Quotessence
Home / Books / The Selected Letters, 1974

The Selected Letters, 1974

Book by Philip K. Dick · 3 quotes · Man In The High Castle, Valis, Story Ideas

Filter quotes by topic

AllMan In The High CastleValisStory IdeasUnfinished WorkInspirationLost WorkUnwrittenWriter S Block

The Selected Letters, 1974 Quotes

“I'm working on a sequel to MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE called VALISYSTEM A, which is an acronym for "Vast Active Living Intelligence System" A. It is based on modern discoveries about the right hemisphere of the brain and on AI (artificial intelligence) systems and orthomolecular psychiatry (the use of water soluble vitamins). I tried out the vitamin formula plus attempts to cause neural firing in my right hemisphere back in mid-March, with spectacular results—I believe a letter of mine about this will be published in France in a magazine which they described as being like our Rolling Stone rock magazine, with a circulation of about 20,000. I've had over four months of enormously heightened neural efficiency and firing, producing a total change in my personality and abilities and habits.”

ValisMan In The High Castle
Book:The Selected Letters, 1974
Create image

“And yet, as of this March, with the sudden bombardment of the nonobjective graphics, perhaps I have once again regained contract with the authentic future; for example, the work I'm engaged in now is a sequel to MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, at last—I've wanted to do that for 12 years, but never come up with an idea good enough. Based on my experiences from March of this year on, I believe I have indeed, finally, come up with an idea good enough, and am deep into it. I feel that the external creative force which I've discussed throughout this letter, whatever its source, whatever its nature, has inspired me as I have never been inspired before. More important to me than what it is, what it's called, is the quality of its inspiration to me and the effect on my writing. Well, from these experiences over the past three months, I do have a terrific idea, I think the best of my life, and in no way will it be anything you can read about in the present day newspaper. Perhaps what has happened is nothing more or less than a sudden return of the old force of creativity which animated me in years past and novels past, before the tragic years after my wife Nancy became mentally ill and left forever with my little daughter, and I fell into despair and inactivity, and didn't write for three years. Whatever it is, God bless it, and I am grateful for it.”

InspirationWriter S BlockValisMan In The High Castle
Book:The Selected Letters, 1974
Create image

“Another reason why I've been slow to answer is that I've been working on something I've tried to get behind for 12 years: a sequel to MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. Maybe I should keep you posted about it; possibly it will be the best thing (so to speak) that I've done or will do. Working title is: VALISYSTEM A. That's an acronym for "Vast Active Living Intelligence System" A. I have a 7-page letter on the subject addressed to Peter Fitting, one of the Marxist writers; if I can get it together to get a Xerox, I'll send it to you. Bear with me, please, because I am lazy & disorganized. But brilliant (you knew that).”

ValisMan In The High Castle
Book:The Selected Letters, 1974
Create image