Babel-17

I haven't been reading much fiction these days. I devoured the recent English translation of a classic Haitian novel by Depestre recently, but besides that, Delany's science fiction class Babel-17 is the only other novel I've read in quite some time. Delany's prose is straightforward yet lyrical, combining provocative ideas about language, plot, character, and relationships in an accessible and addicting way. Prior to Babel-17, I was only familiar with a famous short story he wrote that shared some of the social conventions of Babel-17's world. The use of body modification, unconventional sexual relationships, and the overall context of a war with the 'Invader' species make for a great action story with a subtle but powerful message on language as a solution to conflict. Reading this, I could not help but think of Philip K. Dick's Now Wait For Last Year, which also features the human race in a galactic battle against an insect-like species, but fixates on time travel and hallucination and dysfunctional marriage in a way only PKD could accomplish. Nonetheless, it also shares with Delany's work a focus on the meaning of reality and perception, including some ideas of discorporation, subcultures, and class divisions. Indeed, perhaps reading more Delany will lead to him becoming my favorite science fiction writer...