, Nalo Hopkinson, N.K. Jemisin, and Nnedi Okorafor'
LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)
'A celebration of queer and Afrofuturist science fiction saluting creativity in difference'
KIRKUS
'This one is sure to leave an impression'
BUST MAGAZINE
'A glorious representation and celebration of a spectrum of sexuality and gender, each written with pure empathy'
TOR.COM
'A vivid, visceral text with as much of a hook as the album the stories were inspired by'
LOCUS
'It confirms Monae's incredible power of imagination and creativity whatever medium she's working in, and the ability and talent of her co-writers in bringing her vision alive on the page'
FANTASY HIVE
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
233 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-851244-6 (9780008512446)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2022
1st Edition
HarperCollins
€6.89
Available for download
Book
04/2022
HarperVoyager
€44.76
Article exhausted; check different version
Person
Janelle Monae is widely celebrated as an American singer/song writer, actress, producer, and futurist with a globally successful career spanning over a decade. With her highly theatrical and stylized concept albums, she has garnered eight Grammy nominations and has her own label imprint, Wondaland Arts Society. Monae has also earned great success as an actor, starring in critically acclaimed films including Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Harriet, The Glorias, and the 2020 horror film Antebellum. She is also currently in production for the highly anticipated sequel Knives Out 2.