Draft:Cyclonopedia
| Author | Reza Negarestani |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | |
| Publisher | re.press |
Publication date | August 30, 2008 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 268 |
| ISBN | 978-0-980-54400-8 |
Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials, often refered to as Cyclonopedia, is a 2008 book by Reza Negarestani.
The book is framed as a type of story within a story, focusing on a collection of notes written by now missing Iranian archaeologist Dr. Hamid Parsani, which were discovered by a young American woman.
The book is known for being extremely difficult to read, combining obscure Middle Eastern philosophy, Islamic mythology, petropolitics and conspiracy theories.
Summary
[edit]Themes and analysis
[edit]Oil in modern politics
[edit]Reception
[edit]Cyclonopedia received praise for its unconventional structure and style, especially from science fiction and weird fiction authors. China Miéville noted it's unique rejection of any solid categorization, and hoped it would be "a founding text of some new mo(ve)ment".[1] Writing for Artforum, Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz stated that the author had a profound knowledge of the book's subjects, and praised it's deconstruction of the common understanding of "East" and "West".[2] Jeff VanderMeer compared the work to William Burroughs and H.P. Lovecraft.[3] Hakim Bey writing for Fifth Estate labeled the book "partly the work of a genius and partly quite mad".[4] While broadly praising the "Dust Enforcer" chapter of the book, Ruthanna Emrys writing for Reactor critiqued the book's depiction of schizophrenic symptoms while people underwent demonic possession. She also considered the madness from seduction caused by female djinn a prejudicial trope.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Miéville 2010, p. 12.
- ^ Rosenkranz 2009.
- ^ VanderMeer 2010.
- ^ Wilson 2009.
- ^ Emrys & Pillsworth 2018.
Citations
[edit]Books
[edit]- Keller, Edward; Masciandaro, Nicola; Thatcher, Eugine, eds. (2012). Leper Creativity: Cyclonopedia Symposium. Brooklyn: Punctum Books. ISBN 978-0-615-60046-8.
- Ryle, Simon (2021). "Xerodrome Lube". In Balkan, Stacey; Nandi, Swaralipi (eds.). Oil fictions: world literature and our contemporary petrosphere. AnthropoScene. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 978-0-271-09158-7.
Journals
[edit]- Miéville, China (2010). "EMERGING AUTHOR: Fiction by Reza Negarestani". World Literature Today. 84 (3): 12–13. ISSN 0196-3570. JSTOR 27871071.
- Shannon, Laurie; Nardizzi, Vin; Hiltner, Ken; Makdisi, Saree; Ziser, Michael; Szeman, Imre; Yaeger, Patricia (2011). "Editor's Column: Literature in the Ages of Wood, Tallow, Coal, Whale Oil, Gasoline, Atomic Power, and Other Energy Sources". PMLA. 126 (2): 305–326. ISSN 0030-8129. JSTOR 41414106.
- Karimi, Pamela (2013). "Architecture, Matter and Mediation in the Middle East". Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review. 25 (1): 45–53. ISSN 1050-2092. JSTOR 23612200.
- Pak, Chris (2018). "Terraforming and Geoengineering in Luna: New Moon, 2312, and Aurora". Science Fiction Studies. 45 (3): 500–514. doi:10.5621/sciefictstud.45.3.0500. ISSN 0091-7729. JSTOR 10.5621/sciefictstud.45.3.0500.
Websites
[edit]- Rosenkranz, Pamela (2009). "THE BEST BOOKS OF 2009". Artforum. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- VanderMeer, Jeff (2010). "Cyclonopedia: Best Horror Novel You've Never Heard Of". Jeff VanderMeer. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- Emrys, Anne M.; Pillsworth, Ruthanna (2018). "The Secret Life of Abdul Al-Hazred: Reza Negarestani's "Dust Enforcer"".
Magazines
[edit]- Wilson, Peter Lamborn (2009). "Partly Genius, Partly Quite Mad". Fifth Estate. Vol. Spring 2019, no. 380.