Divine invasions
by Lawrence Sutin · first published 1989
100% recommend
"With thirty-eight books currently in print and seven of his novels and short stories adapted into blockbuster films, Philip K. Dick is recognized worldwide as one of our time's greatest and most influential novelists. Lawrence Sutin's Divine Invasions, acknowledged by the Dick family as the official Philip K. Dick biography, illuminates the life of the man who loosed the bonds of the science fiction genre and profoundly influenced such writers as Pynchon, Delillo, David Foster Wallace, and Jonathan Lethem. Absorbing, beautifully written, and profoundly revealing, Divine Invasions is a must-re
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I heartily recommend "Divine Invasions" by Sutin (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22587.Divine_Invasions) to anyone who would like to know more about Dick's life and personal issues, and the way these influenced his works.
on “Translating Akkadian clay tablets with ChatGPT?” ↗…current title) * We Can Build You: "The First in Your Family" * A Maze of Death: "The Hour of the TENCH" * Counterclock World: "The Dead Grow Young" My main source here is Lawrence Sutin's excellent "Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick".
on “Philip K. Dick: Stanisław Lem Is a Communist Committee (2015)” ↗…Scanner Darkly * VALIS (but probably not until you've read some of his others, and also read a bit about his life, because it's pseudo-autobiographical) I just finished reading a biography of him called "Divine Invasions" (not to be confused with his book "The Divine Invasion", which is roughly a sequel to VALIS), which I recommend as well. PKD was an utterly brilliant, fascinating, and sadly broken man.
on “The “baseline” scene in bladerunner 2049 was written by Ryan Gosling” ↗I'm a simple man, I see a PKD post, I upvote and comment. My favorite author. Highly recommend the biography Divine Invasions. He was such a fascinating (and troubled) person.
on “The Eyes Have It, by Philip K. Dick (1953)” ↗If anyone would really like to delve into PKD's life, I'd recommend the biography Divine Invasions (not to be confused with PKD's books "The Divine Invasion"). He was such a deeply fascinating person, and I feel like most articles you read about him manage to only touch on the obvious or superficial.
on “Philip K. Dick's Substance Abuse and Psychosis” ↗