Melbourne and Mars: My Mysterious Life on Two Planets

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Dublin Core

Title

Melbourne and Mars: My Mysterious Life on Two Planets

Subject

utopian studies; Australian literature; Australian history; socialism; fiction

Description

When editor Joseph Fraser is asked to publish the diaries of a local merchant, he can hardly believe what he is reading. Adam Jacobs has been leading a strange double life: split between the harsh struggles of colonial Melbourne, and the wonders of a technologically advanced, harmonious existence on Mars – where diminutive ‘Martials’ promenade along clean streets, travel in flying machines, and enjoy bountiful produce. Here nature is contained, and social order is complete.

Originally published in 1889, Melbourne and Mars is at once a fascinating early example of Australian science fiction and a utopian socialist manifesto. It dreams of a society without money, social disadvantage or crime; where free education, electricity, and everyday comforts are provided to all. As we astro-travel with the narrator between the opposing realities, the question emerges: how will Adam Jacobs reconcile his different worlds?

This edition includes an introduction by Alexandra Roginski and Zachary Kendal.

Creator

By Joseph Fraser | Introduction and notes by Alexandra Roginski and Zachary Kendal

Date

New ed. 17 June 2020

Rights

Introduction and note on the text copyright © Alexandra Roginski and Zachary Kendal 2020. Series introduction copyright © Ken Gelder and Rachael Weaver 2020.

Relation

$24.95 on the Grattan Street Press store.

First edition: Joseph Fraser, Melbourne and Mars: My Mysterious Life on Two Planets (Melbourne: E. W. Cole, [1889]). Full text available at the National Library of Australia

Format

Print (210 pages)

Type

Book

Identifier

ISBN: 9780987625397

Citation

By Joseph Fraser | Introduction and notes by Alexandra Roginski and Zachary Kendal, “Melbourne and Mars: My Mysterious Life on Two Planets,” Zachary Kendal, accessed March 29, 2024, https://kendal.omeka.net/items/show/15.