The Condition of Muzak
Encyclopedia
The Condition of Muzak
is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction
writer Michael Moorcock
. It is the final novel of his long running Jerry Cornelius
series. It was first published in its revised form in 1979. http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/moorcock/cmuzak.htm
This novel won the 1977 Guardian Fiction Prize.
and The English Assassin
has devolved further into a surreal Europe of splintered city states. Jerry Cornelius, increasingly morphing into his role as Pierrot
, has lost the power to change or even affect events and narrows his quest to an everlasting search for his true love, his sister Catherine.
Tom Hutchinson wrote that "The Condition of Muzak considers the process of living as a harlequinade and is, for me, a most moving summation... Here we move through Mr Moorcock's obsessions, the serials of Fantômas
, the Beatles
, Bob Dylan
, the Arthurian legend, through chronos-zones - behold the pun! - to bi-sexuality, with a small sideswipe at Stanley Kubrick
on the way. The realisation comes that Jerry is seeking sanctuary in different universes of Time in separate private mythologies. As indeed, is the implication, are we all."
In a piece in The Guardian
, Barry Cole was "struck by the singular fact that out of science fantasy or science fiction has emerged (J. G. Ballard
and Kurt Vonnegut
have similarly developed) a writer who has managed to supersede conventional science fantasy and yet make of traditional fiction something wholly new."
Writing in The Observer
, Angus Wilson
called it "One of the most ambitious, illuminating and enjoyable works of fiction published in English since the war."
Muzak
Muzak Holdings LLC is a company based in metro Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1934, Muzak Holdings is best known for distribution of background music to retail stores and other companies....
is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
. It is the final novel of his long running Jerry Cornelius
Jerry Cornelius
Jerry Cornelius is a fictional secret agent and adventurer created by science fiction / fantasy author Michael Moorcock. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous sexuality. Many of the same characters feature in each of several Cornelius books, though the individual books...
series. It was first published in its revised form in 1979. http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/moorcock/cmuzak.htm
This novel won the 1977 Guardian Fiction Prize.
Overview
The chaos and decay which permeated A Cure for CancerA Cure for Cancer
A Cure for Cancer is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock . It is part of his long-running Jerry Cornelius series ....
and The English Assassin
The English Assassin
The English Assassin: A Romance of Entropy is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock . Subtitled "A romance of entropy" it was the third part of his long running Jerry Cornelius series ....
has devolved further into a surreal Europe of splintered city states. Jerry Cornelius, increasingly morphing into his role as Pierrot
Pierrot
Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime and Commedia dell'Arte whose origins are in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a hypocorism of Pierre , via the suffix -ot. His character in postmodern popular culture—in...
, has lost the power to change or even affect events and narrows his quest to an everlasting search for his true love, his sister Catherine.
Reviews
In his review in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
Tom Hutchinson wrote that "The Condition of Muzak considers the process of living as a harlequinade and is, for me, a most moving summation... Here we move through Mr Moorcock's obsessions, the serials of Fantômas
Fantômas
Fantômas is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre .One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared in a total of 32 volumes written by the two collaborators, then a subsequent 11...
, the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, the Arthurian legend, through chronos-zones - behold the pun! - to bi-sexuality, with a small sideswipe at Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
on the way. The realisation comes that Jerry is seeking sanctuary in different universes of Time in separate private mythologies. As indeed, is the implication, are we all."
In a piece in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Barry Cole was "struck by the singular fact that out of science fantasy or science fiction has emerged (J. G. Ballard
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
and Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
have similarly developed) a writer who has managed to supersede conventional science fantasy and yet make of traditional fiction something wholly new."
Writing in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, Angus Wilson
Angus Wilson
Sir Angus Frank Johnstone Wilson, CBE was an English novelist and short story writer. He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot and later received a knighthood for his services to literature.-Biography:Wilson was born in Bexhill, Sussex, England, to...
called it "One of the most ambitious, illuminating and enjoyable works of fiction published in English since the war."