J. G. Ballard, The Drowned World

Jeannette Baxter (Anglia Ruskin University)
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Published in 1962,

The Drowned World

established Ballard's reputation as a formidable talent amongst science fiction writers. More popular and commercially successful than his first novel (

The Wind From Nowhere

, 1962),

The Drowned World

was also critically acclaimed for its evocative prose style and ferocious imagination. Forty years later, the reach of Ballard's mesmerising poetics has earned the novel a place in science fiction's hall of fame. In 2001

The Drowned World

was remarketed as part of Gollancz's SF Masterworks series – a ‘library of the greatest SF ever written, chosen with the help of today's leading SF writers and editors.'

Set in 2145, The Drowned World is a haunting vision of post-apocalyptic London. Following the melting of the polar ice-caps through fluctuations in

1293 words

Citation: Baxter, Jeannette. "The Drowned World". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1018, accessed 12 December 2024.]

1018 The Drowned World 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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