334

Synopsis

334 is a 1972 science fiction work by American writer Thomas M. Disch. It is commonly treated as a novel, though reference works and bibliographic sources describe it as a linked-story collection or fix-up. Set in a near-future Manhattan centered on an apartment building at 334 East 11th Street, it consists of six interconnected sections whose characters and households overlap. The book presents a social portrait of urban life under crowded, administratively managed conditions, and criticism has often treated it as an urban dystopia. Scholarly discussion has focused particularly on its depiction of welfare bureaucracy, social stratification, overpopulation, and reproductive control; some commentary has also discussed its treatment of sexuality within a post-New Wave social order. On its U.S. release, 334 received favorable notices in trade, fan, and review venues. It was nominated for the 1974 Nebula Award for Best Novel, while the shorter novella "334", later incorporated as the book's concluding section, placed ninth in the 1973 Locus Awards novella category. Retrospectively, 334 has often been treated as one of Disch's major works. John Clute described it as perhaps Disch's best single science-fiction treatment of the near future; the book was later included in David Pringle's Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels; and John Crowley wrote that Disch regarded it as his best published work.

Text license: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Details

Type

Book

Release date

January 1, 1972

Genres

science fiction

Created by

Thomas M. Disch

Countries

United States