Unveiling Truths Amid Chaos: Ed Simon’s Radical Take on Writing in the Apocalypse
Ultimately, Simon believes that we must continue to write during and about the apocalypse, because: (a) as writers, we have a responsibility to consider the polycrisis and share that knowledge with the world; (b) it will help us put in words the existential angst of this moment in time; and, (c) it will create an archive for future generations to study and understand.
This is a brilliant book about a topic with more legs than an octopus, and that are just as hard to pin down. Simon uses the four horsemen analogy deftly as the structural underpinning of his book, with the “letters” conceit working well to deepen the reader’s understanding of each crisis. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in late-stage capitalism, the apocalypse, the future of the humanities, climate change, and more.
Sarah Boon, Ph.D., has written for the LA Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, Science, Nature, Undark, and other outlets. Her first book is Meltdown: The Making and Breaking of a Field Scientist, and she’s at work on her next book. She lives on southern Vancouver Island (Quw’utsun lands) with her husband and dog.
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