Synopsis
“Now that technical mastery is simply a question of pushing a button,... there’s no need for sacrifice, no ideal to invent to make the sacrifice worthwhile—” “When I say they have everything to learn, I mean about their own hearts, not about technique; about the soul of music, not its form.” “Poetry is dead today, not because of these machines, but because poets no longer search for their true inspiration.” In Vermillion Sands, the editor of a poetry magazine is being harrasssed by his new neighbor who is a poet. She objects to his use of a computer to generate the magazine’s poems. When he insists on continuing to do so, she starts her manipulations.
History
First publication: Science Fantasy, February 1961
Review
A brilliant story by Ballard! This defies genres, combining a science fictional premise that foreshadows todays AI controversy, the fantasy of a Greek myth being played out in modern time, and the surreal landscape of Vermillion Sands. These are all woven together and told with Ballard’s awesome writing craft. The characters come alive, the world comes alive in its mysterious way and an important point about art is made in a soft, non-preachy way. This is one of the greatest and highly recommended.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
The Complete Short Stories, hardcover, Flamingo, 2001-11-00
Billennium, paperback, Berkley, 1962-00-00
Vermillion Sands, paperback, Carroll & Graf, 1988-09-00
All of the stories in the Vermillion Sands series:
Prima Belladonna
Venus Smiles
Studio 5, the Stars
The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista
The Singing Statues
The Screen Game
Cry Hope, Cry Fury!
The Cloud-Sculptors of Coral D
Say Goodbye to the Wind
