O
Olga Ravn
Olga Ravn is a Danish writer and poet who blends historical research with experimental storytelling. She is the author of the 17th-century novel The Wax Child and the sci-
The Employees
- Pages
- 114
- Published
- 2022
- Language
- English
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the International Booker prize and the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize, The Employees reshuffles a sci-fi voyage into a riotously original existential nightmare Longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award Funny and doom-drenched, The Employees chronicles the fate of the Six-Thousand Ship. The human and humanoid crew members complain about their daily tasks in a series of staff reports and memos. When the ship takes on a number of strange objects from the planet New Discovery, the crew becomes strangely and deeply attached to them, even as tensions boil toward mutiny, especially among the humanoids. Olga Ravn’s prose is chilling, crackling, exhilarating, and foreboding. The Employees probes into what makes us human, while delivering a hilariously stinging critique of life governed by the logic of productivity. It was shortlisted for the the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize.
Genres
Characters
human crew membersSupporting
Part of the crew of the Six-Thousand Ship, they complain about daily tasks and become attached to strange objects from New Discovery.
humanoid crew membersSupporting
Part of the crew of the Six-Thousand Ship, they complain about daily tasks, become attached to strange objects, and tensions boil towards mutiny among them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the structure of The Employees?
The novel is presented as a series of reports, interviews, and observations from both human and humanoid crew members, offering multiple perspectives on the events unfolding on the ship. This fragmented structure requires readers to piece together the narrative from various subjective accounts.
How does The Employees relate to Olga Ravn's other works?
The Employees shares Ravn's characteristic exploration of the human condition, often through unconventional narrative forms and a focus on the psychological impact of external pressures. It continues her interest in themes of labor, identity, and the body, which are also prominent in her poetry and earlier novels.