The writer who burned it all down
J G Ballard makes a strong case for absolute nihilism
There’s a strong case for nihilism
J G Ballard is a pivotal science fiction writer for two reasons
The first is his position at the nexus of many movements in science fiction.
Ballard is the heir of a British science fiction tradition that goes through H G Wells, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell.
Via Michael Moorcock and New Worlds magazine, Ballard is a major influence on a very particualrly flavour of British SF that inlcudes writers like Alan Moore, Iain Banks and Will Self.
And Ballard is the link between British SF and the American New Wave of Harlan Ellison and others.
But I think Ballard’s major influence is as a prophet of absolute nihilisim. That a cold hard assessment of reality leaves no alternative to nihilism. And that the answer is not to paper over reality with comforting stories.
Science fiction shows us there are dangerous bends ahead, and Ballard’s answer is to speed up…
…and burn it all down.
