Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Ballantine Books (1973), Mass Market Paperback
Description
David Selig was born with an awesome power - the ability to look deep into the human heart, to probe the darkest truths hidden in the secret recesses of the soul. Then, one day, his power began to die.
User reviews
LibraryThing member stellarexplorer
While I cannot say this is great, it is good. It is different from most SF, in that it is not plot-driven but focuses on character, specifically on a neurotic New York ex-Columbia University student, David Selig, who ekes out a marginal living in the 1970s writing term papers for a paltry sum for
The title refers to the fact that Selig is losing his powers. Born with the ability to read the thoughts of others, in his forties he faces a precipitous decline of this ability. He confronts mortality in this unusual way, as he prepares for the frightening prospect of addressing his fellow humans with only the sorts of information that people commonly have.
This is a bit of Silverberg as Philip Roth, it is entertaining, especially if you can either be amused by or overlook his ubiquitous tendency to entertain himself with overly specific sexual details.
There is an almost comic caricaturing of Selig's late twentieth century intellectual and artistic sensibilities, that works well. For instance, Selig's musical preferences tends to"'pretty austere stuff, thorny, inaccessible: Schoenberg, late Beethoven, Mahler, Berg, the Bartok quartets, Bach passacaglias. Nothing that you'd be likely to whistle after one hearing."
And other bookish preferences that will elicit a wry smile, perhaps, from other similar late twentieth century bookish types. Written in 1972, it is rife with the unique flavor of urban American culture of the period: the drug parties, the early and avid response to the sexual revolution, a certain profligacy and flair in dress and show, a rejection of rigidity and formality replaced by an emerging casual style in relationships, etc.
I believe it is Silverberg's most ambitious work, in that I divine actual literary pretensions here, and I think the extent to which he succeeds recommends this first among his many other works which are less introspective and psychological.
I imagine Silverberg imagining something along the lines of that had he not already been pegged as an SF writer, this book might have been accepted as legitimate fictional social commentary. But I like to imagine stuff like that.
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undergrads.The title refers to the fact that Selig is losing his powers. Born with the ability to read the thoughts of others, in his forties he faces a precipitous decline of this ability. He confronts mortality in this unusual way, as he prepares for the frightening prospect of addressing his fellow humans with only the sorts of information that people commonly have.
This is a bit of Silverberg as Philip Roth, it is entertaining, especially if you can either be amused by or overlook his ubiquitous tendency to entertain himself with overly specific sexual details.
There is an almost comic caricaturing of Selig's late twentieth century intellectual and artistic sensibilities, that works well. For instance, Selig's musical preferences tends to"'pretty austere stuff, thorny, inaccessible: Schoenberg, late Beethoven, Mahler, Berg, the Bartok quartets, Bach passacaglias. Nothing that you'd be likely to whistle after one hearing."
And other bookish preferences that will elicit a wry smile, perhaps, from other similar late twentieth century bookish types. Written in 1972, it is rife with the unique flavor of urban American culture of the period: the drug parties, the early and avid response to the sexual revolution, a certain profligacy and flair in dress and show, a rejection of rigidity and formality replaced by an emerging casual style in relationships, etc.
I believe it is Silverberg's most ambitious work, in that I divine actual literary pretensions here, and I think the extent to which he succeeds recommends this first among his many other works which are less introspective and psychological.
I imagine Silverberg imagining something along the lines of that had he not already been pegged as an SF writer, this book might have been accepted as legitimate fictional social commentary. But I like to imagine stuff like that.
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LibraryThing member wmraven
One of he best books on telepathy I've ever read. The changes that happen as the year progress seem to strike a cord with the issue of aging in general.
LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
Silverberg's speaker-protagonist David Selig is a freak telepath who has concealed his talent for his whole life and is now losing it, i.e. "dying inside." The book is framed as a memoir; it includes biographical reflection along with events more immediate to its writing. Selig ghostwrites academic
I enjoyed this book, which seemed to me very vividly of its time, the exhausted post-countercultural moment of the beleaguered nineteen-seventies--letting go of anxious utopian and mystical aspirations. The story moved quickly, and while there was a fair amount of plot in retrospect, it felt very much like an exploration of character throughout, both Selig's own and his understanding of the people to whom he had been close.
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papers for pay, and pieces of these appear embedded in the larger text. The narrative isn't very linear, and sometimes it indulges in stream of consciousness, but it didn't feel very experimental or avant-garde to me; these modes were suited to the subject matter. I enjoyed this book, which seemed to me very vividly of its time, the exhausted post-countercultural moment of the beleaguered nineteen-seventies--letting go of anxious utopian and mystical aspirations. The story moved quickly, and while there was a fair amount of plot in retrospect, it felt very much like an exploration of character throughout, both Selig's own and his understanding of the people to whom he had been close.
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LibraryThing member tkadlec
Turns out Dying Inside is a bit of a tough book for me to rate. I picked it up with very high expectations. The concept seemed very interesting - a man born with telepathic abilities suddenly finds those abilities fading when he enters middle age.But while "Dying Inside" is a fairly interesting
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character study, I never grew to like David Selig, the main character, and therefore, had a very hard time empathizing with him. His entire life, he's held a pity party for himself because of his "curse". He's incredibly judgmental of the people in his life and therefore, keeps them all at a distance. I believe that Silverberg was trying to show how having so much information about people (their inner thoughts and feelings) actually can create isolation...not closeness. However, he never gives David any redeeming traits - there's just nothing there to like about this guy, and so I end up feeling like David's isolation is self imposed and avoidable.That's not to say the book itself doesn't have some redeeming qualities. Silverberg does force the reader to contemplate questions about how we identify ourselves, and to contemplate how our attitude can determine whether something is a gift or a curse, a blessing or a burden. I just wish David would've been a character I could have felt some sympathy for. Show Less
LibraryThing member unclebob53703
My favorite of his books, and I think his masterpiece. The story of a man who can read minds, and is a complete and utter loser both in spite of and because of his "gift." Still heartbreaking when his abilities begin to fade, and told in painfully honest first person style. I found this Easton
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Press Signed edition thanks to Abe Books, and it's a treasure. Show Less
LibraryThing member michaeladams1979
Profoundly intimate novel about a man with a psychic gift to read minds. The focus is surprisingly academic and biographical for such a fantastical premise. A man who could have almost anything he wanted, his future limited only by his imagination, ends up gritting college kids selling term papers.
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He is hopelessly self-involved, bitter, and just a little bit self-destructive. He is also blessed with this gift, or perhaps cursed with it, and as time progresses when begin to see a terrible new truth; it is failing him. The gift that sets him apart, or perhaps keeps him separated from humanity might just be leaving him. A heart-wringing journey through a petty manĂÂĂÂȘs life and the wasted potential of a god. Show Less
LibraryThing member Neil_Luvs_Books
This is an excellent book. It uses telepathy to explore issues of connection and separateness among humans using one individual, Selig as its case study. And what happens when the ability to read minds fades and dies? What does that do to our seeming connection to others when we can read their
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minds? I say seeming because when the power does die, Selig feels both isolated yet perceives others to be more comfortable with him. So do our own powers, whatever they may be connect us with others or do the actual cause our own isolation from the rest of humanity as we become more self-absorbed with ourselves? I think this is the central question of this book that remains open but suggests lightly a possible answer. Interesting SF in that the only SF concept is the possibility of telepathy in one in particular but by no means the only one Earth in the novel. That one required suspension of disbelief is Silverbergâs one instrument that he uses to probe the human condition. A very literary SF novel. I greatly enjoyed it. Show Less
LibraryThing member M.Campanella
I read this whole book, cover to cover, and enjoyed every moment of it immensely. That being said, something about how the argument distilled did not sit well with me.
The book did not, as I feel it was supposed to, argument the impossibilities (due to socio-cultural circumstances) of telepathy but
Still Silverberg is wonderful, if not a little hung about over sex.
The book did not, as I feel it was supposed to, argument the impossibilities (due to socio-cultural circumstances) of telepathy but
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dealt specifically with how one person could not manage to handle it. It would be like reading a novel of a person who had the most brilliant talent as a painter, but could not manage to execute anything with it. That the protagonist manages to meet another person like him who is utilizing his talents, but in a way that seems cheap, does not help the argument very much. Still Silverberg is wonderful, if not a little hung about over sex.
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LibraryThing member HellCold
A beautiful book, as all books written by Silverberg usually turn out to be. It deals with David Selig, who was born with the ability to read minds, and the trouble he has when he realizes his gift is fading away. What we're dealing with is not the expected life of a superman, in fact he regards
I loved everything about that novel. Characterization is top notch, the writing's fluid, and the story itself is a beauty, despite being a bit too dark and depressive most of the time. Which suited my current mood perfectly, I must add.
One thing that might irk readers unfamiliar with Silverberg's books is the open ending, as most of his books have no sharp ending event putting a neat close to the story line. More realistically though, he deals with the characters and the changing process they have to go through. Again, I had no problem with that.
There's not much I can say about the story itself. You have to drink it in yourself. Recommended.
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his gift as a curse due to the various difficulties it had put him through. And now that the power is dying inside him, he feels he's losing his identity with its passing away.I loved everything about that novel. Characterization is top notch, the writing's fluid, and the story itself is a beauty, despite being a bit too dark and depressive most of the time. Which suited my current mood perfectly, I must add.
One thing that might irk readers unfamiliar with Silverberg's books is the open ending, as most of his books have no sharp ending event putting a neat close to the story line. More realistically though, he deals with the characters and the changing process they have to go through. Again, I had no problem with that.
There's not much I can say about the story itself. You have to drink it in yourself. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member mossjon
3.75 stars
I felt like the telepath, the mind-reader, the voyeur while reading this novel. Silverberg sucked me in to the mind of David Selig so completely that I had to force myself to take a break from the book after hours of voracious reading to come up for air and perspective. It appears to be
Silverberg succeeded in evoking many emotions from me with David Selig's monologue - frustration, depression, outrage, compassion.
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this novel. It is definitely not traditional science fiction, but it is very well written, keeping my attention, almost exclusively, the entire weekend.
And for once, I did not read the Foreward until I finished the book. It contained information that would have spoiled the experience of Dying Inside with David Selig.
I felt like the telepath, the mind-reader, the voyeur while reading this novel. Silverberg sucked me in to the mind of David Selig so completely that I had to force myself to take a break from the book after hours of voracious reading to come up for air and perspective. It appears to be
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the autobiography of a telepath, but reads like a confession of mind crimes, social ineptness and stunted maturity. He fears his gift is fading and dying, and he flops impotently against the impinging silence. Silverberg succeeded in evoking many emotions from me with David Selig's monologue - frustration, depression, outrage, compassion.
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this novel. It is definitely not traditional science fiction, but it is very well written, keeping my attention, almost exclusively, the entire weekend.
And for once, I did not read the Foreward until I finished the book. It contained information that would have spoiled the experience of Dying Inside with David Selig.
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LibraryThing member raschneid
Beautifully written and moving, but maybe too much in the tradition of the self-absorbed, self-pitying writers that the book consciously models itself on? And, oh goodness, the seventies were strange. I'll have to think about this one.
LibraryThing member Bridgey
Dying Inside - Robert Silverberg **
I have come to the conclusion that Robert Silverberg is an author that I can either love or hate. Unfortunately this book fell into the hate category.
I really enjoyed reading Invaders from Earth and Tower of Glass so went a bought a few more of his books, Son of
We follow David Selig, a telepathic with powers that are fading away (hence the title). Selig is a funny character he relies on his 'gift' to earn a living but also views it as his biggest curse. We are allowed to relive some of the key areas in his life and how his telepathy came to help or hinder his situation. Girlfriends and family members unknowingly allow him into the darkest recesses of their mind including how they feel about him. I thought I would really enjoy this story and hoped the book would have a lot to offer, but for me I just got very bored.
The main story of the book is focussed around Selig's modern life, he is trying to ilk out a living by writing exam scripts for students so that they can effectively cheat. This is where Silverburg really lost my attention as a reader, whole chapters are dedicated in solely reciting the essays word for word. I am unsure if this was just the author being pretentious/self indulgent or he thought it would actually add to the tale. I was bored to tears.
I am now at a crossroads with reading anymore of his novels. I have never come across an author before where I find such a diversity in his works and such a range of likability. Maybe I will try one more.... and just keep my fingers crossed.
I have come to the conclusion that Robert Silverberg is an author that I can either love or hate. Unfortunately this book fell into the hate category.
I really enjoyed reading Invaders from Earth and Tower of Glass so went a bought a few more of his books, Son of
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man was the next one that I picked up and thought it was awful, I hoped maybe this was just a glitch and tried Dying inside next. Although not as poor as Son of man I still struggled to get through it.We follow David Selig, a telepathic with powers that are fading away (hence the title). Selig is a funny character he relies on his 'gift' to earn a living but also views it as his biggest curse. We are allowed to relive some of the key areas in his life and how his telepathy came to help or hinder his situation. Girlfriends and family members unknowingly allow him into the darkest recesses of their mind including how they feel about him. I thought I would really enjoy this story and hoped the book would have a lot to offer, but for me I just got very bored.
The main story of the book is focussed around Selig's modern life, he is trying to ilk out a living by writing exam scripts for students so that they can effectively cheat. This is where Silverburg really lost my attention as a reader, whole chapters are dedicated in solely reciting the essays word for word. I am unsure if this was just the author being pretentious/self indulgent or he thought it would actually add to the tale. I was bored to tears.
I am now at a crossroads with reading anymore of his novels. I have never come across an author before where I find such a diversity in his works and such a range of likability. Maybe I will try one more.... and just keep my fingers crossed.
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LibraryThing member grandpahobo
The premise is good, and the slow degradation of the main characters sense of self was quite engrossing through the first half of the book. However, the second half becomes a bit self indulgent.
LibraryThing member LibraryCin
David gets paid to write university papers for college students. He has been telepathic (he can read minds) all his life. He is now in his 40s(?), and his âgiftâ seems to be disappearing. He looks back on the good and bad his telepathy has brought him and is trying to deal with the seemingly
Overall, it was ok. The 1970s definitely came through in the book (it was originally published in â72): sex and drugs. I enjoyed some of the relationships David had â the rocky relationship with his adopted younger sister, adopted when David was 10 years old; and his long-ago relationship with Kitty were particularly interesting to me. Some of the rest of it wasnât as interesting, though. Iâm not sure why the author felt it necessary to include some of the university papers her wrote for students; I found those boring and mostly skimmed those. The edition I read was published in 2008 and there was a good introduction by the author as to how the book came about.
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inevitable loss of it. Overall, it was ok. The 1970s definitely came through in the book (it was originally published in â72): sex and drugs. I enjoyed some of the relationships David had â the rocky relationship with his adopted younger sister, adopted when David was 10 years old; and his long-ago relationship with Kitty were particularly interesting to me. Some of the rest of it wasnât as interesting, though. Iâm not sure why the author felt it necessary to include some of the university papers her wrote for students; I found those boring and mostly skimmed those. The edition I read was published in 2008 and there was a good introduction by the author as to how the book came about.
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LibraryThing member jigarpatel
Mixed thoughts. Instead of getting rich quick, a Jewish ghostwriting telepath develops paranoid and voyeuristic tendencies. Mostly a first person narrative, the protagonist enters a downward spiral of depression as he struggles to cope with a dwindling power he finds oppressive. There are numerous
Dying Inside is science fiction in name alone. Silverberg needlessly name-drops famous authors and academics throughout, marring an otherwise solid psychological drama.
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flashbacks and imaginary flashforwards, reflecting his inability to live in the present. A limited social life and failed relationships weigh him down, adding to his misery and causing him to become increasingly reclusive.Dying Inside is science fiction in name alone. Silverberg needlessly name-drops famous authors and academics throughout, marring an otherwise solid psychological drama.
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LibraryThing member KatyBee
The story about a man losing his telepathic powers as he ages is intriguing but the writing about women and people of color has not aged well. At all.
Subjects
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1973)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 1972)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (Winner — 1973)
Gigamesh Award (1988)
Ditmar Award (Shortlist — 1973)
Locus All-Time Best (Science Fiction Novel — 22 — 1987)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1972-10
Physical description
245 p.; 17.7 cm
ISBN
0345235630 / 9780345235633
Local notes
Omslag: Philip Kirkland
Omslaget viser nogle ret mÊrkelige personer malet pÄ en ret abstrakt mÄde
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Omslaget viser nogle ret mÊrkelige personer malet pÄ en ret abstrakt mÄde
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
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Pages
245
DDC/MDS
| 813.54 |