Who does the earth belong to?

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Who does the earth belong to? (Original title The Chrysalids ) is a science fiction novel by John Wyndham , which was first published in 1955. It is one of Wyndham's most atypical novels, but is often citedas one of his best booksalong with The Triffids .

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The story takes place in rural Labrador in Canada in the distant future. The conditions in the novel suggest that it is a lot warmer there than it is today. Labrador residents have only vague memories of the Ancient People , a more advanced civilization that existed before them. Wyndham uses it to describe the people of the 20th century.

According to man's belief, the ancient people were exterminated when God sent The Tribulation to earth. This tribulation was a nuclear war that destroyed most of the earth and contaminated the rest with strong radiation that produced many different mutations . The people who survived live in the town of Waknuk , whose way of life is reminiscent of that of the 18th century. The residents of Waknuk believe that in order to follow God's Word and avoid further tribulation , they must preserve the purity of the people, animals and plants that have survived .

The story is told by a boy named David Strorm who, along with several other children his age, has telepathic abilities. As they grow up in the community in Labrador, David and his friends slowly realize that with their telepathic powers, they are themselves mutants and thus outsiders. However, since their mutation cannot be directly recognized by others, they can safely live in society for some time. One day, however, a girl in the group comes to marry someone who does not have telepathic skills. As a result, she would like to lose her special ability so as not to arouse suspicion. However, her husband is later killed, which is why she commits suicide and puts the group in new danger. While two group members are arrested by the authorities, three members manage to flee. Then they go on an adventurous journey.

Compared to other works of Wyndham

Although Wyndham tells the story with his signature dry humor, there are some distinct differences when compared to his other novels. While the rest of his books are temporally and socially set in his own epoch, the English middle class of the 1950s, who plays the earth? in the future.

Although the first-person narrator at Wyndham usually only has the role of an observer and has little influence on the plot, he is in Who Owns the Earth? the driving force and tells his story from his youth.

reception

The American psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane released the song Crown of Creation on their album of the same name in 1968 , the text of which is a collage of quotes from the novel.

expenditure

  • John Wyndham: The Chrysalids . Review Books, New York 2008, ISBN 978-1-590-17292-6 (reprinted from London 1955 edition).
  • John Wyndham: Who Owns the Earth? A utopian-technical novel ("The chrysalids", 1955). Goldmann, Munich 1961 (translated by Tony Westermayr).
  • John Wyndham: Who Owns the Earth? Roman ("The chrysalids", 1955). Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt / M. 1988, ISBN 3-518-37886-4 (translated by Tony Westermayr).