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Alianza editorial

Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers

Our Review

J.G. Ballard does not write about distant futures; he writes about the distorted present. High-Rise is his most brutal work, a ruthless autopsy of class society and the thin layer of civilization that (barely) covers us.

The premise is simple: a luxurious, ultra-modern skyscraper that offers its residents (doctors, lawyers, architects) perfect isolation from the outside world. It is a vertical utopia. But in Ballard's hands, this hermetic building becomes a psychological pressure cooker.

We observe with almost clinical fascination how small squabbles (noise, parties, swimming pool use) escalate in a few days into open tribal warfare. The upper floors against the lower floors. High-Rise is a savage allegory demonstrating that, given the perfect circumstances, barbarism is not a regression, but the next logical step.

Book Details

Synopsis

Dr. Robert Laing moves into his new apartment on the 25th floor of a luxurious high-rise on the outskirts of London. The building, designed by visionary architect Anthony Royal (who lives in the penthouse), is a marvel of modern technology, equipped with a supermarket, swimming pool, bank, and school. It is a world unto itself, designed to isolate its thousand tenants from the outside.

But this vertical utopia quickly reveals its flaws. Small technical failures and minor social conflicts begin to fracture the community. Residents quickly divide into tribes according to the floor they live on, and the building becomes a battleground. Civilization crumbles floor by floor, giving way to violence, chaos, and a regression to the most primary instincts.

About the Author

J.G. Ballard (1930-2009) was a British writer born in Shanghai. He is one of the key figures of the "New Wave" of science fiction, known for his psychological dystopias and his focus on "inner space" rather than outer space. His childhood in a Japanese internment camp during World War II (narrated in his autobiographical novel Empire of the Sun) deeply marked his worldview. Works such as Crash and The Drowned World explore the disintegration of the modern mind and the attraction to chaos.

Technical Details

  • Pages: 200

  • Author: J.G. Ballard

  • Publisher: Alianza Editorial

  • Binding: Hardcover

  • Edition: 2018

  • ISBN: 9788491810759

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