Whilst we’ve been in lock down and with more time than usual to ponder different ways of living better, I’ve been thinking a lot about Utopian ideals. Fiction has a great number of utopias to explore, and we can find inspiration in these idealised communities. The word utopia literally means ‘no place’, and it was coined by Thomas More in 1516 as a concept; the word dystopia was invented later by John Stuart Mill. For our purposes, a utopia is a place that we desire to be, whilst a dystopia is a place that we fear. Both can be great to read about in these changing times.

In Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury described a future in which humanity leads a kind of utopian life, in which everyone lives in controlled environments with massive screens on their walls on which they watch an endless soap opera called The Family – which they find more gripping than their own family life. Sound familiar? In this world, all books are burnt, as they are dangerous to society. But some people rebel, and learn books off by heart so they can share them with future generations. If you were to learn a book by heart, what would it be? What book would you save from the flames?

The world of Fahrenheit 451 has much in common with Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Here the population is kept calm and happy by taking the drug soma and having no-strings-attached sex. But the world he portrays is also sinister and fundamentally flawed, with people being bred in bell-jars, then classed according to their genetic structure into Alphas, Betas or Gammas. The population is hypno-fed stock phrases every night so that they grow up believing that their class is the best place to be for them. Huxley wrote a far more optimistic novel called The Island in 1963, which was his last work. In The Island, he writes a utopian model for people to live freely, happily and fulfilled lives where they take a drug called moksha which allows them to see the world through the eyes of someone who has been ‘liberated from the bonds of the ego’.  Huxley’s paradisial utopia was set in a tropical island where free love is the norm, contraception is encouraged, and strong family ties are not strongly nurtured. It’s a revealing experience to read these two novels alongside each other, comparing Huxley’s Heaven and Hell. Through his own experiences with mind-altering drugs, Huxley felt that he had invaluable insights to share with others – so it’s interesting that both his version of paradise, and his version of hell, have drugs at their centre.

Another fascinating utopia can be found in Ernest Callenbach’s 1990 novel, Ecotopia. This novel created a blueprint for a society where people lived in harmony with nature, the government was run by women, and cities were kept small, to avoid pollution and overpopulation. This is one of the most loved utopias in fiction – a place where readers genuinely want to live.

For more dystopian visions, you can’t go wrong with reading some JG Ballard. One of my favourites from the great author of modern dysfunctional societies, is Cocaine Nights. In this novel, people live in gated communities, permanently on holiday, lacking nothing. But they are bored; they pay people to commit crimes in their perfect worlds, setting a snake into paradise, just to live things up. Ballars is not renowned for his positive views on human nature, but he definitely makes for entertaining reading.

I wonder what ideas about utopias you might have after living life in lock down? Has it made you feel differently about how you might life in the future? Can the literature that you’ve been reading help you to recreate your world in a new form?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Tweet me, or email ellaberthoud@gmail.com .

]]> https://hosb.org.uk/latest/your-lock-down-reading-list/ Thu, 07 May 2020 08:52:59 +0000 https://hosb.org.uk/?post_type=hub-posts&p=171856 Our resident bibliotherapist and author of “The Novel Cure”, Ella Berthoud, has prescribed us a lock down reading list. Designed to help you cope with quarantine, whatever mood it’s throwing at you, this broad range of books should appeal to people of all reading persuasions.

Over to Ella…

For putting it all into perspective:
Pulitzer Prize winning “The Overstory” by Richard Powers is a read that will take you into the very rings of the trees in the giant Redwoods of California, and show you different ways of looking at them, all woven through a story of activism, love and gaming. It’s a complex book but elevating and inspirational, and makes our human woes seem like a small matter in the great scale of time and natural history.

For making you laugh:
“Bad Monkey” by Carl Hiaasen – the Californian writer is guaranteed to make you laugh as he writes his dark perspective on life in the Florida Keys. Carl mercilessly rips the pomposity out of landowners, politicians, and tourist magnates, and creates a satisfying crime riddle to be solved, taking you along with him for a high-speed ride.

For a book-shaped comfort blanket:
“Comet in Moominland” by Tove Janson. The first Moomin book written by the Finnish genius that was Tove Janson, inhabiter of tiny islands and creator of irresistible woodland folk. This book is perfectly appropriate for this almost-apocalyptic moment in our lives. The enchanted folk of Moomin Valley have seen signs that a comet is coming, and they are fearful and anxious. As they wait for disaster, they turn to philosophy and helpful potions that might save them, until the denouement. Read this and be reassured that all will be well in the end!

For shaking cabin fever:
“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towes. The unlucky Count Alexander is incarcerated in a luxurious hotel in Moscow for 30 years, sound a tiny bit familiar? The Count is such excellent company that you will wish you were stuck with him for another 30 years, and you might even  wonder why you felt so claustrophobic in the first place.

For escapism, drama and excitement:
“Papillion” by Henri Charriere. This rollicking read takes you through a series of escapes, lucky chances and high drama chases. All told in the charismatic voice of the Butterfly, Charriere’s depiction of himself, this book is based on the story of his own life. Once you pick it up, you’ll find it impossible to put down..

For shaking that claustrophobic feeling:
“The Martian” by Andy Weir. Mark Watney is stuck on Mars, his crew have all left him for dead, and he has barely enough oxygen and water to keep him alive for a day. How can he survive, the only man on Mars, for the next four years? Watney’s resilience, humour and powers of survival are an inspiration to anyone who is struggling with the privations, socially and physically, of our terrestrial lockdown.

For historical escapism:
Pick up Maggie O Farrell’s fantastic new novel, “Hamnet”. This reveals the life of Shakespeare’s son, and how his death affected the entire family, and indeed, the writings of Shakespeare. A magical, enchanting book, it gives the reader a whole new outlook on the life of the Bard, and will have you looking forward eagerly to your next visit to the Globe, either virtual or once lockdown is over.

Enjoy your reading ? ? ?

Last year’s joint Booker Prize winner, author of “Girl, Woman, Other” Bernardine Evaristo, has penned a new short story, you can read it online here.

NHS Million has worked with loads of contemporary artists from around the UK to create posters for to print and colour at home. We love Dom & Ink’s. Use these to keep the kids occupied or give yourself a mindful few minutes. Download here.

Candice Carty Williams, wrote Queenie, ” a darkly funny take on millennial life from an underrepresented persepective” ( Stylist Magazine). Candice is now the books reviewer for the Guardian with a weekly column.

Under the Covers is an illuminating series of talks in which Ella Berthoud, bibliotherapist and co-author of The Novel Cure: An A-Z of Literary Remedies puts an author, artist or person of note onto the couch, and asks them all about the books that made them – what they read as a child and a teenager, what they read now – and all about their lives and what they have just been writing, painting or performing.