Last year we we provided a brief overview of the evolution of the "sleepless world genre" in recent science fiction. 2014 has witnessed the publication of a very smart and thought-provoking addition to this genre, Karen Russell's futuristic novella Sleep Donation, in which an epidemic of insomnia breaks out in the US and soon begins to spread worldwide. The development of technology for "donating" sleep creates hope for the victims of this epidemic -- but sleep-transfusion technology also creates lucrative possibilities for the commodification of human slumber. The nightmare of world-wide insomnia is thus envisioned by Russell as a dream come true for techno-capitalism.
(PS: Those who believe that there is a causal relationship between modern technology and insomnia will be intrigued to know that Sleep Donation is, as yet, available only on e-readers.)
(PS: Those who believe that there is a causal relationship between modern technology and insomnia will be intrigued to know that Sleep Donation is, as yet, available only on e-readers.)
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