Following a devastating nuclear war, Lilith Iyapo awakens after 250 years of stasis to find herself surrounded by a group of aliens called the Oankali. These highly evolved beings want to trade DNA by breeding with humans so that each species’ genes can diversify and fortify the other. The only alternative they offer is sterilization of the entire human race. Should humanity take the leap into the biological unknown, or hold on to its identity and perish?
Posle razarajućeg nuklearnog rata, Lilit Ijapo se budi nakon 250 godina neaktivnog stanja zatekavši se okružena grupom vanzemaljaca po imenu Oankali. Ova bića napredne evolucije žele da trampe DNK pareći se s ljudima kako bi geni obe vrste postigli raznolikost i ojačali jedni druge. Jedina alternativa koju nude je sterilizacija celokupnog ljudskog roda. Da li bi čovečanstvo trebalo da se vine u biološku nepoznanicu ili bi trebalo da se drži svoga identiteta i nestane?
Questions like this haunt Octavia Butler’s "Dawn," the first in her trilogy "Lilith’s Brood." A visionary storyteller who upended science fiction, Butler built stunning worlds throughout her work– and explored dilemmas that keep us awake at night.
Ovakva pitanja vrebaju u „Zori“ od Oktavije Batler, prvoj knjizi iz trilogije „Lilitini potomci“. Ova pripovedačica vizionarka koja je izokrenula naučnu fantastiku, Batler je u svojim delima gradila zapanjujuće svetove i istraživala je dileme koje nas drže budnim po noći.
Born in 1947, Butler grew up shy and introverted in Pasadena, California. She dreamt up stories from an early age, and was soon scribbling these scenarios on paper. At twelve, she begged her mother for a typewriter after enduring a campy science fiction film called "Devil Girl From Mars." Unimpressed with what she saw, Butler knew she could tell a better story.
Rođena 1947. godine, Batler je odrastala kao stidljiva i introvertna u Pasadeni u Kaliforniji. Sanjala je o pričama od ranog uzrasta, i uskoro je ove scenarije ispisivala na papiru. Sa 12 godina, molila je majku da joj da pisaću mašinu nakon što je istrpela kičasti naučnofantastični film „Đavolica s Marsa“. Neimpresionirana onim što je videla, Batler je znala da može da ispriča bolju priču.
Much science fiction features white male heroes who blast aliens or become saviors of brown people. Butler wanted to write diverse characters for diverse audiences. She brought nuance and depth to the representation of their experiences.
Protagonisti naučne fantastike su većinom beli muški heroji koji dižu u vazduh vanzemaljce ili postaju spasioci smeđih ljudi. Batler je želela da piše o raznolikim likovima za raznoliku publiku.
For Butler, imagination was not only for planting the seeds of science fiction– but also a strategy for surviving an unjust world on one’s own terms. Her work often takes troubling features of the world such as discrimination on the basis of race, gender, class, or ability, and invites the reader to contemplate them in new contexts.
Unela je iznijansiranost i dubinu predstavljajući njihova iskustva. Za Batler, mašta nije tek tu za sejanje semena naučne fantastike - već je i strategija za opstanak na svoj način u nepravednom svetu. Njeno delo često uzima uznemirujuće odlike sveta, poput diskriminacije na osnovu rase, roda, klase ili sposobnosti, i poziva čitaoca da ih razmotri u novim kontekstima.
One of her most beloved novels, the "Parable of the Sower," follows this pattern. It tells the story of Lauren Oya Olamina as she makes her way through a near-future California, ruined by corporate greed, inequality, and environmental destruction. As she struggles with hyperempathy, or a condition in the novel that causes her to feel others’ pain, and less often, their pleasure. Lauren embarks on a quest with a group of refugees to find a place to thrive. There, they seek to live in accordance with Lauren’s found religion, Earthseed, which is based on the principle that humans must adapt to an ever-changing world.
Jedan od njenih najvoljenijih romana, „Parabola o sejaču“, prati ovaj obrazac. Pripoveda o Loren Oji Olamini dok se u bliskoj budućnosti probija kroz Kaliforniju, razorenu korporativnom pohlepom, nejednakošću i uništenjem okoline. Dok boluje od hiperempatije, tj. stanja u romanu zbog kog oseća tuđi bol, a znatno ređe tuđi užitak, Loren započinje pohod sa grupom izbeglica kako bi našli plodno mesto. Tu nastoje da žive u skladu sa Loreninom novoosnovanom religijom, seme zemlje, koja je zasnovana na načelu da se ljudi moraju prilagoditi svetu koji se stalno menja.
Lauren’s quest had roots in a real life event– California Prop 187, which attempted to deny undocumented immigrants fundamental human rights, before it was deemed unconstitutional. Butler frequently incorporated contemporary news into her writing. In her 1998 sequel to "The Parable of the Sower," "Parable of the Talents," she wrote of a presidential candidate who controls Americans with virtual reality and “shock collars.” His slogan? “Make America great again.”
Lorenin pohod ima korene u događaju iz stvarnosti - Kalifornijskom predlogu 187, kojim su se pokušala uskratiti osnovna ljudska prava nedokumentovanih imigranata, pre nego što je proglašen neustavnim. Batler je često uvrštavala savremene vesti u svoja dela. U nastavku „Parabole o sejaču“, „Paraboli o talantima“ iz 1998. godine, pisala je o predsedničkom kandidatu koji kontroliše Amerikance virtuelnom stvarnošću i „šok-ogrlicama". Slogan mu je bio: „Učinimo Ameriku velikom ponovo.“
While people have noted her prescience, Butler was also interested in re-examining history. For instance, "Kindred" tells the story of a woman who is repeatedly pulled back in time to the Maryland plantation of her ancestors. Early on, she learns that her mission is to save the life of the white man who will rape her great grandmother. If she doesn’t save him, she herself will cease to exist. This grim dilemma forces Dana to confront the ongoing trauma of slavery and sexual violence against Black women.
Iako su ljudi primetili njenu moć proricanja, Batler je zanimalo i preispitivanje istorije. Na primer, roman „Srodnici“ pripoveda o ženi koja se iznova vraća kroz vreme na plantažu njenih predaka u Merilendu. Na početku, saznaje da joj je zadatak da spasi život belog muškarca koji će da siluje njenu prabaku. Ako ga ne spasi, ona sama će da prestane da postoji. Ova turobna dilema tera Dejnu da se suoči sa trajnom traumom robovlasništva i seksualnog nasilja nad crnkinjama.
With her stories of women founding new societies, time travelers overcoming historical strife, and interspecies bonding, Butler had a profound influence on the growing popularity of Afrofuturism. That’s a cultural movement where Black writers and artists who are inspired by the past, present and future, produce works that incorporate magic, history, technology and much more.
Svojim pričama o ženama koje osnivaju nova društva, putnicima kroz vreme koji prevazilaze istorijske razdore i ukrštanju među vrstama, Batler je istinski uticala na rastuću popularnost afrofuturizma. To je kulturološki pokret gde su crni pisci i umetnici inspirisani prošlošću, sadašnjošću i budućnošću stvarali dela koja sadrže magiju, istoriju, tehnologiju i štošta još.
As Lauren comes to learn in "Parable of the Sower," "All that you touch you Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change.”
Kako Loren spoznaje u „Paraboli o sejaču“: „Sve što dotakneš Promeniš. Sve što Promeniš Promeni tebe. Jedina trajna istina je Promena.“