Press
“Following his death, Scheerbart remains almost wholly forgotten in both the German and English-language world, despite the fact that his eccentric fables had massive repercussions not only in the writings of Benjamin but also the theories of Bruno Taut, Walter Gropius and Peter Sloterdijk, all of whom helped shape 20th century perspectives of the inextricable relations between technology and environment. As an artifact of this interdiscipline, Lesabéndio is an essential text and Scheerbart is a prophet in need of disinterment.” —Erik Morse, Los Angeles Review of Books
“Svendsen's translation does this novel justice. Mostly, though, the luxurious flights of fancy are what captivate readers in this thought-provoking, gently satirical tale of life on the asteroid Pallas, starring a visionary (Lesabéndio) whose technological and spiritual ambitions set in motion momentous changes for his fellow Pallasians.” —Michael Kasper, Choice
“Many of Scheerbart’s ideas were spun out in drinking sessions with his friends in Berlin beer-halls, where he had acquired quite a reputation as a drunken raconteur. The novel retains this sense of giddy, spontaneous imagineering. […] a fine-press edition, adroitly rendered into English by Christina Svendsen (who also provides an informative introduction).” —Andrew Joron, Hyperallergic
“Scheerbart’s odd humor, with its ability to estrange so much of our usual experience, makes the novel Lesabéndio both a challenge and delight to read, wrecking havoc as it does with assumptions about fiction and expectations about physical reality.” —John F. Barber, Leonardo
“Christina Svendsen deserves our thanks for her able translation of an undeservedly overlooked classic of … well, what shall we call it? Sf or just imaginative literature? Early twentieth-century German literature? And Wakefield Press deserves our gratitude (and patronage) for producing this attractive book with its bonus of illustrations. So buy two: one for yourself, one for some other impoverished fan of sf or student of German avant-garde literature. Or two for yourself: one for your library, and one so you can cut out and frame some of those Kubin drawings.” —William B. Fischer, Science Fiction Studies
“For admirers of the work of Walter Benjamin, a translation of Paul Scheerbart’s Lesabéndio: An Asteroid Novel is a major event.” —Todd Cronan, Radical Philosophy
“Christina Svendsen has caught the spirit of Scheerbart’s frangible undertaking” —Alexander Gelley, MLN
“For those pondering a professional future beyond their humanities educations, Scheerbart weighs the importance of technical discovery, aesthetic progress, and collaboration between artists and scientists. Bonus: Lesabéndio is one of the most original alien characters out there.” —Katherine Brooks, Huffington Post, “30 Books You Need to Read Before You Turn 30”
“Due both to this satirical bite and Scheerbart’s masterful and enchanting execution, Lesabéndio covertly but incontrovertibly influenced twentieth and twenty-first century literary, artistic, and critical theories of humanity, industrialism, and aesthetics.” —DH Varma, Make Literary Magazine
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