The anthology features twenty-three experimental prose pieces from Fiction Collective Two, showcasing innovative writing from 1999 to 2009. It highlights the diverse voices and unique styles of contemporary authors, reflecting the evolution of narrative forms and the exploration of language in modern literature. The collection serves as a testament to the creativity and experimentation that defines this period in literary history.
Exploring the quest for identity and representation, the narrative intertwines the lives of a desert nomad, a Renaissance artist, a psychoanalyst, and contemporary image-makers. Each character grapples with their origins and aspirations, seeking to inscribe their existence through art and connection. The book blends writing and images, creating a postmodern epic that examines the human desire to define oneself across different eras, culminating in a collective portrait shaped by individual yearnings and societal reflections.
A manga artist who is afraid that she herself is slipping into a cartoon version of life, a lab technician who makes art with the cloning technology she uses at work, a sociologist hunting for the gene that makes some people want to take risks - these are some of the characters that populate the stories in Once Human.