feb 22, 1974 - Memoirs of a Survivor

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Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing was published in 1974.

The dystopian novel tells of future Britain where society has collapsed after an unnamed disaster, called “The Crisis.” The novel tells of the emergence of a new society in which many characteristics of the old world transition over, but a new order develops. There is little authority or control over survivors and order is maintained by vigilantes and a small number of policemen. Education still exist, however, it is segregated between the wealthy and poor. Lessing describes food shortages and scavenging as a means of survival. Gangs begin to rob neighborhoods and many people flee their homes as conditions worsen. The narrator, a middle aged woman, lives in a quiet flat and ends up caring for a young girl named Emily and her dog. The two occasionally enjoy the others company, but maintain a rather distant relationship. As more and more gangs wonder throughout their community, Emily begins interacting with each gang that passes through. Eventually, the adolescents in the neighborhood decide to form their own gang and Emily debates on joining. She decides to stay when the narrator saves her dog, Hugo, fro being eaten by the gang and decides she can not leave their flat.

As things progress, the walls of the flat eventually open and the small “family” find themselves entering a new world that is waiting on the other side. Throughout the novel, Lessing depicts the narrator as meditating on a specific wall (the one that falls in the end) and with her meditation, she is able to traverse space and time. The novel is sometimes labeled as feministic science fiction and is said to “dissolve walls that imprison women within a sexist reality.” There was also criticism about how difficult the time travel was to follow (according to scholar Betsy Draine). Prevalent themes include: dystopian society, consciousness, and the breakdown of society and culture.

A film based off the novel was released in 1981.

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