Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime. His fiction explored varied philosophical and social questions such as the nature of reality, perception, human nature, and

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...

, and commonly featured characters struggling against elements such as alternate realities, illusory environments, monopolistic corporations,

drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic votin ...

governments, and altered states of consciousness. Born in Chicago, Dick moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with his family at a young age. He began publishing science fiction stories in 1952, at age 23. He found little commercial success until his alternative history novel '' The Man in the High Castle'' (1962) earned him acclaim, including a Hugo Award for Best Novel, when he was 33. He followed with science fiction novels such as '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' (1968) and '' Ubik'' (1969). His 1974 novel '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Following years of

and a series of mystical experiences in 1974, Dick's work engaged more explicitly with issues of theology, metaphysics, and the nature of reality, as in novels '' A Scanner Darkly'' (1977), '' VALIS'' (1981), and ''

The Transmigration of Timothy Archer ''The Transmigration of Timothy Archer'' is a 1982 novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. As his final work, the book was published shortly after his death in March 1982, although it was written the previous year. The novel draws on autobio ...

'' (1982). A collection of his speculative nonfiction writing on these themes was published posthumously as ''

The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick ''The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick'' is a 2011 non-fiction book containing the published selections of a journal kept by the science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, in which he documented and explored his religious and visionary experiences. Dick's ...

'' (2011). He died in 1982 in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

, at the age of 53, due to complications from a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. Following his death, he became "widely regarded as a master of imaginative, paranoid fiction in the vein of Franz Kafka and Thomas Pynchon". Dick's posthumous influence has been widespread, extending beyond literary circles into

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

filmmaking. Popular films based on his works include '' Blade Runner'' (1982), ''Total Recall'' (adapted twice: in 1990 and in 2012), '' Screamers'' (1995), ''

Minority Report Minority Report may refer to: * Minority report (Poor Law), published by the UK Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905–09 * "Minority Report", a 1949 science fiction short story by Theodore Sturgeon * "The Minority Report ...

'' (2002), '' A Scanner Darkly'' (2006), '' The Adjustment Bureau'' (2011), and ''

Radio Free Albemuth ''Radio Free Albemuth'' is a dystopian novel by Philip K. Dick, written in 1976 and published posthumously in 1985. Originally titled ''VALISystem A'', it was his first attempt to deal in fiction with his experiences of early 1974. When his pu ...

'' (2010). Beginning in 2015,

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

produced the multi-season television adaptation '' The Man in the High Castle'', based on Dick's 1962 novel; and in 2017 Channel 4 began producing the ongoing anthology series '' Electric Dreams'', based on various Dick stories. In 2005, '' Time'' named '' Ubik'' (1969) one of the hundred greatest English-language novels published since 1923. In 2007, Dick became the first science fiction writer included in The Library of America series.

Early life

Dick and his twin sister, Jane Charlotte Dick, were born six weeks prematurely on December 16, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, to Dorothy (née Kindred; 1900–1978) and Joseph Edgar Dick (1899–1985), who worked for the United States Department of Agriculture. His paternal grandparents were Irish. Jane's death on January 26, 1929, six weeks after their birth, profoundly affected Philip's life, leading to the recurrent

motif Motif may refer to: General concepts * Motif (chess composition), an element of a move in the consideration of its purpose * Motif (folkloristics), a recurring element that creates recognizable patterns in folklore and folk-art traditions * Moti ...

of the " phantom twin" in his books. Dick's family later moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. When he was five, his father was transferred to Reno, Nevada, and when Dorothy refused to move, she and Joseph divorced. Both fought for custody of Philip, which was awarded to Dorothy. Determined to raise Philip alone, she took a job in Washington, D.C. and moved there with her son. Philip was enrolled at John Eaton Elementary School (1936–1938), completing the second through fourth grades. His lowest grade was a "C" in Written Composition, although a teacher said he "shows interest and ability in story telling". He was educated in

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

schools. In June 1938, Dorothy and Philip returned to California, and it was around this time that he became interested in science fiction. Dick stated that he read his first science fiction magazine, ''Stirring Science Stories,'' in 1940.Sutin p.3 Dick attended Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. He and fellow science fiction author

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

were members of the class of 1947 but did not know each other at the time. He claimed to have hosted a classical music program on KSMO Radio in 1947.Sutin, p. 53 From 1948 to 1952, he worked at Art Music Company, a record store on Telegraph Avenue. He attended the University of California, Berkeley from September 1949 to November 11, 1949, ultimately receiving an honorable dismissal dated January 1, 1950. He did not declare a major and took classes in history, psychology, philosophy, and zoology. Dick dropped out because of ongoing anxiety problems, according to his third wife Anne's memoir. She also says he disliked the mandatory

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

training. At Berkeley, he befriended poet Robert Duncan and poet and linguist Jack Spicer, who gave Dick ideas for a Martian language. Through his studies in philosophy, he believed that existence is based on internal human perception, which does not necessarily correspond to external reality. He described himself as "an acosmic panentheist," believing in the universe only as an extension of God.Dick, Philip K. "An Interview With America's Most Brilliant Science-Fiction Writer" Interview by Joe Vitale. Interview With Philip K Dick. Print Interviews. Web. October 22, 2011. After reading the works of Plato and pondering the possibilities of metaphysical realms, he came to the conclusion that, in a certain sense, the world is not entirely real and there is no way to confirm whether it is truly there. This question from his early studies persisted as a theme in many of his novels.

Career

Early writing

Dick sold his first story, "

Roog Roog or Rog (Koox in the Cangin languages) is the Supreme God and creator of the Serer religion of the Senegambia region. Thiaw, Issa Laye, "La Religiosite de Seereer, Avant et pendant leur Islamisation". Ethiopiques no: 54, Revue semestrielle ...

", in 1951, when he was 22, about "a dog who imagined that the garbagemen who came every Friday morning were stealing valuable food which the family had carefully stored away in a safe metal container". From then on he wrote full-time. During 1952, his first speculative fiction publications appeared in July and September numbers of '' Planet Stories'', edited by Jack O'Sullivan, and in '' If'' and '' The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' that year. His debut novel, ''

Solar Lottery ''Solar Lottery'' is a 1955 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was his first published novel and contains many of the themes present in his later work. It was also published in altered form in the UK as ''World of Chan ...

'', was published in 1955 as half of Ace Double #D-103 alongside ''The Big Jump'' by Leigh Brackett. The 1950s were a difficult and impoverished time for Dick, who once lamented, "We couldn't even pay the late fees on a library book." He published almost exclusively within the science fiction genre but dreamed of a career in mainstream fiction. During the 1950s, he produced a series of non-genre, relatively conventional novels. In 1960, Dick wrote that he was willing to "take twenty to thirty years to succeed as a literary writer". The dream of mainstream success formally died in January 1963 when the Scott Meredith Literary Agency returned all of his unsold mainstream novels. Only one of them, ''

Confessions of a Crap Artist ''Confessions of a Crap Artist'' is a 1975 novel by Philip K. Dick, originally written in 1959. Dick wrote about a dozen non-science fiction novels in the period from 1948 to 1960; this is the only one published during his lifetime. The novel chr ...

'', was published during Dick's lifetime, in 1975 by Paul Williams'

Entwhistle Books Entwhistle Books was a small book publisher active from about 1968 to 2000. It was founded by Paul Williams, Chester Anderson, David G. Hartwell, and Joel Hack.The Man in the High Castle''. Although he was hailed as a genius in the science fiction world, the mainstream literary world was unappreciative, and he could publish books only through low-paying science fiction publishers such as Ace. Even in his later years, he continued to have financial troubles. In the introduction to the 1980 short story collection ''The Golden Man'', he wrote:

Flight to Canada, mental health and suicide attempt

In 1971, Dick's marriage to Nancy Hackett broke down, and she moved out of their house in

Santa Venetia, California Santa Venetia is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. It is located north of downtown San Rafael, at an elevation of . The population was 4,289 at the 2020 census. Geography Santa Venetia is located in eas ...

. He had abused

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...

for much of the previous decade, stemming in part from his need to maintain a prolific writing regimen due to the financial exigencies of the science fiction field. He allowed other drug users to move into the house. Following the release of 21 novels between 1960 and 1970, these developments were exacerbated by unprecedented periods of writer's block, with Dick ultimately failing to publish new fiction until 1974. One day, in November 1971, Dick returned to his home to discover it had been burglarized, with his safe blown open and personal papers missing. The police couldn't determine the culprit, and even suspected Dick of having done it himself. Shortly thereafter, he was invited to be guest of honor at the

Vancouver Science Fiction Convention VCON is a fan run fantasy, gaming, and science fiction convention held annually in the metro Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. It has been hosted by the West Coast Science Fiction Association (WCSFA) since 1993, and by the Western Canadi ...

in February 1972. Within a day of arriving at the conference and giving his speech, '' The Android and the Human'', he informed people that he had fallen in love with a woman named Janis whom he had met there and announced that he would be remaining in Vancouver. A conference attendee, Michael Walsh, movie critic for the local newspaper '' The Province'', invited Dick to stay in his home, but asked him to leave two weeks later due to his erratic behavior. Janis then ended their relationship and moved away. On March 23, 1972, Dick attempted suicide by taking an overdose of the sedative

potassium bromide Potassium bromide ( K Br) is a salt, widely used as an anticonvulsant and a sedative in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with over-the-counter use extending to 1975 in the US. Its action is due to the bromide ion (sodium bromide is equall ...

. Subsequently, after deciding to seek help, Dick became a participant in X-Kalay (a Canadian Synanon-type recovery program), and was well enough by April to return to California. In October 1972, Dick wrote a letter to the FBI about science fiction writer

Thomas Disch Thomas Michael Disch (February 2, 1940 – July 4, 2008) was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nomination ...

. On relocating to Orange County, California at the behest of California State University, Fullerton professor Willis McNelly (who initiated a correspondence with Dick during his X-Kalay stint), he donated

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

, papers and other materials to the university's Special Collections Library, where they are in the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Collection in the Pollak Library. During this period, Dick befriended a circle of Fullerton State students that included several aspiring science fiction writers, including

K. W. Jeter Kevin Wayne Jeter (born March 26, 1950) is an American science fiction and horror author known for his literary writing style, dark themes, and paranoid, unsympathetic characters. He has written novels set in the '' Star Trek'' and '' Star Wa ...

, James Blaylock and Tim Powers. Jeter would later continue Dick's Bladerunner series with three sequels. Dick returned to the events of these months while writing his novel '' A Scanner Darkly'' (1977), which contains fictionalized depictions of the burglary of his home, his time using amphetamines and living with addicts, and his experiences of X-Kalay (portrayed in the novel as "New-Path"). A factual account of his recovery program participation was portrayed in his posthumously released book ''

The Dark Haired Girl ''The Dark Haired Girl'' is a collection of essays, poems and letters by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Mark V. Ziesing in 1989. Ziesing considers this the necessary companion volume to the complete collected works of the author. Th ...

'', a collection of letters and journals from the period.

Paranormal experiences

On February 20, 1974, while recovering from the effects of sodium pentothal administered for the extraction of an impacted wisdom tooth, Dick received a home delivery of

Darvon Dextropropoxyphene is an analgesic in the opioid category, patented in 1955 and manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company. It is an optical isomer of levopropoxyphene. It is intended to treat mild pain and also has antitussive (cough suppressant) a ...

from a young woman. When he opened the door, he was struck by the dark-haired girl's beauty, and was especially drawn to her golden necklace. He asked her about its curious fish-shaped design. As she was leaving, she replied: "This is a sign used by the early Christians." Dick called the symbol the "vesicle pisces". This name seems to have been based on his conflation of two related symbols, the Christian ichthys symbol (two intersecting arcs delineating a fish in profile), which the woman was wearing, and the vesica piscis. Dick recounted that as the sun glinted off the gold pendant, the reflection caused the generation of a "pink beam" of light that mesmerized him. He came to believe the beam imparted wisdom and clairvoyance, and also believed it to be intelligent. On one occasion, he was startled by a separate recurrence of the pink beam, which imparted the information that his infant son was ill. The Dicks rushed the child to the hospital, where the illness was confirmed by professional diagnosis. After the woman's departure, Dick began experiencing strange hallucinations. Although initially attributing them to side effects from medication, he considered this explanation implausible after weeks of continued hallucination. He told Charles Platt:

"I experienced an invasion of my mind by a transcendentally rational mind, as if I had been insane all my life and suddenly I had become sane."

Throughout February and March 1974, Dick experienced a series of hallucinations which he referred to as "2-3-74", shorthand for February–March 1974. Aside from the "pink beam", he described the initial hallucinations as

geometric Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is ca ...

patterns, and, occasionally, brief pictures of Jesus and ancient Rome. As the hallucinations increased in duration and frequency, Dick claimed he began to live two parallel lives—one as himself, "Philip K. Dick", and one as "Thomas", a Christian persecuted by Romans in the first century AD. He referred to the "transcendentally rational mind" as "Zebra", "God" and " VALIS" (an acronym for ''Vast Active Living Intelligence System''). He wrote about the experiences, first in the semi-autobiographical novel ''

'', then in ''VALIS'', '' The Divine Invasion'', ''

'' and the unfinished ''

The Owl in Daylight ''The Owl in Daylight'' is a novel Philip K. Dick was writing at the time of his death in 1982. He had already been paid an advance for the book by the publisher and was working against a deadline. After his death, his estate approached other wri ...

'' (the

VALIS trilogy The ''VALIS trilogy'' is a set of science fiction/philosophical novels by author Philip K. Dick which include ''VALIS'' (1978), ''The Divine Invasion'' (1980), and ''The Transmigration of Timothy Archer'' (1982). Dick's first novel about the VALI ...

). In 1974, Dick wrote a letter to the FBI, accusing various people, including University of California, San Diego professor Fredric Jameson, of being foreign agents of Warsaw Pact powers. He also wrote that Stanisław Lem was probably a false name used by a composite committee operating on orders of the Communist party to gain control over public opinion."Philip K. Dick: Stanisław Lem is a Communist Committee"
, Matt Davies, April 29, 2015 At one point, Dick felt he had been taken over by the spirit of the prophet Elijah. He believed that an episode in his novel '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' was a detailed retelling of a biblical story from the

Book of Acts The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...

, which he had never read. He documented and discussed his experiences and faith in a private journal he called his "exegesis", portions of which were later published as ''

''. The last novel he wrote was ''

''; it was published shortly after his death in 1982.

Personal life

Dick was married five times: * Jeanette Marlin (May to November 1948) * Kleo Apostolides (June 14, 1950, to 1959) * Anne Williams Rubinstein (April 1, 1959, to October 1965) * Nancy Hackett (July 6, 1966, to 1972) * Leslie "Tessa" Busby (April 18, 1973, to 1977) Dick had three children, Laura Archer Dick (born February 25, 1960, to Dick and his third wife, Anne Williams Rubenstein), Isolde Freya Dick (now

Isa Dick Hackett Isa or ISA may refer to: Places * Isa, Amur Oblast, Russia * Isa, Kagoshima, Japan * Isa, Nigeria * Isa District, Kagoshima, former district in Japan * Isa Town, middle class town located in Bahrain * Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia * Mount Is ...

) (born March 15, 1967, to Dick and his fourth wife, Nancy Hackett), and Christopher Kenneth Dick (born July 25, 1973, to Dick and his fifth wife, Leslie "Tessa" Busby). In 1955, Dick and his second wife, Kleo Apostolides, received a visit from the FBI, which they believed to be the result of Kleo's socialist views and left-wing activities.Sutin, pp. 83–84 Dick's third wife, Anne Williams Rubinstein, often fought with him. Dick wrote to a friend that he and Anne had "dreadful violent fights...slamming each other around, smashing every object in the house." In 1963, Dick told his neighbors that his wife was attempting to kill him, and had her involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution for two weeks. After filing for divorce in 1964, Dick moved to Oakland to live with a fan, author and editor

Grania Davis Grania Eve Kaiman Davis (July 17, 1943 – April 28, 2017) was an American author and editor of science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. She was the primary editor of the posthumously published work of her former husband, Avram David ...

. Shortly after, he attempted suicide by driving off the road while she was a passenger.

Politics

Dick tried to stay out of the political scene because of high societal turmoil from the Vietnam War. Still, he did show some

anti-Vietnam War Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War (before) or anti-Vietnam War movement (present) began with demonstrations in 1965 against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War and grew into a broad social move ...

and anti-governmental sentiments. In 1968, he joined the " Writers and Editors War Tax Protest", an anti-war pledge to pay no U.S. federal income tax, which resulted in the confiscation of his car by the IRS. Dick's 1968 novel, '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'', condemns the eugenics movement. In 1974, as a response to the ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and st ...

'' decision, Dick published ''

The Pre-persons "The Pre-persons" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published in ''Fantasy and Science Fiction'' magazine, October 1974. The story was an anti-abortion response to ''Roe v. Wade''. Dick imagines a fut ...

'', an anti-abortion and anti-Malthusianism short story. Following the story's publication, Dick stated that he received death threats from feminists.

Death

On February 17, 1982, after completing an interview, Dick contacted his therapist, complaining of failing eyesight, and was advised to go to a hospital immediately, but did not. The following day, he was found unconscious on the floor of his

home, having suffered a stroke. On February 25, 1982, Dick suffered another stroke in the hospital, which led to

brain death Brain death is the permanent, irreversible, and complete loss of brain function which may include cessation of involuntary activity necessary to sustain life. It differs from persistent vegetative state, in which the person is alive and some aut ...

. Five days later, on March 2, 1982, he was disconnected from

life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...

. After his death, Dick's father, Joseph, took his son's ashes to Riverside Cemetery in Fort Morgan, Colorado, (section K, block 1, lot 56), where they were buried next to his twin sister Jane, who died in infancy. Her tombstone had been inscribed with both of their names at the time of her death, 53 years earlier. Philip died four months before the release of '' Blade Runner'', the film based on his novel '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?''

Style and works

Themes

Dick's stories typically focus on the fragile nature of what is real and the construction of personal identity. His stories often become surreal fantasies, as the main characters slowly discover that their everyday world is actually an illusion assembled by powerful external entities, such as the suspended animation in ''Ubik'', vast political conspiracies or the vicissitudes of an unreliable narrator. "All of his work starts with the basic assumption that there cannot be one, single, objective reality", writes science fiction author Charles Platt. "Everything is a matter of perception. The ground is liable to shift under your feet. A protagonist may find himself living out another person's dream, or he may enter a drug-induced state that actually makes better sense than the real world, or he may cross into a different universe completely." Alternate universes and

simulacra A simulacrum (plural: simulacra or simulacrums, from Latin ''simulacrum'', which means "likeness, semblance") is a representation or imitation of a person or thing. The word was first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, us ...

are common plot devices, with fictional worlds inhabited by common, working people, rather than galactic elites. "There are no heroes in Dick's books",

wrote, "but there are heroics. One is reminded of Dickens: what counts is the honesty, constancy, kindness and patience of ordinary people." Dick made no secret that much of his thinking and work was heavily influenced by the writings of Carl Jung. The Jungian constructs and models that most concerned Dick seem to be the archetypes of the

collective unconscious Collective unconscious (german: kollektives Unbewusstes) refers to the unconscious mind and shared mental concepts. It is generally associated with idealism and was coined by Carl Jung. According to Jung, the human collective unconscious is populat ...

, group projection/hallucination, synchronicities, and personality theory. Many of Dick's protagonists overtly analyze reality and their perceptions in Jungian terms (see ''

Lies, Inc. ''The Unteleported Man'' (later republished in a greatly expanded version as ''Lies, Inc.'') is a 1966 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published as a novella in 1964. It is about a future in which a one-way telepor ...

''). Dick identified one major theme of his work as the question, "What constitutes the authentic human being?" In works such as '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'', beings can appear totally human in every respect while lacking soul or compassion, while completely alien beings such as Glimmung in ''

Galactic Pot-Healer ''Galactic Pot-Healer'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in 1969. The novel deals with a number of philosophical and political issues such as repressive societies, fatalism, and the search for meanin ...

'' may be more humane and complex than their human peers. Understood correctly, said Dick, the term "human being” applies “not to origin or to any ontology but to a way of being in the world." This authentic way of being manifests itself in compassion that recognizes the oneness of all life. "In Dick’s vision, the moral imperative calls on us to care for all sentient beings, human or nonhuman, natural or artificial, regardless of their place in the order of things. And Dick makes clear that this imperative is grounded in empathy, not reason, whatever subsequent role reason may play." The figure of the android depicts those who are deficient in empathy, who are alienated from others and are becoming more mechanical (emotionless) in their behaviour. "In general, then, it can be said that for Dick robots represent machines that are becoming more like humans, while androids represent humans that are becoming more like machines." Mental illness was a constant interest of Dick's, and themes of mental illness permeate his work. The character Jack Bohlen in the 1964 novel '' Martian Time-Slip'' is an "ex-schizophrenic". The novel ''

Clans of the Alphane Moon ''Clans of the Alphane Moon'' is a 1964 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. It is based on his 1954 short story "Shell Game", first published in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' magazine. Plot summary War between Earth and insec ...

'' centers on an entire society made up of descendants of lunatic asylum inmates. In 1965, he wrote the essay titled "Schizophrenia and the Book of Changes".Sutin, npg Drug use (including religious, recreational, and

abuse Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

) was also a theme in many of Dick's works, such as '' A Scanner Darkly'' and '' The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch''. Dick himself was a drug user for much of his life. According to a 1975 interview in '' Rolling Stone'', Dick wrote all of his books published before 1970 while on

s. "'' A Scanner Darkly'' (1977) was the first complete novel I had written without speed", said Dick in the interview. He also experimented briefly with psychedelics, but wrote '' The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch'' (1965), which ''Rolling Stone'' dubs "the classic LSD novel of all time", before he had ever tried them. Despite his heavy amphetamine use, however, Dick later said that doctors told him the amphetamines never actually affected him, that his liver had processed them before they reached his brain. Summing up all these themes in ''Understanding Philip K. Dick'', Eric Carl Link discussed eight themes or 'ideas and motifs': Epistemology and the Nature of Reality, Know Thyself, The Android and the Human, Entropy and Pot Healing, The Theodicy Problem, Warfare and Power Politics, The Evolved Human, and 'Technology, Media, Drugs and Madness'.

Pen names

Dick had two professional stories published under the

pen names A pen is a common writing tool, writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a Nib (pen), nib or in a sm ...

Richard Phillipps and Jack Dowland. "Some Kinds of Life" was published in October 1953 in ''

Fantastic Universe ''Fantastic Universe'' was a U.S. science fiction magazine which began publishing in the 1950s. It ran for 69 issues, from June 1953 to March 1960, under two different publishers. It was part of the explosion of science fiction magazine publishin ...

'' under byline Richard Phillipps, apparently because the magazine had a policy against publishing multiple stories by the same author in the same issue; "Planet for Transients" was published in the same issue under his own name. The short story "

Orpheus with Clay Feet "Orpheus with Clay Feet" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick, originally published in 1964 in '' Escapade'' magazine. The story has a self referential time travel theme, and was published under the pen name "Jack Dowl ...

" was published under the pen name Jack Dowland. The protagonist desires to be the muse for fictional author Jack Dowland, considered the greatest science fiction author of the 20th century. In the story, Dowland publishes a short story titled "Orpheus with Clay Feet" under the pen name Philip K. Dick. The surname Dowland refers to Renaissance composer John Dowland, who is featured in several works. The title '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' directly refers to Dowland's best-known composition, "

Flow, my tears "Flow, my tears" (originally en-emodeng, Flow my teares fall from your springs, italic=no) is a lute song (specifically, an "ayre") by the accomplished lutenist and composer John Dowland (1563–1626). Originally composed as an instrumental unde ...

". In the novel '' The Divine Invasion'', the character Linda Fox, created specifically with Linda Ronstadt in mind, is an intergalactically famous singer whose entire body of work consists of recordings of John Dowland compositions.

Selected works

'' The Man in the High Castle'' (1962) is set in an

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

in which the United States is ruled by the victorious Axis powers. It is the only Dick novel to win a

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

. In 2015 this was adapted into a television series by Amazon Studios. '' The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch'' (1965) utilizes an array of science fiction concepts and features several layers of reality and unreality. It is also one of Dick's first works to explore religious themes. The novel takes place in the 21st century, when, under UN authority, mankind has colonized the Solar System's every

habitable Habitability refers to the adequacy of an environment for human living. Where housing is concerned, there are generally local ordinances which define habitability. If a residence complies with those laws it is said to be habitable. In extreme e ...

planet and moon. Life is physically daunting and psychologically monotonous for most colonists, so the UN must draft people to go to the colonies. Most entertain themselves using "Perky Pat" dolls and accessories manufactured by Earth-based "P.P. Layouts". The company also secretly creates "Can-D", an illegal but widely available hallucinogenic drug allowing the user to "translate" into Perky Pat (if the drug user is a woman) or Pat's boyfriend, Walt (if the drug user is a man). This recreational use of Can-D allows colonists to experience a few minutes of an idealized life on Earth by participating in a collective hallucination. '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' (1968) is the story of a bounty hunter policing the local android population. It occurs on a dying, poisoned Earth de-populated of almost all animals and all "successful" humans; the only remaining inhabitants of the planet are people with no prospects off-world. The 1968 novel is the literary source of the film '' Blade Runner'' (1982).^ Sammon, Paul M. (1996). Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner. London: Orion Media. p. 49. . It is both a conflation and an intensification of the pivotally Dickian question: "What is real, what is fake? What crucial factor defines humanity as distinctly 'alive', versus those merely alive only in their outward appearance?" '' Ubik'' (1969) employs extensive psychic telepathy and a suspended state after death in creating a state of eroding reality. A group of psychics is sent to investigate a rival organisation, but several of them are apparently killed by a saboteur's bomb. Much of the following novel flicks between different equally plausible realities and the "real" reality, a state of half-life and psychically manipulated realities. In 2005, '' Time'' magazine listed it among the "All-TIME 100 Greatest Novels" published since 1923. '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' (1974) concerns Jason Taverner, a television star living in a dystopian near-future police state. After being attacked by an angry ex-girlfriend, Taverner awakens in a dingy Los Angeles hotel room. He still has his money in his wallet, but his identification cards are missing. This is no minor inconvenience, as security checkpoints (staffed by "pols" and "nats", the police and National Guard) are set up throughout the city to stop and arrest anyone without valid ID. Jason at first thinks that he was robbed, but soon discovers that his entire identity has been erased. There is no record of him in any official database, and even his closest associates do not recognize or remember him. For the first time in many years, Jason has no fame or reputation to rely on. He has only his innate charm and social graces to help him as he tries to find out what happened to his past while avoiding the attention of the pols. The novel was Dick's first published novel after years of silence, during which time his critical reputation had grown, and this novel was awarded the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. It is the only Philip K. Dick novel nominated for both a Hugo and a

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

. In an essay written two years before his death, Dick described how he learned from his Episcopal priest that an important scene in ''Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' – involving its other main character, the eponymous Police General Felix Buckman, was very similar to a scene in ''

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its messag ...

'', a book of the New Testament. Film director Richard Linklater discusses this novel in his film '' Waking Life'', which begins with a scene reminiscent of another Dick novel, ''

Time Out of Joint ''Time Out of Joint'' is a dystopian novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in novel form in the United States in 1959. An abridged version was also serialised in the British science fiction magazine ''New Worlds Science Fict ...

''. '' A Scanner Darkly'' (1977) is a bleak mixture of science fiction and

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...

novels; in its story, an undercover narcotics police detective begins to lose touch with reality after falling victim to Substance D, the same permanently mind-altering drug he was enlisted to help fight. Substance D is instantly addictive, beginning with a pleasant euphoria which is quickly replaced with increasing confusion, hallucinations and eventually total psychosis. In this novel, as with all Dick novels, there is an underlying thread of paranoia and dissociation with multiple realities perceived simultaneously. It was adapted to

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

Richard Linklater Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...

. '' The Philip K. Dick Reader'' is an introduction to the variety of Dick's short fiction. '' VALIS'' (1980) is perhaps Dick's most

postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

and autobiographical novel, examining his own unexplained experiences. It may also be his most academically studied work, and was adapted as an opera by Tod Machover. Later works like the

were heavily autobiographical, many with "two-three-seventy-four" (2-3-74) references and influences. The word VALIS is the acronym for ''Vast Active Living Intelligence System''. Later, Dick theorized that VALIS was both a "reality generator" and a means of extraterrestrial communication. A fourth VALIS manuscript, ''Radio Free Albemuth'', although composed in 1976, was posthumously published in 1985. This work is described by the publisher (Arbor House) as "an introduction and key to his magnificent VALIS trilogy". Regardless of the feeling that he was somehow experiencing a divine communication, Dick was never fully able to rationalize the events. For the rest of his life, he struggled to comprehend what was occurring, questioning his own sanity and perception of reality. He transcribed what thoughts he could into an eight-thousand-page, one-million-word journal dubbed the '' Exegesis''. From 1974 until his death in 1982, Dick spent many nights writing in this journal. A recurring theme in ''Exegesis'' is Dick's hypothesis that history had been stopped in the first century AD, and that "the Empire never ended". He saw Rome as the pinnacle of

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

and

despotism Despotism ( el, Δεσποτισμός, ''despotismós'') is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. Normally, that entity is an individual, the despot; but (as in an autocracy) societies which limit respect and ...

, which, after forcing the

Gnostics Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

underground, had kept the population of Earth enslaved to worldly possessions. Dick believed that VALIS had communicated with him, and anonymously others, to induce the

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

of U.S. President Richard Nixon, whom Dick believed to be the current Emperor of Rome incarnate. In a 1968 essay titled "Self Portrait", collected in the 1995 book ''The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick'', Dick reflects on his work and lists which books he feels "might escape World War Three": '' Eye in the Sky'', '' The Man in the High Castle'', '' Martian Time-Slip'', ''

Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb ''Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb'' is a 1965 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1965. Dick wrote the novel in 1963 with working titles ''In Eart ...

'', ''

The Zap Gun ''The Zap Gun'' is a 1967 science fiction novel by American author Philip K. Dick. It was written in 1964 and first published under the title ''Project Plowshare'' as a serial in the November 1965 and January 1966 issues of ''Worlds of Tomorro ...

'', ''

The Penultimate Truth ''The Penultimate Truth'' is a 1964 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The story is set in a future where the bulk of humanity is kept in large underground shelters. The people are told that World War III is being fought abov ...

'', ''

The Simulacra ''The Simulacra'' is a 1964 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The novel portrays a future totalitarian society apparently dominated by a matriarch, Nicole Thibodeaux. It revolves around the themes of reality and illusionary ...

'', '' The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch'' (which he refers to as "the most vital of them all"), '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'', and '' Ubik''. In a 1976 interview, Dick cited ''A Scanner Darkly'' as his best work, feeling that he "had finally written a true masterpiece, after 25 years of writing".

Adaptations

Films

Several of Dick's stories have been made into films. Dick himself wrote a screenplay for an intended film adaptation of '' Ubik'' in 1974, but the film was never made. Many film adaptations have not used Dick's original titles. When asked why this was, Dick's ex-wife Tessa said, "Actually, the books rarely carry Phil's original titles, as the editors usually wrote new titles after reading his manuscripts. Phil often commented that he couldn't write good titles. If he could, he would have been an advertising writer instead of a novelist." Films based on Dick's writing had accumulated a total revenue of over US$1 billion by 2009. *'' Blade Runner'' (1982), based on Dick's 1968 novel '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'', directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

and starring

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

, Sean Young and Rutger Hauer. A screenplay had been in the works for years before Scott took the helm, with Dick being extremely critical of all versions. Dick was still apprehensive about how his story would be adapted for the film when the project was finally put into motion. Among other things, he refused to do a novelization of the film. But contrary to his initial reactions, when he was given an opportunity to see some of the special effects sequences of Los Angeles 2019, Dick was amazed that the environment was "exactly as how I'd imagined it!", though Ridley Scott has mentioned he had never even read the source material. Following the screening, Dick and Scott had a frank but cordial discussion of ''Blade Runner''s themes and characters, and although they had wildly differing views, Dick fully backed the film from then on, stating that his "life and creative work are justified and completed by ''Blade Runner''". Dick died from a stroke less than four months before the release of the film. *'' Total Recall'' (1990), based on the short story " We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

. * ''

Confessions d'un Barjo ''Barjo'' (french: Confessions d'un Barjo) is a 1992 French film adaptation of Philip K. Dick's non-science fiction novel ''Confessions of a Crap Artist'', originally written in 1959 and published in 1975, the only non-science fiction novel of ...

'' (1992), titled ''Barjo'' in its English-language release, a French film based on the non-science-fiction novel ''

''. * '' Screamers'' (1995), based on the short story "

Second Variety "Second Variety" is a science fiction novelette by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in ''Space Science Fiction'' magazine, in May 1953. Set in a world where war between the Soviet Union and United Nations has reduced most of the ...

", directed by Christian Duguay and starring

Peter Weller Peter Weller (born June 24, 1947) is an American film and stage actor, television director, and art historian. He has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including ''RoboCop'' (1987) and its sequel ''RoboCop 2'' (1990), in whic ...

. The location was altered from a war-devastated Earth to a distant planet. A sequel, titled '' Screamers: The Hunting'', was released straight to DVD in 2009. * ''

'' (2002), based on the short story " The Minority Report", directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

and starring Tom Cruise. * ''

Impostor An impostor (also spelled imposter) is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often through means of disguise. Their objective is usually to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but also often for purposes ...

'' (2002), based on the 1953 story "

," directed by

Gary Fleder Gary Fleder (; born December 19, 1965) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His most recently completed film, '' Homefront,'' was released by Open Road Films and Millennium Films in November 2013. In recent years he has bee ...

and starring Gary Sinise, Vincent D'Onofrio and

Madeleine Stowe Madeleine Marie Stowe Mora (born August 18, 1958) is an American actress. She appeared mostly on television before her role in the 1987 crime-comedy film ''Stakeout''. She went on to star in the films ''Revenge'' (1990), ''Unlawful Entry'' (199 ...

. The story was also adapted in 1962 for the British television anthology series '' Out of This World''. * '' Paycheck'' (2003), directed by John Woo and starring Ben Affleck, based on Dick's short story of the same name. * '' A Scanner Darkly'' (2006), directed by

and starring

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

, Winona Ryder, and Robert Downey Jr., based on Dick's novel of the same name. The film was produced using the process of

rotoscoping Rotoscoping is an animation technique that animators use to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic action. Originally, animators projected photographed live-action movie images onto a glass panel and traced ov ...

: it was first shot in live-action and then the live footage was animated over. * '' Next'' (2007), directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Nicolas Cage, loosely based on the short story "

The Golden Man "The Golden Man" is an 11,600-word science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was received by the Scott Meredith Literary Agency on June 24, 1953, and first published in the April 1954 issue of '' If'' magazine. The story ...

". * ''

'' (2010), directed by John Alan Simon loosely based on the novel ''

''. * '' The Adjustment Bureau'' (2011), directed by George Nolfi and starring Matt Damon, loosely based on the short story "

Adjustment Team "Adjustment Team" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published in '' Orbit Science Fiction'' (September–October 1954, No. 4) with illustration by Faragasso. It was later reprinted in ''The Sands of ...

". * '' Total Recall'' (2012), directed by Len Wiseman and starring Colin Farrell, second film adaptation of the short story " We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". * ''

Blade Runner 2049 ''Blade Runner 2049'' is a 2017 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. A sequel to the 1982 film ''Blade Runner'', the film stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, w ...

'' (2017), directed by

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve (; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, winning for '' Maelström'' in 2001, '' Polytechnique'' in 2009, ''Incendies ...

and starring

Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received ...

and

, a sequel to the 1982 film ''Blade Runner'', based on ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.'' Future films based on Dick's writing include a film adaptation of ''Ubik'' which, according to Dick's daughter, Isa Dick Hackett, is in advanced negotiation. Ubik was set to be made into a film by Michel Gondry. In 2014, however, Gondry told French outlet Telerama (via Jeux Actu), that he was no longer working on the project. In November 2021, it was announced that Francis Lawrence will direct a film adaptation of '' Vulcan's Hammer'', with Lawrence's about:blank, New Republic Pictures and

Electric Shepherd Productions Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his l ...

producing. An animated adaptation of ''

The King of the Elves "The King of the Elves" is a fantasy short story by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in the September 1953 issue of ''Beyond Fantasy Fiction''. Plot summary Shadrach Jones is an old man who owns and runs a gas station in the fict ...

'' from Walt Disney Animation Studios was in production and was set to be released in the spring of 2016 but it was cancelled following multiple creative problems. The ''

Terminator Terminator may refer to: Science and technology Genetics * Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription * Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...

'' series prominently features the theme of humanoid assassination machines first portrayed in ''Second Variety''.

The Halcyon Company The Halcyon Company was an American media development company headed by Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson. They were perhaps best known for acquiring the global rights to the ''Terminator'' franchise in 2007 and for producing ''Terminator Salvat ...

, known for developing the ''

'' franchise, acquired right of first refusal to film adaptations of the works of Philip K. Dick in 2007. In May 2009, they announced plans for an adaptation of '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said''.

Television

It was reported in 2010 that Ridley Scott would produce an

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

of ''The Man in the High Castle'' for the BBC, in the form of a miniseries. A pilot episode was released on

in January 2015 and season 1 was fully released in ten episodes of about 60 minutes each on November 20, 2015. Premiering in January 2015, the pilot was Amazon's "most-watched since the original series development program began." The next month Amazon ordered episodes to fill out a ten-episode season, which was released in November, to positive reviews. A second season of ten episodes premiered in December 2016, with a third season announced a few weeks later to be released in 2018. In July 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a fourth season. In late 2015,

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

aired ''

'', a television series sequel adaptation to the 2002 film of the same name based on Dick's short story " The Minority Report" (1956). The show was cancelled after one 10-episode season. In May 2016, it was announced that a 10-part anthology series was in the works. Titled ''

Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams ''Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams'', or simply ''Electric Dreams'', is a science fiction television anthology series based on the works of Philip K. Dick. The series consists of ten standalone 50-minute episodes based on Dick's work, written by ...

'', the series was distributed by Sony Pictures Television and premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and Amazon Prime Video in the United States. It was written by executive producers

Ronald D. Moore Ronald Dowl Moore (born July 5, 1964) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for his work on ''Star Trek''; on the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series, for which he won a Peabody Award and an Em ...

and Michael Dinner, with executive input from Dick's daughter

, and stars Bryan Cranston, also an executive producer.

Stage and radio

Four of Dick's works have been adapted for the stage. One was the opera ''VALIS'', composed and with

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Tod Machover, which premiered at the Pompidou Center in Paris on December 1, 1987, with a French libretto. It was subsequently revised and readapted into English, and was recorded and released on CD (Bridge Records BCD9007) in 1988. Another was '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'', adapted by Linda Hartinian and produced by the New York-based avant-garde company Mabou Mines. It premiered in Boston at the Boston Shakespeare Theatre (June 18–30, 1985) and was subsequently staged in New York and Chicago. Productions of ''Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' were also staged by the Evidence Room in Los Angeles in 1999 and by the Fifth Column Theatre Company at the Oval House Theatre in London in the same year. A play based on ''

'' also had a brief run in the 1980s. In November 2010, a production of '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'', adapted by Edward Einhorn, premiered at the 3LD Art and Technology Center in Manhattan. A radio drama adaptation of Dick's short story "Mr. Spaceship" was aired by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yleisradio) in 1996 under the name ''Menolippu Paratiisiin''. Radio dramatizations of Dick's short stories ''Colony'' and ''The Defenders'' were aired by NBC in 1956 as part of the series '' X Minus One''. In January 2006, a ''The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch'' (English for ''Trzy stygmaty Palmera Eldritcha'') theatre adaptation premiered in Stary Teatr in Kraków, with an extensive use of lights and laser choreography. In June 2014, the BBC broadcast a two-part adaptation of ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' on BBC Radio 4, starring James Purefoy as Rick Deckard.

Comics

Marvel Comics adapted Dick's short story "

The Electric Ant "The Electric Ant" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published in ''Fantasy and Science Fiction'' magazine in October 1969. Plot summary Garson Poole wakes up after a flying-car-crash to find that he ...

" as a

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

which was released in 2009. The comic was produced by writer David Mack (''

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...

'') and artist Pascal Alixe ('' Ultimate X-Men''), with covers provided by artist Paul Pope. "

" had earlier been loosely adapted by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow in their 3-issue mini-series '' Hard Boiled'' published by Dark Horse Comics in 1990–1992. In 2009, BOOM! Studios started publishing a 24-issue miniseries comic book adaptation of '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' '' Blade Runner'', the 1982 film adapted from ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'', had previously been adapted to comics as '' A Marvel Comics Super Special: Blade Runner''. In 2011, Dynamite Entertainment published a four-issue miniseries ''Total Recall'', a sequel to the 1990 film '' Total Recall'', inspired by Philip K. Dick's short story " We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". In 1990, DC Comics published the official adaptation of the original film as a ''DC Movie Special: Total Recall''.

Alternative formats

In response to a 1975 request from the

National Library for the Blind The National Library for the Blind (NLB) was a public library in the United Kingdom, founded 1882, which aimed to ensure that people with sight problems have the same access to library services as sighted people. NLB was taken over by the Royal Na ...

for permission to make use of '' The Man in the High Castle'', Dick responded, "I also grant you a general permission to transcribe any of my former, present or future work, so indeed you can add my name to your 'general permission' list." Some of his books and stories are available in braille and other specialized formats through the NLS. As of December 2012, thirteen of Philip K. Dick's early works in the public domain in the United States are available in ebook form from Project Gutenberg. As of December 2019, Wikisource has three of Philip K. Dick's early works in the public domain in the United States available in ebook form which is not from Project Gutenberg.

Influence and legacy

Lawrence Sutin Lawrence Sutin (born October 12, 1951) is the author of two memoirs, two biographies, a novel and a work of history. History of works Sutin's debut book was ''Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick''. He subsequently edited two volumes of wr ...

's 1989 biography of Dick, ''Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick'', is considered the standard biographical treatment of Dick's life. In 1993, French writer

Emmanuel Carrère Emmanuel Carrère (born 9 December 1957) is a French author, screenwriter and film director. Life Family Carrère was born into a wealthy family in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. His father, Louis Carrère d'Encausse, is a retired insuranc ...

published ''Je suis vivant et vous êtes morts'' which was first translated and published in English in 2004 as ''I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philip K. Dick'', which the author describes in his preface in this way:

The book you hold in your hands is a very peculiar book. I have tried to depict the life of Philip K. Dick from the inside, in other words, with the same freedom and empathy – indeed with the same truth – with which he depicted his own characters.

Critics of the book have complained about the lack of fact checking, sourcing, notes and index, "the usual evidence of deep research that gives a biography the solid stamp of authority." It can be considered a non-fiction novel about his life. Dick has influenced many writers, including

Jonathan Lethem Jonathan Allen Lethem (; born February 19, 1964) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. His first novel, ''Gun, with Occasional Music'', a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was publishe ...

and

. The prominent literary critic Fredric Jameson proclaimed Dick the " Shakespeare of Science Fiction", and praised his work as "one of the most powerful expressions of the society of spectacle and pseudo-event". The author Roberto Bolaño also praised Dick, describing him as " Thoreau plus the death of the American dream". Dick has also influenced filmmakers, his work being compared to films such as the Wachowskis' '' The Matrix'',

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation ...

's '' Videodrome'',How Hollywood woke up to a dark genius
The Daily Telegraph '' eXistenZ'', and '' Spider'',

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

's ''

Being John Malkovich ''Being John Malkovich'' is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, both making their feature film debut. The film stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, with John Malkovich as a ...

'', ''

Adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

'', Michel Gondry's ''

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (also simply known as ''Eternal Sunshine'') is a 2004 American romantic science fiction drama film written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Michel Gondry, and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. P ...

'', Alex Proyas's '' Dark City'', Peter Weir's '' The Truman Show'', Andrew Niccol's '' Gattaca'', ''

In Time ''In Time'' is a 2011 American science fiction action film written, directed and produced by Andrew Niccol. Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake star as inhabitants of a society which uses time from one's lifespan as its primary currency, with ...

'', Terry Gilliam's ''

12 Monkeys ''12 Monkeys'' is a 1995 American science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, inspired by Chris Marker's 1962 short film ''La Jetée'', starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt, with Christopher Plummer and David Morse in sup ...

'', Alejandro Amenábar's '' Open Your Eyes'',

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...

's '' Fight Club'', Cameron Crowe's ''

Vanilla Sky ''Vanilla Sky'' is a 2001 American science fiction thriller film directed, written, and co-produced by Cameron Crowe. It is an English-language remake of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 Spanish film '' Open Your Eyes'', which was written by Amenábar ...

'', Darren Aronofsky's '' Pi'', Richard Kelly's '' Donnie Darko'' and '' Southland Tales'',

Rian Johnson Rian Craig Johnson (born December 17, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film ''Brick'' (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Transition ...

's ''Looper'', Duncan Jones' '' Source Code'', Christopher Nolan's '' Memento'' and '' Inception,'' and

Owen Dennis ''Infinity Train'' is an American animated television series created by Owen Dennis, previously a writer and storyboard artist on ''Regular Show''. four seasons have aired, plus a series of short episodes. The pilot for the series was released ...

' Infinity Train The Philip K. Dick Society was an organization dedicated to promoting the literary works of Dick and was led by Dick's longtime friend and music journalist Paul Williams. Williams also served as Dick's

literary executor The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially completed wo ...

for several years after Dick's death and wrote one of the first biographies of Dick, entitled '' Only Apparently Real: The World of Philip K. Dick''. The Philip K. Dick estate owns and operates the production company Electric Shepherd Productions, which has produced the film '' The Adjustment Bureau'' (2011), the TV series '' The Man in the High Castle'' and also a Marvel Comics 5-issue adaptation of ''Electric Ant''. Dick was recreated by his fans in the form of a

simulacrum A simulacrum (plural: simulacra or simulacrums, from Latin '' simulacrum'', which means "likeness, semblance") is a representation or imitation of a person or thing. The word was first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, u ...

or remote-controlled

android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

designed in his likeness. Such simulacra had been themes of many of Dick's works. The Philip K. Dick simulacrum was included on a discussion panel in a San Diego Comic Con presentation about the film adaptation of the novel, '' A Scanner Darkly''. In February 2006, an

America West Airlines America West Airlines was a major American airline, founded in 1981, with service commencing in 1983, and having reached US$1 billion in annual revenue in 1989, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. At the time of its acquisition of US Airways, Americ ...

employee misplaced the android's head, and it has not yet been found. In January 2011, it was announced that Hanson Robotics had built a replacement.

Film

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

released in 1994 a biographical documentary as part of its '' Arena'' arts series called ''Philip K. Dick: A Day in the Afterlife''. * ''The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick'' was a documentary film produced in 2001. * ''The Penultimate Truth About Philip K. Dick'' was another biographical documentary film produced in 2007. * The 1987 film ''The Trouble with Dick'', in which Tom Villard plays a character named "Dick Kendred" (cf. Philip Kindred Dick), who is a science fiction author * The dialogue of Nikos Nikolaidis' 1987 film ''

Morning Patrol ''Morning Patrol'' ( el, Πρωινή Περίπολος, translit=Proini Peripolos, italic=yes) is a 1987 Greek science fiction art film directed by Nikos Nikolaidis. It introduced a new iconography to Nikolaidis' work and contains several elemen ...

'' contains excerpts taken from published works authored by Philip K. Dick. * The Spanish feature film ''Proxima'' (2007) by Carlos Atanes, where the character ''Felix Cadecq'' is based on Dick * A 2008 film titled ''

Your Name Here ''Your Name Here'' (formerly ''Panasonic'') is a 2008 American surreal dramatic fantasy biopic loosely based on the life of Philip K. Dick. Written and directed by and the feature film directorial debut of Matthew Wilder, it stars Bill Pullma ...

'', by Matthew Wilder, features Bill Pullman as science fiction author William J. Frick, a character based on Dick * The 2010 science fiction film '' 15 Till Midnight'' cites Dick's influence with an "acknowledgment to the works of" credit. * The ''

Prophets of Science Fiction ''Prophets of Science Fiction'' is an American documentary television series produced and hosted by Ridley Scott for the Science Channel. The program premiered on . The series covers the life and work of leading science fiction authors of the las ...

'' episode, Philip K Dick. 2011 Documentary

In fiction

* Michael Bishop's ''The Secret Ascension'' (1987; currently published as ''Philip K. Dick Is Dead, Alas''), which is set in an alternative universe where his non-genre work is published but his science fiction is banned by a totalitarian United States in thrall to a demonically possessed Richard Nixon. * The

Faction Paradox ''Faction Paradox'' is a series of novels, audio stories, short story anthologies, and comics set in and around a "War in Heaven", a history-spanning conflict between godlike "Great Houses" and their mysterious enemy. The series is named after a ...

novel ''Of the City of the Saved ... '' (2004) by

Philip Purser-Hallard Philip Purser-Hallard (born 1971 as Philip Hallard) is a fantasy, science fiction and crime author described by the British Fantasy Society as "the best kept secret in British genre writing".

* The short story "The Transmigration of Philip K" (1984) by Michael Swanwick (to be found in the 1991 collection ''

Gravity's Angels ''Gravity's Angels'' is a collection of science fiction stories by American writer Michael Swanwick. It was released in 1991, and was the author's first book published by Arkham House. It was published in an edition of 4,119 copies. The stories ori ...

'') * In

's 1971 novel ''

The Lathe of Heaven ''The Lathe of Heaven'' is a 1971 science fiction novel by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin. The plot concerns a character whose dreams alter past and present reality. The story was serialized in the American science fiction magazine ''Amazing ...

'', whose characters alter reality through their dreams. Two made-for-TV films based on the novel have been made: ''

'' (1980) and '' Lathe of Heaven'' (2002) * In

Thomas M. Disch Thomas Michael Disch (February 2, 1940 – July 4, 2008) was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nomination ...

's ''The Word of God'' (2008) * The comics magazine ''

Weirdo Weirdo may refer to: * An eccentric * ''Weirdo'' (comics), an alternative comics anthology published by Last Gasp * "Weirdo" (song), a single by the Charlatans UK off their album ''Between 10th and 11th'' * ''Weirdos'' (film), a 2016 Canadian d ...

'' published "The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick" by cartoonist Robert Crumb in 1986. Though this is not an adaptation of a specific book or story by Dick, it incorporates elements of Dick's experience which he related in short stories, novels, essays, and the '' Exegesis''. The story parodies the form of a

Chick tract Chick tracts are short evangelical gospel tracts, originally created by American publisher and religious cartoonist Jack Chick in the 1960s. His company Chick Publications has continued to print these tracts, in addition to those by new writer ...

, a type of evangelical comic, many of which relate the story of an epiphany leading to a conversion to fundamentalist Christianity. * In the '' Batman Beyond'' episode "Sentries of the Last Cosmos", the character Eldon Michaels claims a typewriter on his desk to have belonged to Philip K. Dick. * In the 1976 alternate history novel '' The Alteration'' by Kingsley Amis, one of the novels-within-a-novel depicted is ''The Man in the High Castle'' (mirroring ''The Grasshopper Lies Heavy'' in the real-life novel), still written by Philip K. Dick. Instead of the novel being set in 1962 in an alternate universe where the Axis Powers won the Second World War and named for Hawthorne Abendsen, the author of its novel-within-a-novel, it depicts an alternate universe where the Protestant Reformation occurred (events including the continuation of Henry VIII's Schismatic policies by his son, Henry IX, and the creation of an independent North America in 1848), with one character speculating that the titular character was a wizard. * In the Japanese science fiction anime '' Psycho-Pass'', Dick's works are referred to as recommended reading material to help reflect on the current state of affairs of those characters world. * The short film trilogy ''Code 7'' written and directed by

Nacho Vigalondo Ignacio Vigalondo Palacios (born 6 April 1977), better known as Nacho Vigalondo, is a Spanish filmmaker. Career Vigalondo's first film was the 2003 Spanish-language short film '' 7:35 in the Morning'', about a suicide bomber who terrorizes a ca ...

starts with the line "Philip K. Dick presents". The story also contains some other references to Philip K. Dick's body of work. * In the 2022 web anime '' Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'', the character, Rebecca, has the words "PK DICK" tattooed on her right thigh.

Music

* "Flow My Tears" is the name of an instrumental by bassist Stuart Hamm, inspired by Dick's novel of the same name. The track is found on his album ''

'', also named after a Dick novel. * "Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said" and other seminal Ph. K. Dick novels inspired the electronic music concept album "''The Dowland Shores of Philip K. Dick's Universe''" by Levente * "Flow My Tears the Spider Said" is the final song on ''

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned ''They Were Wrong, So We Drowned'' is the second album by noise rock band Liars, released in 2004. The album is considered a massive departure from the post-punk-inspired style of their debut ''They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument ...

'', the second album by experimental Los Angeles punk-rock outfit Liars. * "Nowhere Nothin' Fuckup", the fifth song on Built to Spill's album ''

Ultimate Alternative Wavers ''Ultimate Alternative Wavers'' is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Built to Spill. The line-up consisted of Doug Martsch on guitar and vocals, Brett Netson on guitar and bass, and Ralf Youtz on drums, although there was some ...

'', is the title of a song by the main character, Jason Taverner, in ''Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said''. * "Listen to the Sirens", the first song on

Tubeway Army Tubeway Army were a London-based new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. Formed at the height of punk rock in 1977 the band gradually changed to an electronic sound. They were the first band of the electronic era to have a synthesiser-b ...

's 1978 debut album has as its first line "flow my tears, the new police song". * American rapper and producer El-P is a noted fan of Dick and other science fiction, as many of Dick's themes, such as paranoia and questions about the nature of reality, feature in El-P's work. A song on the 2002 album '' Fantastic Damage'' is titled "T.O.J." and the chorus makes reference to the Dick work ''

''. * English singer Hugh Cornwell included an instrumental called "Philip K. Ridiculous" on his 2008 album "Hooverdam". *

The World/Inferno Friendship Society The World/Inferno Friendship Society (also referred to as World Inferno, or Inferno) was an American band from Brooklyn, New York. Its style merged punk, soul, klezmer and jazz, while its collective membership featured horns, piano and guitar ...

's 2011 album ''

The Anarchy and the Ecstasy ''The Anarchy and the Ecstasy'' is an album released by the World/Inferno Friendship Society on March 15, 2011. It is their fifth full-length album. Three members left the group between the previous release and ''Anarchy''. Before the album's re ...

'' includes a song entitled "Canonize Philip K. Dick, OK". * Bloc Party's 2012 album ''

Four 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

'' contains several references to Dick's work, including a song entitled "V.A.L.I.S.". * German singer Pohlmann included a song called "Roy Batty (In Tribute to Philip K. Dick)" on his 2013 album ''Nix ohne Grund''. * Sister, a

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

album, "was in part inspired by the life and works of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick". * "What You See" is a song by

Faded Paper Figures Faded Paper Figures (abbreviated as FPF) is an American indie pop electronica band from Los Angeles, California. FPF is known for their electro-organic sound sometimes compared to bands and artists like Weevil (band), Weevil, The Postal Service, B ...

that pays homage to the literary work of Dick. * The first song on Japancakes' debut album '' If I Could See Dallas'' is titled 'Now Wait For Last Year'. * Janelle Monáe's song "Make the Bus" in her album ''

The ArchAndroid ''The ArchAndroid'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on May 18, 2010, by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records, and Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place at Wondaland Studios ...

'' has the lyrics "You've got 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' under your pillow" at the end of the first stanza. * Blind Guardian's song "Time What is Time" from the 1992 album "Somewhere Far Beyond" is loosely based on the book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". * The Weeknd's song "Snowchild" in his album '' After Hours'' has the lyrics "Futuristic sex give her Philip K dick" at the beginning of the second stanza. *American band Trivium's 2020 album ''

What the Dead Men Say "What the Dead Men Say" is a science fiction novella by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in ''Worlds of Tomorrow'' magazine in June 1964. The manuscript, originally titled "Man With a Broken Match", was received by Dick's agent on ...

'' and its title track, are a direct reference the short story of the same name.

Radio

* In June 2014, BBC Radio 4 broadcast ''The Two Georges'' by Stephen Keyworth, inspired by the FBI's investigation of Phil and his wife Kleo in 1955, and the subsequent friendship that developed between Phil and FBI Agent Scruggs.

Theater

* The short play ''Kindred Blood in Kensington Gore'' (1992) by

Brian W. Aldiss Brian Wilson Aldiss (; 18 August 1925 – 19 August 2017) was an English writer, artist, and anthology editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for ...

* A 2005 play, ''800 Words: the Transmigration of Philip K. Dick'' by Victoria Stewart, which re-imagines Dick's final days.

Contemporary philosophy

Postmodernists such as Jean Baudrillard, Fredric Jameson,

Laurence Rickels Laurence Arthur Rickels (born December 2, 1954) is an American literary and media theorist, whose most significant works have been in the tradition of the Frankfurt School's efforts to apply psychoanalytic insights to mass media culture. Some ...

and

Slavoj Žižek Slavoj Žižek (, ; ; born 21 March 1949) is a Slovenian philosopher, cultural theorist and public intellectual. He is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New Y ...

have commented on Dick's writing's foreshadowing of postmodernity. Jean Baudrillard offers this interpretation:

"It is hyperreal. It is a universe of simulation, which is something altogether different. And this is so not because Dick speaks specifically of simulacra. SF has always done so, but it has always played upon the double, on artificial replication or imaginary duplication, whereas here the double has disappeared. There is no more double; one is always already in the other world, an other world which is not another, without mirrors or projection or utopias as means for reflection. The simulation is impassable, unsurpassable, checkmated, without exteriority. We can no longer move 'through the mirror' to the other side, as we could during the golden age of transcendence."

For his anti-government skepticism, Philip K. Dick was afforded minor mention in ''Mythmakers and Lawbreakers'', a collection of interviews about fiction by anarchist authors. Noting his early authorship of ''

The Last of the Masters "The Last of the Masters" (also known as "Protection Agency") is a science fiction novelette by American writer Philip K. Dick. The original manuscript of the story was received by the Scott Meredith Literary Agency on July 15, 1953, and the st ...

'', an anarchist-themed novelette, author

Margaret Killjoy Margaret Killjoy is an American author and musician. She has published fiction novels in the steampunk and folk horror genres, and is best known for her two-book ''Danielle Cain'' series. Killjoy is involved in several musical projects across genr ...

expressed that while Dick never fully sided with

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessa ...

, his opposition to government

centralization Centralisation or centralization (see spelling differences) is the process by which the activities of an organisation, particularly those regarding planning and decision-making, framing strategy and policies become concentrated within a particu ...

and

organized religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established. Organized religion is typically characterized by an official doctrine (or dogma), a ...

has influenced anarchist interpretations of gnosticism.

Video games

* The 3.0 update for the grand strategy video game '' Stellaris'' is named the "Dick" update, following the game's trend of naming updates after science fiction authors. *The 2016 video game '' Californium'' was developed as a tribute to Philip K. Dick and his writings to coincide with an Arte's documentary series.

Awards and honors

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted Dick in 2005. During his lifetime he received numerous annual literary awards and nominations for particular works. *

s ** Best Novel *** 1963 – winner: '' The Man in the High Castle'' *** 1975 – nominee: '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' ** Best Novelette *** 1968 – nominee: '' Faith of Our Fathers'' *

s ** Best Novel *** 1965 – nominee: ''

Dr. Bloodmoney ''Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb'' is a 1965 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1965. Dick wrote the novel in 1963 with working titles ''In Eart ...

'' *** 1965 – nominee: '' The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch'' *** 1968 – nominee: '' Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' *** 1974 – nominee: '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' *** 1982 – nominee: ''

'' *

John W. Campbell Memorial Award The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, or Campbell Memorial Award, is an annual award presented by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best science fiction no ...

** Best Novel *** 1975 – winner: '' Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'' *

British Science Fiction Association Award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...

** Best Novel *** 1978 – winner: '' A Scanner Darkly'' * Graoully d'Or (Festival de Metz, France) ** 1979 – winner: '' A Scanner Darkly'' * Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis ** 1985 – winner '' VALIS''

Philip K. Dick Award

The Philip K. Dick Award is a science fiction award that annually recognizes the previous year's best SF

paperback original A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, lea ...

published in the U.S. It is conferred at Norwescon, sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, and since 2005 supported by the Philip K. Dick Trust. Winning works are identified on their covers as ''Best Original SF Paperback''. It is currently administered by Pat LoBrutto, John Silbersack, and

Gordon Van Gelder Gordon Van Gelder (born 1966) is an American science fiction editor. From 1997 until 2014, Van Gelder was editor and later publisher of ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Shor ...

. The award was inaugurated in 1983, the year after Dick's death. It was founded by

with assistance from

David G. Hartwell David Geddes Hartwell (July 10, 1941 – January 20, 2016) was an American critic, publisher, and editor of thousands of science fiction and fantasy novels. He was best known for work with Signet, Pocket, and Tor Books publishers. He was also no ...

, Paul S. Williams, and

Charles N. Brown Charles Nikki Brown (June 24, 1937 – July 12, 2009) was an American publishing editor, the co-founder and editor of ''Locus (magazine), Locus'', the long-running news and reviews magazine covering the genres of science fiction and fantasy litera ...

. Past administrators include Algis J. Budrys and David Alexander Smith.

Bibliography

Primary bibliography * ''Precious Artifacts : A Philip K. Dick Bibliography, United States of America and United Kingdom Editions, 1955 – 2012''. Compiled by Henri Wintz and David Hyde. (Wide Books 2012). www.wide-books.com * ''Precious Artifacts 2: A Philip K. Dick Bibliography, The Short Stories, United States, United Kingdom and Oceania, 1952 – 2014''. Compiled by Henri Wintz and David Hyde (Wide Books 2014). www.wide-books.com * ''Precious Artifacts 3 // Precieuses Reliques: A Philip K. Dick Bibliography, The French Editions, 1959–2018'' (bi-lingual). Compiled by Henri Wintz and David Hyde. (Wide Books 2019). www.wide-books.com Secondary bibliography *

Philip K. Dick bibliography The bibliography of Philip K. Dick includes 44 novels, 121 short stories, and 14 short story collections published by American science fiction author Philip K. Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) during his lifetime. At the time of his d ...

: Book-length critical studies *

References

External links

* * * * * * * * * *
Ebooks by Philip K. Dick - Standard Ebooks

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, Philip K. 1928 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century American short story writers American alternate history writers American essayists American Episcopalians American male novelists American male short story writers American male non-fiction writers American people of Irish descent American psychological fiction writers American science fiction writers American short story writers American social commentators American tax resisters Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni American consciousness researchers and theorists Cultural critics Cyberpunk writers Epistemologists Hugo Award-winning writers Hyperreality theorists Metaphysicians Moral philosophers Mystics Platonists Novelists from California Ontologists Panentheists People from Fullerton, California People from Marin County, California People from Santa Ana, California Philosophers from California Philosophers of art Philosophers of culture Philosophers of education Philosophers of ethics and morality Philosophers of history Philosophers of literature Philosophers of love Philosophers of mind Philosophers of nihilism Philosophers of religion Philosophers of sexuality Philosophers of science Philosophers of technology Political philosophers Postmodern writers American psychedelic drug advocates Pulp fiction writers Science fiction critics Science fiction fans Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees Social critics Social philosophers American twins University of California, Berkeley alumni Weird fiction writers Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area 20th-century American male writers

Early life

Career

Early writing

Flight to Canada, mental health and suicide attempt

Paranormal experiences

Personal life

Politics

Death

Style and works

Themes

Pen names

Selected works

Adaptations

Films

Television

Stage and radio

Comics

Alternative formats

Influence and legacy

Film

In fiction

Music

Radio

Theater

Contemporary philosophy

Video games

Awards and honors

Philip K. Dick Award

See also

Bibliography

References

External links