High rise (novel)

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High-Rise is the title of a 1975 novel by the British writer James Graham Ballard . At the center of the story are the wealthy residents of a modernist high-rise, whose neighborly disputes escalate to total anarchy . It is noteworthy that the British original edition of the novel shows a skyscraper by the architect Hans Schwippert , which is located in Berlin's Hansaviertel .

The book was published in German in 1982 under the title Der Block , in a new translation in 1992 under the title Hochhaus and in 2016 as High-Rise .

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The high-rise, in which the entire plot of the novel takes place, offers its approximately 2000 residents all the amenities of modern life, such as swimming pools, its own schools, a supermarket and high-speed elevators. At the same time, however, the building seems to be constructed in such a way that it cuts off the residents from the outside world, since it is actually no longer necessary to leave the high-rise. This helps to create a closed community.

Shortly after the last apartments in the newly built house have been moved into, the social tensions between the residents begin to become apparent. What begins as an insignificant dispute over little things such as the use of swimming pools soon escalates into an orgy of violence, in the course of which the inhabitants split up into three layers : The inhabitants of the lower floors become the lower class, those of the middle class become the middle class and the inhabitants of the luxurious penthouses become the upper class.

Soon the warring floors are stubbornly fighting for the rights of use of the swimming pool and the lifts, but also do not stop at vandalism . In a very short time, the residents give up all social norms and fall into a kind of tribal society in which there is a brutal struggle of all against all. Although this leads to hunger, death and devastation of their homes for many, at no point is there any attempt to seek outside help. In fact, many of the skyscraper residents continue to work outside of the skyscraper until they finally shut themselves off, even though there is almost no food left. Even after some of the residents have starved or killed, all characters in the novel seem to be happy with total anarchy, as it gives them the opportunity to break out of all social constraints and let their desires run free.

In the end, the survivors observe how the power supply begins to fail in the surrounding high-rise buildings, which points to a similar degeneration in the neighborhood, or even in society as a whole.

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Movie

Ben Wheatley filmed the novel under the title High-Rise . The main roles were played by Tom Hiddleston , Jeremy Irons , Sienna Miller , Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss . The film premiered on September 13, 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released in German cinemas on June 30, 2016.

Web links

  • High-Rise in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (English)