Call me mad if you wish, but, by the way this book is written and by the language used to describe this adventure, i may discern that this adventure really did happen through means of the imagination of olaf stapledon. The book describes a history of life in the universe. One moment a man sits on a suburban hill, gazing curiously at the stars. Wherein the author discusses the work in relation to. The dyson sphere was later described by freeman dyson in the 1959 article search for artificial stellar sources. Nov 20, 2016 star maker cover revisited, by les edwards. Star maker is a 1937 science fiction novel by olaf stapledon, and a sequel of sorts to last and first men. Star maker by olaf stapledon 1937 read in february 2011 this novel is narrated by an anonymous englishman who one midnight climbs a hill behind his house to look at the stars and finds his consciousness transported from the earth far out into the galaxy. The first edition of the novel was published in 1937, and was written by olaf stapledon.
Star maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. But it is for last and first men 1930 and star maker 1937 that he is most famous. Even stapledons other great work, last and first men, pales in ambition next to star maker, which presents nothing. At a moment when europe is in danger of a catastrophe worse than that of 1914 a book like this may be. Star maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship b. William olaf stapledon 10 may 1886 6 september 1950 known as olaf stapledon was a british philosopher and author of science fiction.
Last and first menstar maker book by olaf stapledon. From these incredible books sprang a range of ideas such as planetary terraforming, genetic engineering, human evolution, transcendence, dyson spheres. Even stapledon s other great work, last and first men pales in ambition next to star maker which presents nothing less than an entire imagined history of life in the universe, encompassing billions of years. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 272 pages and is available in paperback format. Star maker by olaf stapledon, first edition abebooks. Star maker is a science fiction novel by olaf stapledon, published in 1. Jun 09, 2016 preface to olaf stapledon s star maker 1937 an introduction to what is arguably one of the most important works of early science fiction. Stapledon wrote many books in his life, including odd john, sirius, worlds of wonder, darkness and light. Some of the elements and themes briefly discussed prefigure later fiction concerning genetic engineering and alien life forms. Olaf stapledon project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Olaf stapledon is better known for last and first men 1930, a sweeping history of the future whose early chapters are now embarrassingbut star maker leaps straight into a unfurling vision of infinity.
Browse olaf stapledons bestselling audiobooks and newest titles. Sep 27, 2019 star maker by olaf stapleton audiobook star maker is a science fiction novel by british writer olaf stapledon, published in 1937. Buy star maker by stapledon, william olaf from amazons fiction books store. Stapledon worked steadily on the novel over four years, struggling first with its bold and unconventional metaphysical specula. Widely regarded as one of the true classics of science fiction, star maker is a poetic and deeply philosophical work. Star maker by olaf stapledon, 9781857988079, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Continually expanding, and expanding, and expanding from earth, to solar system, to galaxy, to universe, and beyond, it is a great parallel to olaf stapledons 1937 star maker. May 12, 2018 when olaf stapledon wrote star maker in 1937, it was under the cloud of a war to come, with extreme ideologies on the rise, and he saw his books as a way of addressing not just this issue, but also the ones that deeply bothered him, be it private ownership, the division of people into narrow categories, of ideologies that divided people, the. Clarke, lewis allegedly describes star maker as sheer devil worship. His best known, and what he considered as his best work, was star maker 1937, which included the first known description of a dyson sphere. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. I once read a scifi book called the star maker by olaf stapleton, a fascinating book. The next, he is whirling through the firmament, and perhaps the.
One of my favorite books, and in this book he describes. It describes the rich tapestry of cosmic evolution, surpassing in scale his previous novel first and last men 1930, which details the history of humanity from the present day back to two million years ago. The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing. It therefore marks a great step forward in stapledon s art, the thought unfolding with little sense of strain through chapter after chapter. Pdf star maker book by olaf stapledon free download 272.
Star maker olaf stapledon 1937 preface at a moment when europe is in danger of a catastrophe worse than that of 1914 a book like this may be condemned as a distraction from the desperately urgent defence of civilization against modern barbarism. Buy last and first men star maker by stapledon, olaf from amazons fiction books store. It was stapledons fourth novel and was first published in 1937. At a moment when europe is in danger of a catastrophe worse than that of 1914 a book like this may be condemned as a distraction from the desperate. Year by year, month by month, the plight of our fragmentary and precarious civilization becomes more. William olaf stapledon 10 may 18866 september 1950known as olaf stapledonwas a british philosopher and author of science fiction. Starmaker by olaf stapledon is a classic of early 20th century science fiction. The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing in scale stapledons previous book, last and first men 1930, a history of the human species over two billion years.
Read star maker by olaf stapledon available from rakuten kobo. Where last and first men takes the reader on a temporal journey from olaf s present day, through the evolution of the human race, right into its far flung future star maker adds a spatial dimension, as the protagonists disembodied being hurtles through galaxies at beyond the speed of light, only to stop by strange but more often than not. In a dream within the dream, stapledon learns about the star maker and his creations. Star maker by olaf stapledon sf gateway your portal to. The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing in scale stapledons previous book, last and first men 1930.
Clarke i cited earlier science fiction writer and philosopher olaf stapledon, who had a profound influence on clarke. The next, he is whirling through the firmament, and perhaps the most remarkable of all science fiction journeys has begun. Star maker ebook by olaf stapledon 97805751286 rakuten kobo. Star maker is a science fiction novel by olaf stapledon, published in 1937. Free download or read online star maker pdf epub book. Dec 27, 2018 star maker 1937 is a scifi novel written by british writer olaf stapledon.
Star maker, by olaf stapledon, is an incredible novel by an author whose contributions to science fiction are unique and serve as inspiration to many of the greatest works in the field. Star maker olaf stapledon preface audiobook youtube. Nov 28, 2011 stapledon wrote many books in his life, including odd john, sirius, worlds of wonder, darkness and light. It was stapledon s fourth novel and was first published in 1937. In 2014, he was inducted into the science fiction and fantasy hall of fame. May 19, 2008 star maker, by olaf stapledon, is an incredible novel by an author whose contributions to science fiction are unique and serve as inspiration to many of the greatest works in the field.
Dover has excellent editions pairing last and first men with star maker and odd john with sirius, and an olaf stapledon reader, edited by robert crossley, which syracuse university press published in 1997, includes all of the flames and samplings from the others. The star maker was published 1937 but a hundred years ahead of time. A buried treasure of 20th century literature reemerges in this splendid and practical edition. An olaf stapledon reader by by olaf stapledon, syracuse university press, new york, pp. Html tidy for mac os x vers 1st december 2004, see. Star maker unabridged edition by william olaf stapledon. Speaking for the future star maker is a masterpiece in the field of science fiction, a bursting to the brim compendium of ideas for later science.
Star maker is a science fiction novel by olaf stapledon, published in if you want to ponder the distant future of our universe, this is the book to pick up. Kelvin long and richard osborne have seen to it that the british. A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations. Discover more authors youll love listening to on audible. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing in scale. Even stapledons other great work, last and first men pales in ambition next to star maker which presents nothing less than an entire imagined history of.
After witnessing the fates of myriads of planets and intelligent species, stapledon, now a cosmic spirit, has a brief encounter with god the star maker. It therefore marks a great step forward in stapledons art, the thought unfolding with little sense of strain through chapter after chapter. Pdf star maker book by olaf stapledon free download 272 pages. Star maker is a science fiction novel by british writer olaf stapledon, published in 1937. Without intention, the narrator of olaf stapledons book, star maker, finds himself whisked away on a disembodied journey through the cosmos, moving with impunity through time and space to witness the history of the universe. Olaf stapledon audio books, best sellers, author bio. Star maker tells the story of a single human narrator who is inexplicably transported out of his body and. When he decided that the former book which chronicled the entire future history of humankind had not been nearly ambitious enough, stapledon followed it up with a history of the entire universe, culminating in a brief glimpse into the nature and history of god himself the.
Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. In star maker, the atheism has become a faith in itself, so that it inevitably approaches higher religion, which is bodied forth on a genuinely new twentiethcentury perception of cosmology. Mccarthy the genesis of star maker olaf stapledon s star maker 1937, a cosmic epic that combines bewildering magnitudes with precise and arresting details, remains one of the enduring classics of science fiction. The novel taking the reader on a philosophical and spiritual trip of similar perspective, infinity seems the only limit. The key points of stapledon s star maker theology are outlined in the passages below. In his novel star maker olaf stapledon builds a pyramid based on intricate descriptions of the galaxys sentient beings and illustrates the spiritual journey of all sentient beings toward a unification into a galactic consciousness, with the ultimate goal of meeting the creator of the universe. What star maker lacks for in terms of any plot, stapledon makes up for with boundless invention and imagination, and exploration of ideas, be it of communal world minds, symbiotic species, interplanetary communication, stars that partake in consciousness, and of galactic empires and their wars, another staple of science fiction that he was the. Narrated by the same voice as narrated last and first men the novel is a sequel of sorts. Star maker by olaf stapleton audiobook star maker is a science fiction novel by british writer olaf stapledon, published in 1937. The main characters of this science fiction, fiction story are. First published in 1937, olaf stapledons descriptions of alien life.
The story details the mental journey of an unnamed narrator who is transported not only to other worlds but also other galaxies and parallel universes, until he eventually becomes part of the cosmic mind. The star maker science fiction olaf stapledon high on love. Mccarthys revealing introduction and notes display the genius of star maker to a new century. Peering between the stars into the outer darkness, i saw also, as mere flecks and points of light, other such vortices, such galaxies, sparsely scattered in the void, depth beyond depth, so far afield that even. Stapledon was born in seacombe, wallasey, on the wirral peninsula in cheshire, the only son of william clibbett stapledon. William olaf stapledon 10 may 1886 6 september 1950 known as olaf stapledon was a british philosopher and author of influential works of science fiction. Star maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and.
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