Dystopian Novel 'Soylent Green' Explores Planetary Exhaustion

Le Temps's series on economic realities told through fiction delves into the grim future envisioned by Harry Harrison in his 1966 novel "Make Room! Make Room!" The publication sets the stage with a visceral description of New York City in 1999, a place that has "contracted upon itself, feeding on its own flesh." This image, drawn from the novel, foreshadows the environmental and societal collapse at its core.

The narrative plunges the reader into a sweltering August, where the city sweats and the "t-shirt dirty sticking to sticky skin." Harrison's novel, the article notes, offers no compromise, forcing readers to confront its bleak vision directly. The story begins with a stark depiction of the setting before descending into a "sticky" atmosphere, reflecting the suffocating conditions of its inhabitants.

This exploration is part of Le Temps's fifth season dedicated to economic themes in fiction, following in the footsteps of authors like Georges Perec and Mary Shelley. The series aims to use fictional narratives to illuminate complex economic realities, with "Make Room! Make Room!" serving as a potent example of how literature can grapple with issues of overpopulation and resource depletion.

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Le roman ne fait pas de compromis, on prend ou on rejette.