Shikasta

Shikasta is a science fiction novel by Doris Lessing. Written in 1979, it was the first book in the series Canopus in Argos: Archives. The full title of the novel is:

Content

Johor, representatives of a well-advanced, benevolent, living on the planet Canopus and a wise Star Empire -steering race, tells the story of the promising planet " Rohanda " ( = the Flowering ) formed by a shift of cosmic rays from the blessing -giving oscillation network which Canopus connects with many other worlds, was almost completely cut off. This was from the blooming, over eons stable and constantly evolving higher " Rohanda " the Planet " Shikasta " - the " injured ".

Johor visited Rohanda / Shikasta at different times, both directly by spacecraft, as well as via " zone 6", ie by incarnating in a resident Shikastas. On his first mission Johor looks even Rohanda in its heyday: inhabited by large magnificent animals in friendship with the intelligent inhabitants Rohandas - live - the " people " and their teachers settled " giants". The whole planet, including all life, " swinging " in inner harmony, beauty and stability. Everything is in balance, beauty and function are interconnected, everything flows through the " substance - of - we-feeling " ( SUWG ), which flows in a constant influx of Canopus and bundled on Rohanda by stone circles and the clever plan of geometric cities and amplified.

But suddenly loses Shikasta by a cosmic accident contact with the oscillation network of Canopus. Thus, the flow of SUWG is reduced to a minimum and the former residents have Shikastas, but also the imported giant, very quickly forget their history, their place in the universe and thus its raison d'être. Without the SUWG residents Shikastas are almost completely vulnerable to the influences of the evil Shammats - another vicious star world that feeds on greed and destruction of other worlds - exposed, which further reduced the flow of SUWG by sabotage equipment. The spiritual degeneration soon follows the physical: the life expectancy decreases and susceptibility to disease increases. Only vague and rather than instinctive desire all beings feel the loss of a magnificent past, the last paradise ... The people start to fight with each other, many species are dying out and a new breed - a cross between the " big " and " small people " - soon dominated the planet while the older races die out or be exterminated.

The mythical era is over and begins the story of our "Earth" - under the increasing influence Shammats the ever more accelerated degeneration of humanity and destroying everything once beauty, truth and goodness ... The Canopus tries to work against, by repeatedly " Ambassador " forwards Shikasta, some " secret ", partly open. The most important of these ambassadors justify directly or indirectly, the major religions, philosophies and worldviews, which, however, soon perverted by the people and Shammat into its opposite. As all attempts Canopus ', Shikasta from the path of the final perdition to dissuade the self-destruction, are more or less failed incarnate, Johor one last time at the end of the 20th century in the shape of George Sherban on Shikasta to save the world ...

Design and construction

Doris Lessing uses many stylistic means. So fictitious records from the archives of Canopier, legends Shikastas, diaries of people acting, intelligence reports of governments Shikasta or analyzes of other "ambassadors" in no particular order are strung together. The writing style varies according to the " source " between encyclopedic description, emotionally written diaries to angry accusations of the Messenger Johors. This at first sight somewhat confusing approach develops particularly in the second part of a great literary and emotional impact. So allow Alltagsbanalitäten apparent in retrospect a more profound look at the true states Shikastas than some profound analysis. The first 100 pages of the book play in a mythical past, which the attentive reader is soon as idiosyncratic but equally meaningful processing and interpretation of the ancient Near East, but also other myths. The main part of the book is the - analytically sharp - Description of the humanity of the twentieth century. Brief remarks on the colonization history, the perversion of religion and other for understanding the current state of humanity necessary facts are repeatedly interspersed in the narrative flow. The last third of the book describes the workings of the incarnated as George Sherban Johors on earth to the end of the 20th century and how it begins to move things in the right direction ...

Background

The author interprets particular the first 100 pages of the myths of the Old Testament and other Oriental writings. Lessing analytical basic approach has a strong Buddhist influences: thus the lack of SUWG, ie compassion, and the out of control greed for more and more, the lack of awareness are to be part of a larger whole and the resulting limitations of one's own point - which in itself all good intentions always ultimately manifested in self-righteousness - causes of the disastrous state of the earth, which seemingly inevitable moves toward its own demise. Later in the book, especially the political currents of the 20th century, based on ever more consumption economic model, but also the religions, generational relationships and protest movements of the 60s are analyzed perceptive and psychologically insightful. This culminates in the realization that - measured in the methods and long-term results - ultimately really is no qualitative difference between the various governmental economic and social forms. Only the degree of degeneration and the resistance to bad influence Shammats varied.

The " northwest fringes " - ie Europe and therefore originating state structure, the so-called " western world " - come in this analysis off particularly badly: they had many much wiped out "older, wiser and more valuable crops " and nothing but destruction, emptiness leave and moral decline, which the inhabitants of these areas the influence Shammats succumbed much more rapidly than was the case previously. " Shikasta " is thus not a classic science fiction novel, but actually a socially critical work, which includes elements of science fiction or space uses in order to take a higher-level, "objective" view of our world. Despite the sobering recognition of human behavior and on its own obviously not be mastered rescue Shikastas the book of deep humanity, understanding and hope is fulfilled. Because Shikasta starving is "merely " a lack of team spirit, and this in spite of the current difficult conditions still come from the people themselves out, because SUWG is ultimately the substance of life itself, everything cohesive and unifying force - the Buddhist compassion, Christian love, but also the Islamic rightly understood submission to God's higher plan.

Text output

• Doris Lessing: Canopus in Argos: Archives. Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta, Jonathan Cape Ltd, London 1979.
• Doris Lessing: Canopus in Argos: Shikasta, S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt, 1983, ISBN 978-3-10-043906-2