The Absolute at Large (Dover Literature: Science Fiction/Fantasy) - Softcover

Capek, Karel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486834085 ISBN 13: 9780486834085

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2019

Synopsis

"One of the genuine masterpieces of sci-fi." — R. D. Mullen

In this satirical and enduringly relevant work of science fiction, the acclaimed Czech author Karel Čapek offers a prescient fable of the benefits and dangers of atomic power. Originally published in 1922, the story is set in a then-futuristic Czechoslovakia of 1943, in which an inventor develops the Karburator, a device with the potential to provide abundant low-cost energy. But the reactor's exciting possibilities are shadowed by its dangerous side effect: instead of carbon dioxide, it emits the Absolute, a spiritual essence that inspires a powerful religious fervor. Greed triumphs over ethics as the inventor and his business partner proceed with mass production of the Karburator, resulting in simmering religious strife that ignites a world war.
Karel Čapek is best known for popularizing the term "robot" in his play R.U.R., a seminal work of science fiction in which the robots are metaphors for a world dehumanized by social organization and technology. He offers another strikingly foresighted vision in The Absolute at Large, written decades before global warming awareness yet predicting the catastrophic consequences of the unchecked pursuit of profit by business and industry.

About this title

About the Author

Czech writer Karel Čapek (1890–1938) is best known as the author of R.U.R., the play that popularized the term "robot" and a seminal work of science fiction. Ardently opposed to fascism and communism, Čapek was an active journalist as well as a versatile writer whose works encompassed novels, modern fairy tales, detective stories, and translations of French poetry.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0486834085
• ISBN 13: 9780486834085
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176