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Beggars in Spain
Please Note: This is the original Hugo and Nebula Winning Novella
Leisha Camden is a genetically engineered ‘Sleepless.’
Her ability to stay awake all the time has not only made her more productive, but the genetic modifications have also given the ‘Sleepless’ a higher IQ and may even make them immortal.
Are they the future of humanity? Or will the small community of ‘sleepless’ be hunted down as freaks by a world that has grown wary of its newest creation?
Leisha Camden is a genetically engineered ‘Sleepless.’
Her ability to stay awake all the time has not only made her more productive, but the genetic modifications have also given the ‘Sleepless’ a higher IQ and may even make them immortal.
Are they the future of humanity? Or will the small community of ‘sleepless’ be hunted down as freaks by a world that has grown wary of its newest creation?
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 1991
About the author
Nancy Kress
425 books872 followersNancy Kress is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo and Nebula-winning 1991 novella
Beggars in Spain
which was later expanded into a novel with the same title. In addition to her novels, Kress has written numerous short stories and is a regular columnist for Writer's Digest. She is a regular at Clarion writing workshops and at The Writers Center in Bethesda, Maryland. During the Winter of 2008/09, Nancy Kress is the Picador Guest Professor for Literature at the University of Leipzig's Institute for American Studies in Leipzig, Germany.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 104 reviews
May 18, 2021
Well that was such an interesting novella.
It looks at a group of genetically modified youth and how, due to not needing sleep, they are able to far surpass the accomplishments of 'sleepers'. The novella discusses the value of highly productive people and how their genetic advantages are seen as 'unfair' by the masses. The book also explores how much value should be given to those who are unproductive members of society and in constant need of help. After all, "what do we owe the grasping and nonproductive needy?"
I loved the epiphany at the end. I don't think I will go on to read the other installments as I enjoyed where the award winning novella ended.
It looks at a group of genetically modified youth and how, due to not needing sleep, they are able to far surpass the accomplishments of 'sleepers'. The novella discusses the value of highly productive people and how their genetic advantages are seen as 'unfair' by the masses. The book also explores how much value should be given to those who are unproductive members of society and in constant need of help. After all, "what do we owe the grasping and nonproductive needy?"
I loved the epiphany at the end. I don't think I will go on to read the other installments as I enjoyed where the award winning novella ended.
August 30, 2019
De la très bonne SF ! Une lecture intelligente, qui pousse vraiment le lecteur à réfléchir sur les problématiques soulevées. C’est terriblement humain et touchant. Si vous aimez les livres ayant pour thème la manipulation génétique et toutes les questions éthiques et philosophiques que cela crée, L’une rêve, l’autre pas est pour vous. J’ai également beaucoup apprécié la plume de l’autrice, je pense lire d’autres de ses œuvres 😊
December 18, 2013
I read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand at 17 during my freshman orientation at UT. I knew nothing about Ayn Rand or objectionism and read it because I had it and loved it because I was a bitter young girl and a huge fan of dystopian fiction. I could identify with the characters and I found it intriguing, but I did not take it as dogma. I read it as fiction the way I read other dystopian fiction or science fiction. Later that year, when I learned a little about the author and her philosophy, I vehemently objected to that.
I read Beggars in Spain and it's sequels when they first came out shortly after. I also loved them. That was two decades ago and I recommended the series to my brother-in-law so I decided to get them for him for Christmas and was surprised to find out that they were no longer available. So I purchased the original novella that they were based on to give to him and decided to read it myself before passing it on.
In reading this version (which seems like the first part of the novel that I remember), the thing that struck me was how much of objectionism is in the book. The difference is that the main character has feelings and empathy and understands that those that have gifts should share them and not write off those without. It is almost an answer to Rand's selfishness.
Putting that aside, after reading the novella, I can see why the novels are no longer in print. Even this small short story is riddled with things we know not to be true now (both the psychology and hard science). That doesn't deter from a fairly engaging novella that is a quick, easy read. I imagine that it was much easier for me to relate to as a minority in the early 90s than it would be to a young person of current day because while we still have racism and hatred and the fear that results from that, it isn't any where near as prevalent as it has been in the past. Reading it again now, I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as I did reading it the first time.
I read Beggars in Spain and it's sequels when they first came out shortly after. I also loved them. That was two decades ago and I recommended the series to my brother-in-law so I decided to get them for him for Christmas and was surprised to find out that they were no longer available. So I purchased the original novella that they were based on to give to him and decided to read it myself before passing it on.
In reading this version (which seems like the first part of the novel that I remember), the thing that struck me was how much of objectionism is in the book. The difference is that the main character has feelings and empathy and understands that those that have gifts should share them and not write off those without. It is almost an answer to Rand's selfishness.
Putting that aside, after reading the novella, I can see why the novels are no longer in print. Even this small short story is riddled with things we know not to be true now (both the psychology and hard science). That doesn't deter from a fairly engaging novella that is a quick, easy read. I imagine that it was much easier for me to relate to as a minority in the early 90s than it would be to a young person of current day because while we still have racism and hatred and the fear that results from that, it isn't any where near as prevalent as it has been in the past. Reading it again now, I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as I did reading it the first time.
June 30, 2017
Винаги подхождам с известен страх към книги които са ми препоръчали голямо количество познати. Отлагането на прочита им, обаче понякога ми играе лоши шеги. С „Безсмъртни в Испания” точно така стана. Сигурен съм, че ако бях я подхванал преди 15 години щеше да ми хареса много повече.
В едно достоверно бъдеще генното инженерство е достатъчно напреднало. Нова технология позволява да се раждат неспящи деца, които са много по-интелигентни от спящите. Тези еволюирали хора много бързо започват да се сблъскват със страх, агресия и остракация. Когато взимат живота си в свои ръце, се налага да правят редица нелеки морални избори.
Книгата е много добре написана и прогностичната и част за бъдещето на Америка удря право в десетката. Както и ислямските конфликти, съсредоточаването на световния капитал в шепа хора и др. и др.Издразни ме, обаче явната и поприкрита пропаганда, която извират от страниците на книгата. Единствената „неспяща”, която направи по-радикален избор спрямо „нормалните” хора, някак си се оказа мюсюлманка, беше споменато един път, но после се набиваше с името и облеклото постоянно. Сравняването на свръххората с евреи също не ми обегна. Новата свръхкапиталистическа етична система наречена Ягаизъм си беше откровено зло. А благият финал тип Америка над всичко съвсем ми скапа настроението. С едно съм съгласен – без монопол върху нов вид евтина енергия Щатите наистина ще отидат по дяволите.
Пак да кажа, прогностиката е на много високо ниво, ако се абстрахираме от пропагандата (нещо на което отдавна съм се научил от книгите от другата страна на конфликта), та смятам, че който е харесал един „Водосрез” примерно ще се влюби в тази книга.
Не беше моята бира.
В едно достоверно бъдеще генното инженерство е достатъчно напреднало. Нова технология позволява да се раждат неспящи деца, които са много по-интелигентни от спящите. Тези еволюирали хора много бързо започват да се сблъскват със страх, агресия и остракация. Когато взимат живота си в свои ръце, се налага да правят редица нелеки морални избори.
Книгата е много добре написана и прогностичната и част за бъдещето на Америка удря право в десетката. Както и ислямските конфликти, съсредоточаването на световния капитал в шепа хора и др. и др.Издразни ме, обаче явната и поприкрита пропаганда, която извират от страниците на книгата. Единствената „неспяща”, която направи по-радикален избор спрямо „нормалните” хора, някак си се оказа мюсюлманка, беше споменато един път, но после се набиваше с името и облеклото постоянно. Сравняването на свръххората с евреи също не ми обегна. Новата свръхкапиталистическа етична система наречена Ягаизъм си беше откровено зло. А благият финал тип Америка над всичко съвсем ми скапа настроението. С едно съм съгласен – без монопол върху нов вид евтина енергия Щатите наистина ще отидат по дяволите.
Пак да кажа, прогностиката е на много високо ниво, ако се абстрахираме от пропагандата (нещо на което отдавна съм се научил от книгите от другата страна на конфликта), та смятам, че който е харесал един „Водосрез” примерно ще се влюби в тази книга.
Не беше моята бира.
December 1, 2011
Original impressions (I feel like I need to flesh this out more later) - Because of advances in science, subgroups of people are genetically engineered not to need to sleep. Sometimes this ability is added to other traits, such as superior physical ability. I felt like Ayn Rand could have been in this book, with the Yagaiism, a renaming of objectivism, as the idea of individual effort and accomplishment was highlighted as the main advantage of not needing to spend any time sleeping.
I thought Kress made interesting choices as far as how society dealt with the sleepless group, as well as the longterm effects on the people (I expected that to go differently). I'd be interested in reading the fully fleshed out novel that she turned this into.
Other books that kept coming to mind - Sleepless by Charlie Huston, although in that book they were trying to cure sleeplessness, not cause it on purpose; and The Girl with the Silver Eyes, a book about a group of "special" young adults who end up with special abilities, and seek each other out so they feel less alone. I read that book a hundred times when I was young.
I thought Kress made interesting choices as far as how society dealt with the sleepless group, as well as the longterm effects on the people (I expected that to go differently). I'd be interested in reading the fully fleshed out novel that she turned this into.
Other books that kept coming to mind - Sleepless by Charlie Huston, although in that book they were trying to cure sleeplessness, not cause it on purpose; and The Girl with the Silver Eyes, a book about a group of "special" young adults who end up with special abilities, and seek each other out so they feel less alone. I read that book a hundred times when I was young.
February 18, 2019
3.5/5
I liked it. I’m sure it seemed much more daring in the ‘90s but it still engages, entertains and gives food for thought.
Leisha Camden, daughter of a wealthy businessman, is one of the Sleepless, genetically engineered prodigies endowed with remarkable intelligence and no need for sleep. Instead of sleeping and dreaming, she learns to become the best at anything she does.
In just 100 pages we observe her childhood, coming-of-age and struggles with accepting brutal reality in which Sleepers (regular people) hate, fear, envy Nonsleepers. While I enjoyed Leisha, I can’t say the same thing about thinly drawn secondary characters. They lack complexity and they rarely speak like real people - dialogues remind stilted philosophical arguments more than the real speech between real human beings.
Part of the story felt didactic, preachy even, and the bitter-sweet ending disappointed me.
That said, Leisha’s voice alone suffices to make it an interesting and thought-provoking read. It’s not perfect, but it still packs more meat in 100 pages than many books in 500 pages.
I read it as a second novella in my self-imposed 10 days / 10 novellas challenge. Eight more to go
I liked it. I’m sure it seemed much more daring in the ‘90s but it still engages, entertains and gives food for thought.
Leisha Camden, daughter of a wealthy businessman, is one of the Sleepless, genetically engineered prodigies endowed with remarkable intelligence and no need for sleep. Instead of sleeping and dreaming, she learns to become the best at anything she does.
In just 100 pages we observe her childhood, coming-of-age and struggles with accepting brutal reality in which Sleepers (regular people) hate, fear, envy Nonsleepers. While I enjoyed Leisha, I can’t say the same thing about thinly drawn secondary characters. They lack complexity and they rarely speak like real people - dialogues remind stilted philosophical arguments more than the real speech between real human beings.
Part of the story felt didactic, preachy even, and the bitter-sweet ending disappointed me.
That said, Leisha’s voice alone suffices to make it an interesting and thought-provoking read. It’s not perfect, but it still packs more meat in 100 pages than many books in 500 pages.
I read it as a second novella in my self-imposed 10 days / 10 novellas challenge. Eight more to go
May 21, 2022
Leisha Camden is designed to be perfect. Her twin, Alice, is a child of normal conception. What effect does this disparity have on the two girls as they grow up, forever entwined in the complex strands of their shared DNA?
Reading a story is a reaction to the text. When I first read "Beggars in Spain", I was fascinated by the science fiction elements, wondering what it would be like to be genetically engineered to be superior. On this reading, I am much more drawn to the other women in the Camden house and their reaction to Leisha who, while innocent of any wrongdoing, is the direct cause of their mistreatment at the hands of what turns out to be a vainglorious, emotionally abusive father.
Kress has created a strong work of near future fiction and "Beggars in Spain" deserves its awards. However, if you strip the SF elements out of the text, this tense family creates an equally engrossing study.
Reading a story is a reaction to the text. When I first read "Beggars in Spain", I was fascinated by the science fiction elements, wondering what it would be like to be genetically engineered to be superior. On this reading, I am much more drawn to the other women in the Camden house and their reaction to Leisha who, while innocent of any wrongdoing, is the direct cause of their mistreatment at the hands of what turns out to be a vainglorious, emotionally abusive father.
Kress has created a strong work of near future fiction and "Beggars in Spain" deserves its awards. However, if you strip the SF elements out of the text, this tense family creates an equally engrossing study.
August 12, 2021
The book is quite old now in terms of how the internet actually turned out. And being set around now I had to allow for a great deal of bad prediction and all the time resetting how the world actually is now to how she foresaw it. The genetics angle is a bit of a leap too and how that turned out is a little different. I gave the book a chance on the back of these niggles and enjoyed the pace, and for such a short book it flew by.
As a short book also the characters don't really get developed and even the main character isn't getting that much of my sympathy.
I'm scoring it a 3 1/2 purely on how I think it would have impacted at the time it was released.
I think if she was to revisit, the author would change an awful lot of the story and details.!
As a short book also the characters don't really get developed and even the main character isn't getting that much of my sympathy.
I'm scoring it a 3 1/2 purely on how I think it would have impacted at the time it was released.
I think if she was to revisit, the author would change an awful lot of the story and details.!
May 20, 2021
This was one of the most emotional and evocative reads for me. The basic premise sounds absurd. But the theme of "others" has been handled here with utmost nuance, allowing us to immerse ourselves into the narrative as various characters and experience their pains, joys, loves, heartbreaks and eternal dreams.
If you are yet to read it, please rectify the situation.
Even better, get hold of the 'Best of...' collection brought out by Subterranean Press. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Highly recommended.
If you are yet to read it, please rectify the situation.
Even better, get hold of the 'Best of...' collection brought out by Subterranean Press. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Highly recommended.
July 7, 2014
After I finished this marvelous novella, I read other reviews to see if anyone else thought it was a literary response to the philosophy in Ayn Rand's 'Atlas Shrugged'. Not only did I see a review that saw what I saw in the story, but I found it be a really terrific review!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wealthy Roger Camden and his wife Elizabeth want a child, but not just any child. He has contacted Dr. Ong to arrange for a genetically enhanced baby. She must have green eyes, blonde hair, a slender build and be tall when she grows up. The Camden's also want musical ability and intelligence. But in particular, she must be 'sleepless'. Since creating Sleepless humans - humans who stay awake 24/7 - is a top secret beta program, Ong is annoyed by their request. However, the financial inducements and a threat to sue for discrimination that Roger Camden presses on Ong overcome his annoyance and Elizabeth's eggs are changed genetically as directed. Unexpectedly, after implantation the couple learns they will have twins; however, only one will have the enhancements. The other will be a normal 'sleeper', born of a naturally implanted egg from a normal monthly ovary release. Elizabeth Camden is overjoyed by the normal baby. Roger only wants the enhanced child. An abortion would remove both fetuses, so they continue the pregnancy.
Leisha is a superior human being in every way: smarter, faster, stronger - and she never sleeps. Alice is normal in every way, a lively baby - but her father barely takes any notice of her. He lavishes every attention on Leisha. The girls love each other and play together until their natural gifts separate them. Leisha goes to a private school, while Alice finds happiness in an ordinary public school. The Camdens divorce, unable to agree over Roger's intense and deep belief in Yagaiism and his pushy preference for Leisha.
Roger as a Yagaiist and a personal friend of Kenzo Yagai believes that Excellence supported by individual effort is all that counts. Truth and individual meritocracy, and the equality of trading favors are all that's of value to society and in relationships. Man should rely only on himself for dignity and worth, and not what he thinks other people should do or feel. ""The basic tool of civilization is the contract. Contracts are voluntary and mutually beneficial, as opposed to coercion, which is wrong."" ""Only freedom--the freedom to achieve, the freedom to trade freely the results of achievement--creates the environment proper to dignity and spirituality of man."" Force is not honorable in any circumstance. There is no distinctions made between the strong and the weak, so nothing will be available to the weak if they have nothing to trade. (Later, the Sleepless discuss Yagaiism as extrapolated to 'Beggars in Spain', or anywhere in the world, along with the deformed, the handicapped, the sick, and the lazy - should they be taken care of? Is there any obligation or any circumstances people with nothing to trade should be helped?)
As Leisha becomes an adult, she meets other Sleepless - most as young or younger than herself. Only 19 Sleepless are older. Altogether they total several thousand. The social consequences are as varied as are people's reactions as the existence of such people becomes known, but generally people become frightened. Even some of the parents who paid to have a Sleepless child are unable to finish raising their Special child because of unforeseen issues such as 24/7 fussing or jealousy of the extraordinary mental talents their children exhibit.
Eventually more violence towards the Sleepless builds and they must decide how to protect themselves until more Sleepless are born and until state laws settle down into consistent rationality (irrational and discriminatory laws are passed everywhere reducing the rights of the Sleepless). A hopeful sign of unintended consequences is Sleepless genes are dominant, so only one parent need be Sleepless for Sleepless children to be conceived.
This is a wonderful story. Many ideas are explored and yet it is a high quality read and an interesting plot. I read it straight through, tense with hoping everyone would survive!
October 1, 2023
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/beggars-in-spain-by-nancy-kress/
Back when I was first attempting to work through the joint winners of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, more than twenty years ago, I had the silly idea of doing them in alphabetical order by title, which meant that this was the second I got to after “Bears Discover Fire” (at that point, American Gods, Among Others, Ancillary Justice and All Systems Red all lay in the future). In 2001 I wrote the following:
[start]
I think this was the first work by Kress that I ever read, just around the time that my own daughter was born in 1997. The story begins with the planned conception of a genetically modified child, Leisha Camden, and her “normal” twin sister, Alice, and follows them until their early twenties, so as a new father myself I was gripped from the start. All parents know that their child is the most marvellous creature in the world, of course, and part of the monstrosity of Roger Camden is that he barely acknowledges the existence of the ordinary Alice and concentrates his affection on the augmented Leisha. The dysfunctional family of Camden, his wife who gradually disintegrates, the geneticist who Camden subsequently marries, and the girls themselves, is all too credible and painfully (if sparsely) portrayed; likewise Leisha’s discovery of a new community with the other children born with the same modification that she has. However it is not the main point of the story.
Leisha has been genetically modified so that she does not need to sleep. Along with this most obvious change come other benefits: the Sleepless (for she is among the first of many such children) are more intelligent, more capable, and more content than the Sleepers (as we normal humans become known). As the Sleepless progress to maturity they have to deal with the prejudices that many display against them. The story of prejudice against children who are not just different but who are feared to be superior is an old SF trope, going back at least to 1911 and J.D. Beresford’s The Hampdenshire Wonder. Kress’ triumph here is that she displays a certain compassion for both the ordinary humans who are terrified by the emergence of the Sleepless, and indeed for the isolationists among the Sleepless who want to build a new society for themselves, leaving cut off the rest of humanity. Howwever we are in no doubt that her sympathies lie with those including Leisha Camden who want to maintain a single human society including both Sleepers and Sleepless.
Dealing with prejudice is a hall-mark of Kress’ best work; it is the main theme of her Nebula-winning “Out of All Them Bright Stars” and prominent also in her other Nebula-winning novella, “The Flowers of Aulit Prison”. Her understanding is that many, perhaps even most, will be prejudiced against those who seem insufficiently “human”, but those of us who do not feel that way must stand up and be counted against such bigotry, even if it seems that the odds are stacked against us. It’s a powerful and profound argument. But that too is not the main point of this particular story.
The main theme of the story concerns the responsibilities of those who have favourable positions in society towards those who are less fortunate. The intellectual underpinning of the argument here is a fictional philosopher/scientist called Kenzo Yagai, who has not only invented cheap energy but propounds a moral code based on these principles: “That spiritual dignity comes from supporting one’s life through one’s own efforts, and from trading the results of those efforts in mutual cooperation throughout the society. That the symbol of this is the contract. And that we need each other for the fullest, most beneficial trade.” In a crucial passage where Leisha debates this issue with Tony, an embittered fellow Sleepless, later martyred, he introduces the metaphor of the story’s title:
“What if you walk down a street in Spain and a hundred beggars each want a dollar and you say no and they have nothing to trade you but they’re so rotten with anger about what you have that they knock you down and grab it and then beat you out of sheer envy and despair?”
Leisha didn’t answer.
“Are you going to say that’s not a human scenario, Leisha? That it never happens?”
“It happens,” Leisha said evenly. “But not all that often.”
“Bullshit. Read more history. Read more newspapers. But the point is: what do you owe the beggars then? What does a good Yagaiist who believes in mutually beneficial contracts do with people who have nothing to trade and can only take?”
“You’re not–“
“What, Leisha? In the most objective terms you can manage, what do we owe the grasping and nonproductive needy?”
“What I said originally. Kindness. Compassion.”
“Even if they don’t trade it back? Why?”
“Because…” She stopped.
“Why? Why do law-abiding and productive human beings owe anything to those who neither produce very much nor abide by just laws? What philosophical or economic or spiritual justification is there for owing them anything? Be as honest as I know you are.”
Leisha put her head between her knees. The question gaped beneath her, but she didn’t try to evade it. “I don’t know. I just know we do.”
Kress’ source for Yagaiism is quite explicitly the philosophy of Ayn Rand, as expressed in her 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged (famously mocked as Telemachus Sneezed by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson in the Illuminatus! trilogy). In one interview, Kress says of Rand: “although there’s something very appealing about her emphasis on individual responsibility, that you should not evade reality, you should not evade responsibility, you should not assume that it’s up to the next person to provide you with your life, with what it is that you need, whether that’s emotional, or physical… [it] lacks all compassion, and even more fundamental, it lacks recognition of the fact that we are a social species and that our society does not exist of a group of people only striving for their own ends, which is what she shows, but groups of people co-operating for mutual ends, and this means that you don’t always get what you want and your work does not always benefit you directly.”
She goes on to draw another contrast in the other direction, between the society she depicts in her own fiction and the society of Anarres in Ursula Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, but I guess this must have more relevance to the expanded, novel version of Beggars in Spain which I have not read. There is an interesting discussion of both Rand and Kress on the everything2.com discussion site. [And it’s still there, almost a quarter of a century later!] The central message of “Beggars in Spain” is that our humanity as individuals is bound up in our obligations to the rest of humanity, and if we forget that, we become less human.
It would be easy to write a didactic and boring story about how we all ought to be nice to each other, even including the two subsidiary themes identified above. “Beggars in Spain” is not that story. We have vivid characterisations of Leisha and her sister Alice, their stepmother the geneticist, and several of the other Sleepless (perhaps the father is a little too monstrous here). Also Kress has a very strong sense of place, with the Camdens’ mansion by Lake Michigan, Leisha’s student environment in Harvard, and the middle America through which she and Alice eventually flee having rescued a Sleepless child from abuse, all depicted convincingly. And there are a couple of beautiful vignettes; a scene where Leisha confronts a pregnant Alice, slightly (deliberately?) reminiscent of the end of Lolita; an earlier scene where the Sleepless kids try a drug that will make them sleep for the first time, with their sense of anticipation – and then disappointment when they all wake up hung over – wickedly portrayed. This story is strongly recommended.
[end]
I stand by pretty much all of that from 22 years ago. Two new points jumped out at me. First, the Sleepless kids’ communication, presented as a deeply clever and privileged way of staying in touch across computer networks, is basically a WhatsApp group or a private Telegram channel; the fact that everyone would have access to that sort of networked communication in the future was unthinkable in 2001.
Second, the scene with Alice barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen in the Appalachians resonates backward with Lolita, but also forward with Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead (review coming soon). Having said that, I do wonder how the daughter of a Chicago millionaire managed to get into a (not very) romantic relationship with an older man from the sticks?
Anyway, I’m glad to say that it has retained its power, a classic case of sf being not just “What if…?” but “My God! What if…?”
Back when I was first attempting to work through the joint winners of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, more than twenty years ago, I had the silly idea of doing them in alphabetical order by title, which meant that this was the second I got to after “Bears Discover Fire” (at that point, American Gods, Among Others, Ancillary Justice and All Systems Red all lay in the future). In 2001 I wrote the following:
[start]
I think this was the first work by Kress that I ever read, just around the time that my own daughter was born in 1997. The story begins with the planned conception of a genetically modified child, Leisha Camden, and her “normal” twin sister, Alice, and follows them until their early twenties, so as a new father myself I was gripped from the start. All parents know that their child is the most marvellous creature in the world, of course, and part of the monstrosity of Roger Camden is that he barely acknowledges the existence of the ordinary Alice and concentrates his affection on the augmented Leisha. The dysfunctional family of Camden, his wife who gradually disintegrates, the geneticist who Camden subsequently marries, and the girls themselves, is all too credible and painfully (if sparsely) portrayed; likewise Leisha’s discovery of a new community with the other children born with the same modification that she has. However it is not the main point of the story.
Leisha has been genetically modified so that she does not need to sleep. Along with this most obvious change come other benefits: the Sleepless (for she is among the first of many such children) are more intelligent, more capable, and more content than the Sleepers (as we normal humans become known). As the Sleepless progress to maturity they have to deal with the prejudices that many display against them. The story of prejudice against children who are not just different but who are feared to be superior is an old SF trope, going back at least to 1911 and J.D. Beresford’s The Hampdenshire Wonder. Kress’ triumph here is that she displays a certain compassion for both the ordinary humans who are terrified by the emergence of the Sleepless, and indeed for the isolationists among the Sleepless who want to build a new society for themselves, leaving cut off the rest of humanity. Howwever we are in no doubt that her sympathies lie with those including Leisha Camden who want to maintain a single human society including both Sleepers and Sleepless.
Dealing with prejudice is a hall-mark of Kress’ best work; it is the main theme of her Nebula-winning “Out of All Them Bright Stars” and prominent also in her other Nebula-winning novella, “The Flowers of Aulit Prison”. Her understanding is that many, perhaps even most, will be prejudiced against those who seem insufficiently “human”, but those of us who do not feel that way must stand up and be counted against such bigotry, even if it seems that the odds are stacked against us. It’s a powerful and profound argument. But that too is not the main point of this particular story.
The main theme of the story concerns the responsibilities of those who have favourable positions in society towards those who are less fortunate. The intellectual underpinning of the argument here is a fictional philosopher/scientist called Kenzo Yagai, who has not only invented cheap energy but propounds a moral code based on these principles: “That spiritual dignity comes from supporting one’s life through one’s own efforts, and from trading the results of those efforts in mutual cooperation throughout the society. That the symbol of this is the contract. And that we need each other for the fullest, most beneficial trade.” In a crucial passage where Leisha debates this issue with Tony, an embittered fellow Sleepless, later martyred, he introduces the metaphor of the story’s title:
“What if you walk down a street in Spain and a hundred beggars each want a dollar and you say no and they have nothing to trade you but they’re so rotten with anger about what you have that they knock you down and grab it and then beat you out of sheer envy and despair?”
Leisha didn’t answer.
“Are you going to say that’s not a human scenario, Leisha? That it never happens?”
“It happens,” Leisha said evenly. “But not all that often.”
“Bullshit. Read more history. Read more newspapers. But the point is: what do you owe the beggars then? What does a good Yagaiist who believes in mutually beneficial contracts do with people who have nothing to trade and can only take?”
“You’re not–“
“What, Leisha? In the most objective terms you can manage, what do we owe the grasping and nonproductive needy?”
“What I said originally. Kindness. Compassion.”
“Even if they don’t trade it back? Why?”
“Because…” She stopped.
“Why? Why do law-abiding and productive human beings owe anything to those who neither produce very much nor abide by just laws? What philosophical or economic or spiritual justification is there for owing them anything? Be as honest as I know you are.”
Leisha put her head between her knees. The question gaped beneath her, but she didn’t try to evade it. “I don’t know. I just know we do.”
Kress’ source for Yagaiism is quite explicitly the philosophy of Ayn Rand, as expressed in her 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged (famously mocked as Telemachus Sneezed by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson in the Illuminatus! trilogy). In one interview, Kress says of Rand: “although there’s something very appealing about her emphasis on individual responsibility, that you should not evade reality, you should not evade responsibility, you should not assume that it’s up to the next person to provide you with your life, with what it is that you need, whether that’s emotional, or physical… [it] lacks all compassion, and even more fundamental, it lacks recognition of the fact that we are a social species and that our society does not exist of a group of people only striving for their own ends, which is what she shows, but groups of people co-operating for mutual ends, and this means that you don’t always get what you want and your work does not always benefit you directly.”
She goes on to draw another contrast in the other direction, between the society she depicts in her own fiction and the society of Anarres in Ursula Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, but I guess this must have more relevance to the expanded, novel version of Beggars in Spain which I have not read. There is an interesting discussion of both Rand and Kress on the everything2.com discussion site. [And it’s still there, almost a quarter of a century later!] The central message of “Beggars in Spain” is that our humanity as individuals is bound up in our obligations to the rest of humanity, and if we forget that, we become less human.
It would be easy to write a didactic and boring story about how we all ought to be nice to each other, even including the two subsidiary themes identified above. “Beggars in Spain” is not that story. We have vivid characterisations of Leisha and her sister Alice, their stepmother the geneticist, and several of the other Sleepless (perhaps the father is a little too monstrous here). Also Kress has a very strong sense of place, with the Camdens’ mansion by Lake Michigan, Leisha’s student environment in Harvard, and the middle America through which she and Alice eventually flee having rescued a Sleepless child from abuse, all depicted convincingly. And there are a couple of beautiful vignettes; a scene where Leisha confronts a pregnant Alice, slightly (deliberately?) reminiscent of the end of Lolita; an earlier scene where the Sleepless kids try a drug that will make them sleep for the first time, with their sense of anticipation – and then disappointment when they all wake up hung over – wickedly portrayed. This story is strongly recommended.
[end]
I stand by pretty much all of that from 22 years ago. Two new points jumped out at me. First, the Sleepless kids’ communication, presented as a deeply clever and privileged way of staying in touch across computer networks, is basically a WhatsApp group or a private Telegram channel; the fact that everyone would have access to that sort of networked communication in the future was unthinkable in 2001.
Second, the scene with Alice barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen in the Appalachians resonates backward with Lolita, but also forward with Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead (review coming soon). Having said that, I do wonder how the daughter of a Chicago millionaire managed to get into a (not very) romantic relationship with an older man from the sticks?
Anyway, I’m glad to say that it has retained its power, a classic case of sf being not just “What if…?” but “My God! What if…?”
July 29, 2015
There are two version of this novel, the original novella, and the expanded novel. This is the review of the original novella.
I am beginning to like Nancy Kress very much. Her idea of a sci-fi novel is always interesting. She always has something new inside her pocket and she presented it beautifully. She stands at the pinnacle of the "what-if" sci-fi. Unfortunately, she also almost every time fails the final execution. Just like you already dribble the ball beautifully, but fail the final shot. I am not saying that the ending ruin everything, but I certainly hope that she can write a better ending.
The big "what-if" in this novella is a genetic engineering. A high-end research succeeds to bring a new human generation, that DO NOT REQUIRE ANY SLEEP. Wow, how cool is that! I always think that my sleeping time is too much. And the side effect is even more shocking!
Nancy Kress that go deeper by bringing all the social consequences because of this genetic engineering. Politically it creates an upheaval. And finally the Sleepless has to defend their own position, if they want to survive. Here the story begin to falter.
The strong point is the science, and how science can change our human society. The weak point is the politics. Many reviews said that this novel is written as a counter to Ayn Rand's novel: Atlas Shrugged. We can see clearly that the ideology of the Sleepless, Yagaiism, is a form of libertarianism. I haven' read Ayn Rand, so I cannot comment on that. Nancy Kress, in this case, is still below par if you consider the other sci-fi political commentator: Ursula K. Le Guin and Robert A. Heinlein.
So, just 4 star.
I am beginning to like Nancy Kress very much. Her idea of a sci-fi novel is always interesting. She always has something new inside her pocket and she presented it beautifully. She stands at the pinnacle of the "what-if" sci-fi. Unfortunately, she also almost every time fails the final execution. Just like you already dribble the ball beautifully, but fail the final shot. I am not saying that the ending ruin everything, but I certainly hope that she can write a better ending.
The big "what-if" in this novella is a genetic engineering. A high-end research succeeds to bring a new human generation, that DO NOT REQUIRE ANY SLEEP. Wow, how cool is that! I always think that my sleeping time is too much. And the side effect is even more shocking!
Nancy Kress that go deeper by bringing all the social consequences because of this genetic engineering. Politically it creates an upheaval. And finally the Sleepless has to defend their own position, if they want to survive. Here the story begin to falter.
The strong point is the science, and how science can change our human society. The weak point is the politics. Many reviews said that this novel is written as a counter to Ayn Rand's novel: Atlas Shrugged. We can see clearly that the ideology of the Sleepless, Yagaiism, is a form of libertarianism. I haven' read Ayn Rand, so I cannot comment on that. Nancy Kress, in this case, is still below par if you consider the other sci-fi political commentator: Ursula K. Le Guin and Robert A. Heinlein.
So, just 4 star.
December 17, 2013
Beggars in Spain is amazing. I'm giving it five stars for being both smart and engaging. I read the original award-winning novella of Beggars in Spain, not the later series of novels that expands the story. The novella version was first published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction magazine and went on to win Hugo and Nebula awards.
The characters grabbed me from page one. Nancy Kress made them so real I felt like I was in the room with them and then she dropped the bombshell that the couple talking to the doctor have come to order a genetically-modified baby--one who never has to sleep.
The conflict of this story centers on the divide between 'haves' and 'have-nots,' which in this case are the high-performing and high-achieving Sleepless versus the ordinary Sleepers whose resentment grows into violence.
Nancy Kress manages in 98-pages to create characters I care about who face a thought-provoking moral question as well as a real danger. In this world, the main character Leisha believes, as her father taught her, that a successful society is based on individual achievement. So she works hard and is joyful in her advancements and mystified by resentment she sometimes gets in return. The title of the story comes from a heated debate Leisha has with another Sleepless that a reasoned societal contract can not stand up to the reality of people who have nothing to work with, whether by choice or otherwise.
Kress does not solve the world's problems at the end, she lets her character grow and understand and take what action she can. That's the best kind of storytelling.
The characters grabbed me from page one. Nancy Kress made them so real I felt like I was in the room with them and then she dropped the bombshell that the couple talking to the doctor have come to order a genetically-modified baby--one who never has to sleep.
The conflict of this story centers on the divide between 'haves' and 'have-nots,' which in this case are the high-performing and high-achieving Sleepless versus the ordinary Sleepers whose resentment grows into violence.
Nancy Kress manages in 98-pages to create characters I care about who face a thought-provoking moral question as well as a real danger. In this world, the main character Leisha believes, as her father taught her, that a successful society is based on individual achievement. So she works hard and is joyful in her advancements and mystified by resentment she sometimes gets in return. The title of the story comes from a heated debate Leisha has with another Sleepless that a reasoned societal contract can not stand up to the reality of people who have nothing to work with, whether by choice or otherwise.
Kress does not solve the world's problems at the end, she lets her character grow and understand and take what action she can. That's the best kind of storytelling.
October 17, 2016
Kress' novella addresses some intriguing questions, but she does so by eliminating most of the nuance from them. Questions of privilege are significantly less intriguing if your characters are measurably superior; a community of joyful geniuses with 8 extra hours in a day and a longer lifespan are, of necessity, going to achieve a lot more than "the Sleepers," as they call us. That scenario reads like the rich, straight white man's fantasy of why he has more privilege than others rather than an actual grappling with privilege.
I wasn't particularly impressed with Kress' characterization, either. There was a lot of telling rather than showing, particularly in Susan's impressions of Camden, which had me rolling my eyes right at the outset. The story felt more like a lecture-in-metaphor than like a compelling narrative from which I might glean questions and lessons. Leisha was basically a blank slate; aside from being beautiful, brilliant, and "joyful" (which I never particularly saw evidence of, aside from the fact that she didn't get angry while living her perfect, charmed life in which she was favored over her sister), I can't think of any characteristics specific to her. Alice was a far more fascinating character, but we did not spend much time with her, and she was so oversimplified that I could only be interested in her through glimpses and asides.
Beggars in Spain was a quick, easy read, and I mildly enjoyed it while it was in my hands, but I won't be picking up the full version.
February 6, 2017
Dans cette très longue nouvelle, ou ce très court roman, on suit la jeunesse et une partie de la vie de Leisha Camden, une fille éprouvette conçue "sur plans", c'est-à-dire avec des demandes particulières. Une de ces demandes est, évidement, qu'elle ne dorme pas. Du tout. Jamais. Ou, comme le dit à peu près la quatrième de couverture "Qu'est-ce que vous feriez de plus si vous ne dormiez pas ?".
Le récit est intéressant pour plusieurs raisons.
Il y a d'abord un postulat transhumaniste intéressant. Parce que bon, le sommeil, comme résidu évolutionnaire, ça se pose là. Et celui-ci sera bien exploré durant la croissance de Leisha, mais aussi après pour ses études.
Il y a également un postulat sociétal : le contrat comme base de la vie en société. Ca m'a rappelé certains excès à la Ayn Rand. Mais ça laisse aussi la place à quelques beaux moments.
Il y a enfin un postulat purement social, avec l'opposition entre les dormeurs et les non-dormeurs, et le haine de l'autre qui en découle.
Tout ça est assez chouette, et particulièrement renforcé par l'humanité que met l'auteure dans ses personnages. Leisha est exemplaire avec son idéalisme, son intelligence et sa volonté de changer le monde. Mais sa soeur jumelle, Alice, est également un beau personnage en lutte, terrien, réaliste, et parfaitement complémentaire.
Avec tout ça, on a un beau récit, accompagné qui plus est d'une bonne interview de l'auteure. Mais je n'ai pas été totalement séduit. Et le pire, c'est que je ne sais pas trop pourquoi.
Le récit est intéressant pour plusieurs raisons.
Il y a d'abord un postulat transhumaniste intéressant. Parce que bon, le sommeil, comme résidu évolutionnaire, ça se pose là. Et celui-ci sera bien exploré durant la croissance de Leisha, mais aussi après pour ses études.
Il y a également un postulat sociétal : le contrat comme base de la vie en société. Ca m'a rappelé certains excès à la Ayn Rand. Mais ça laisse aussi la place à quelques beaux moments.
Il y a enfin un postulat purement social, avec l'opposition entre les dormeurs et les non-dormeurs, et le haine de l'autre qui en découle.
Tout ça est assez chouette, et particulièrement renforcé par l'humanité que met l'auteure dans ses personnages. Leisha est exemplaire avec son idéalisme, son intelligence et sa volonté de changer le monde. Mais sa soeur jumelle, Alice, est également un beau personnage en lutte, terrien, réaliste, et parfaitement complémentaire.
Avec tout ça, on a un beau récit, accompagné qui plus est d'une bonne interview de l'auteure. Mais je n'ai pas été totalement séduit. Et le pire, c'est que je ne sais pas trop pourquoi.
March 26, 2014
This was pretty great. It's about genetically engineered kids, focusing on how their superiority separates them from others as they grow up and become adults. It turns out their differences set them apart enough to make them hated and feared, so that in the end they have to separate themselves from the world that created them.
I kind of wish that instead of piling on extra super powers toward the end, it had just stuck to not needing sleep, and all the ramifications of that. Then again, I suppose in the real world, doing without sleep would just give most of us more opportunities to be stupid, whereas the kids in the book are all super-geniuses. Still, having a few extra hours a day would be helpful in a lot of ways. It's interesting to think about.
I kind of wish that instead of piling on extra super powers toward the end, it had just stuck to not needing sleep, and all the ramifications of that. Then again, I suppose in the real world, doing without sleep would just give most of us more opportunities to be stupid, whereas the kids in the book are all super-geniuses. Still, having a few extra hours a day would be helpful in a lot of ways. It's interesting to think about.
February 19, 2019
Je l’ai dévoré en une nuit, et il entre directement dans mes romans (de SF) favoris. Preuve sur papier qu’on peut faire court et riche.
Tout est en haute qualité et détaillé sans être redondant. On a une famille, des personnages secondaires qui se croisent, de nouvelles technologies mais aussi les dérives idéologiques qui sont nées avec elles. Des icônes, des stars, des espoirs, des craintes, des crises médiatiques: le temps de 150 pages nous entrons entière dans son univers.
Pour Nancy Kress, il est ironique qu’il y ai si peu d’enfants en SF, car ils représentent notre avenir. Et la protection de l’enfance trouve une place de choix dans L’Une Rêve, l’Autre Pas.
Jetez vous dessus sans attendre !
Tout est en haute qualité et détaillé sans être redondant. On a une famille, des personnages secondaires qui se croisent, de nouvelles technologies mais aussi les dérives idéologiques qui sont nées avec elles. Des icônes, des stars, des espoirs, des craintes, des crises médiatiques: le temps de 150 pages nous entrons entière dans son univers.
Pour Nancy Kress, il est ironique qu’il y ai si peu d’enfants en SF, car ils représentent notre avenir. Et la protection de l’enfance trouve une place de choix dans L’Une Rêve, l’Autre Pas.
Jetez vous dessus sans attendre !
May 9, 2012
Nel romanzo si ipotizza il progresso dell'ingegneria genetica fino ad arrivare a creare bambini che non hanno bisogno di dormire.
Data questa ipotesi, la scrittrice affronta la crescita di una bambina insonne, prima all'interno della famiglia e poi nel mondo esterno.
Il romanzo affronta, usando come spunto la modificazione genetica, il tema del diverso, in questo caso sempre più brillante dei coetanei "normali".
La lettura è scorrevole, purtroppo, data la brevità del romanzo, la caratterizzazione dei personaggi non è sempre dettagliata, un peccato visto che questo romanzo ha una forte componente sociologica.
Data questa ipotesi, la scrittrice affronta la crescita di una bambina insonne, prima all'interno della famiglia e poi nel mondo esterno.
Il romanzo affronta, usando come spunto la modificazione genetica, il tema del diverso, in questo caso sempre più brillante dei coetanei "normali".
La lettura è scorrevole, purtroppo, data la brevità del romanzo, la caratterizzazione dei personaggi non è sempre dettagliata, un peccato visto che questo romanzo ha una forte componente sociologica.
August 16, 2015
This is quite an interesting story, not only for the initial idea of having some people that don't need to sleep, but also for the characters and the troubles they have to face for being different. In specially liked how Kress depicts Leisha's inner landscape in contrast to the world that surrounds her.
June 14, 2019
My god this was horrible (no offense). The writing was bad and the plot was worse. There's not much that could ruin a 150 page book for a class of second semester seniors, but somehow this author managed to do just that. I don't want to be to mean to the author but also I really would explore you to not read this.
August 14, 2021
I was so fascinated by the idea of the Sleepless. Such an interesting concept. Definitely wanted to hear more about Sanctuary. The ending seemed a little abrupt to me, however given that it was a novella maybe that was to be expected.
November 24, 2020
Even though I don't think it works as well as a science fiction work, there's a lot I really liked about Beggars in Spain. It's a story about a genetic modification that becomes popular with parents to make their children 'sleepless', that is, not having the need to sleep, and while I think the social/technological aspect of it is quite clumsy, there's a family drama at the centre of this that I think holds it all together really well.
Rather than a critique of technology or discrimination against modified humans, what the novella most wants to explore is individualism. The technology more than anything seems to complement this theme, with Leisha being brought up by her father with high expectations after he paid for her to not need sleep. This creates quite a toxic environment in the family with Leisha's mother spiralling into alcoholism, and her twin sister Alice being relieved of her father's expectation and praise. Leisha's father views it as him giving his child the best possible headstart for a competitive world, but really she's treated like an investment that will pay off long in the future. It's a selfish kind of parenting.
The relationship between Alice and Leisha was drawn together really well, despite them being twins they mirror each other, and Alice serves as a control variable against her sister. The end of the novella returns to this relationship, and I think it's the perfect thing to end on, with Leisha seeing the value in her sister that her father never could. The anti-individualism kicks in too, with the title referring to the oft-used argument that if you gave every beggar a dollar you'd end up a beggar yourself. I think the book quite convincingly argues against this, treating the world not as one-way trades but as an ecology, where an act of generosity will always be a net gain for the world, if not for the individual. It's passionate, hopeful writing, and I think the heart of the book is in the right place.
That being said, the science fiction aspect of the book did feel like it was often ignored, with sleeplessness being an allegory for competitive individualism. Sleeplessness is a complete and utter positive for the individual, with no side effects, no physical changes, no need for dreams, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more exploration into the physical changes. The novella seems to be happening pretty much in our world, with hovercars and holograms dropped in now and again, but never really creating something that feels like an entirely different world. I would be interested in reading the novel after this though, because I think the novella left a lot to be desired.
Rather than a critique of technology or discrimination against modified humans, what the novella most wants to explore is individualism. The technology more than anything seems to complement this theme, with Leisha being brought up by her father with high expectations after he paid for her to not need sleep. This creates quite a toxic environment in the family with Leisha's mother spiralling into alcoholism, and her twin sister Alice being relieved of her father's expectation and praise. Leisha's father views it as him giving his child the best possible headstart for a competitive world, but really she's treated like an investment that will pay off long in the future. It's a selfish kind of parenting.
The relationship between Alice and Leisha was drawn together really well, despite them being twins they mirror each other, and Alice serves as a control variable against her sister. The end of the novella returns to this relationship, and I think it's the perfect thing to end on, with Leisha seeing the value in her sister that her father never could. The anti-individualism kicks in too, with the title referring to the oft-used argument that if you gave every beggar a dollar you'd end up a beggar yourself. I think the book quite convincingly argues against this, treating the world not as one-way trades but as an ecology, where an act of generosity will always be a net gain for the world, if not for the individual. It's passionate, hopeful writing, and I think the heart of the book is in the right place.
That being said, the science fiction aspect of the book did feel like it was often ignored, with sleeplessness being an allegory for competitive individualism. Sleeplessness is a complete and utter positive for the individual, with no side effects, no physical changes, no need for dreams, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more exploration into the physical changes. The novella seems to be happening pretty much in our world, with hovercars and holograms dropped in now and again, but never really creating something that feels like an entirely different world. I would be interested in reading the novel after this though, because I think the novella left a lot to be desired.
February 10, 2019
We are all Beggars in Spain. Since at some point just about everybody has resented the talents of others, this is a tale to help us recognize that lurking smallness in ourselves, and maybe check it. One doesn’t have to be a genius, of course, to be made to feel alien by the herd (quite the opposite, usually) but this story contemplates how differences that confer advantage can lead to a prejudice that is just as virulent as racism. We rarely discuss this side of the question. We seem to feel justified in ostracizing the gifted, and feel little guilt for it. I guess we expect they have the means to defend themselves and recover. At times the story reminded me of Atlas Shrugged, with its "economic spirituality" ideas, and a cast of exceptional characters being tempted to withdraw from society. And there are some lines that would not be out of place in Ayn Rand’s work; like when Kress writes that beggars in Spain are ‘furious at the strong, because the beggars are not.’
November 17, 2022
An exploration of privilege and human nature via a fairly strangled metaphor (and a couple layers deep at that). I know enough about sleep and the science behind it (the mess that THAT is) to find the premise a little hard to suspend my disbelief for, and the plot hanging on that was ...hmm.
You'd probably enjoy this if you want something faux intellectual about the goodness of humanity versus the darkness in human heart etc etc OR you wanna dream about how much shit you could get done if you didn't have to sleep.
In isolation, I did like the last part, with her and Alice joining forces and sharing strengths to save Stella and Stewart immediately rising to the occasion even though he really wasn't involved and had no obligation - people can be awful and people can be lovely and selfless, and that was very nicely shown. I just think it would have been a cool short story without all the front half setting it up xD.
You'd probably enjoy this if you want something faux intellectual about the goodness of humanity versus the darkness in human heart etc etc OR you wanna dream about how much shit you could get done if you didn't have to sleep.
In isolation, I did like the last part, with her and Alice joining forces and sharing strengths to save Stella and Stewart immediately rising to the occasion even though he really wasn't involved and had no obligation - people can be awful and people can be lovely and selfless, and that was very nicely shown. I just think it would have been a cool short story without all the front half setting it up xD.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2018
Un di quei libri che, una volta iniziati, diventano difficili da "mettere giù". Nonostante l'età del romanzo gli argomenti trattati sono attualissimi: merito, diritti dei poveri, la capacità di un gruppo di persone di autodeterminarsi.
E la chiave è tutta qui: "Entrambe le generazioni si sono rese conto che non è possibile avere sia uguaglianza, che è soltanto un nome diverso per ciò che tu chiami solidarietà comune, sia superiorità individuale. Quando gli individui sono liberi di diventare tutto quello che vogliono, alcuni diventeranno geni e alcuni diventeranno mendicanti risentiti. Alcuni porteranno beneficio a se stessi e alle loro comunità, e altri non porteranno beneficio a nessuno e saccheggeranno tutto quello che potranno. L’uguaglianza scompare. Non si può avere sia l’uguaglianza sia la libertà di perseguire la superiorità individuale"
E la chiave è tutta qui: "Entrambe le generazioni si sono rese conto che non è possibile avere sia uguaglianza, che è soltanto un nome diverso per ciò che tu chiami solidarietà comune, sia superiorità individuale. Quando gli individui sono liberi di diventare tutto quello che vogliono, alcuni diventeranno geni e alcuni diventeranno mendicanti risentiti. Alcuni porteranno beneficio a se stessi e alle loro comunità, e altri non porteranno beneficio a nessuno e saccheggeranno tutto quello che potranno. L’uguaglianza scompare. Non si può avere sia l’uguaglianza sia la libertà di perseguire la superiorità individuale"
February 12, 2021
Un livre de science-fiction intéressant dans ses explications scientifiques sur le sommeil et les implications sociétales d’une modification génétique. D’abord on voit ce qui peut pousser à des modifications génétiques dans une société qui les permettrait, leurs conséquences dans une famille quand deux sœurs, jumelles en plus, ne l’ont pas toutes les deux, puis leurs conséquences, parfois inattendues, du point de vue médical et la perception qu’en a la société. J’ai bien aimé, même si j’ai trouvé parfois ça trop schématique (avoir plus de temps voudrait-il dire automatiquement travailler plus ? L’intelligence n’est-elle qu’une affaire de temps ?) et mal anticipé pour certains points (texte publié en 1991 je crois et même s’il est question de réseaux et de modems, ça reste daté).
January 19, 2021
For a short book this packs a lot of punch. The main character is relatively developed, several interesting concepts and ideas are discussed and the 'sci-fi' element is used well, allowing rather than dominating the discussion. The book is emotionally gripping and packs some still relevant (possibly timeless?) commentary on how we 'other' people and how systems can be used to do so. A very tightly written and well executed book - all of the above in 150 pages. Downsides are the science is a tad outdated and the concepts explored only shallowly. Perhaps the larger book explores them more? Evn so a very good read. 4L
March 1, 2017
My main complaint is how short this is... I can't mark it down however as that comes with the territory of novella's. It's also easily fixed; I have bought the full novel which also comes with sequels. Happiness indeed.
Either way, really interesting premise, well written with engaging characters. The length means it isn't as well explored as it could perhaps be and the characters could be more developed, however in light of the constraints of the form, this is a mighty fine read!
Either way, really interesting premise, well written with engaging characters. The length means it isn't as well explored as it could perhaps be and the characters could be more developed, however in light of the constraints of the form, this is a mighty fine read!
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