What forms could lead to a significant change in the current economic and political system, other than a climate disaster? Where would we be without writers of the imagination?
Famous dystopian novels offer us crucial critique, but we wanted more. In a search for books that disrupt our status quo, not by showing its weaknesses, but by forcing us to consider what might replace it. Writers who show us a future where we can live.

“Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in the art of words.”

Ursula K. Le Guin

Our book club pick, The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin is all about anarchism and revolutionary societies, capitalism, individualism, and collectivism.

The Dispossessed tells the story of Shevek, a physicist from the anarchist society of Anarres.
He returns to Urras, the planet from where his ancestors departed about 200 years ago, to ‘unbuild walls’ that have kept the twin planets apart. He lands in A-Io, which seems to be the most successful, free-market capitalist nation on Urras. He is shocked about the rich but unequal society he encounters after being raised in the poor but egalitarian world of Anarres.

Buy the book at our favorite bookstore Van Piere or a hard copy via info@vanpiere.nl
After reading the novel, join us to discuss your thoughts together with us.

We will meet online to discuss the book on Monday, March 29 from 20:00 - 21:30h CET.
Want to join? Please subscribe here and you'll receive further info by mail.

You can read the book at your own pace in your own time. We'll keep the book club group small to provide room for an in-depth discussion. Be sure to claim your spot in time! The session will be English spoken.
Feel free to read the book in English or Dutch (De Ontheemde), or listen to the audiobook.

The host for this book club is book curator Corina Maduro.

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929 - 2018) was first published in 1959, and her literary career spanned nearly sixty years, with more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories, poetry, literary criticism, translations, and children's books. She won countless prizes and was a huge inspiration to so many great thinkers. (Timothy Morton, Donna J. Haraway)

In a time where the individual is dwarfed by the complexity of the world, we need new forms of connection – what could they be? And what role can art, technology, and nature play in bringing them about?
Hyperindividualist consumerism based on algorithms has given us the feeling that the world can be entirely designed around us according to our personal desires, which obviates the need for negotiation with others.
We need a vision of what unites us, instead of focusing solely on what makes each of us unique.

At STRP Festival, the place where art, science, and technology collaborate to develop alternative visions for the future, you’ll find different interpretations of the theme. By combining immersive artworks with interactive lectures and everything in between, we have space for the audience to participate in the dialogue. Keep an eye for the full program on 3 to 6 June on our socials, website or join our newsletter below!

Cover image; Essy May