（外文电子版资料）Norman Spinrad - Age Of Invention.pdf

file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Norman%20Spinrad%20-%20Age%20Of%20Invention.txt NORMAN SPINRAD The Age of Invention Norman Spinrad is a West Coast writer with a pyrotechnic style. He has produced a number of memorable novels and stories, including Bug Jack Barron, The Men in the Jungle, and the controversial The Iron Dream. But Spinrad is even better when working with the short story form, witness his The Big Flash, No Direction Home, and the unforgettable The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde. This collection begins with one of his best and most ambitious tales, a macrocosmic and hilarious overview of the dawn of business civilization. One morning, having nothing better to do, I went to visit my cousin Roach. Roach lived in one of those lizard-infested caves on the East Side of the mountain. Roach did not hunt bears. Roach did not grow grain. Roach spent his daylight hours throwing globs of bearfat, bison chips and old rotten plants against the walls of his cave. Roach said that he was an Artist. He said it with a capital A. (Even though writing has not yet been invented.) Unlikely as it may seem, Roach had a woman. She was, however, the ugliest female on the mountain. She spent her daylight hours lying on the dirty floor of Roachs cave and staring at the smears of old bearfat, moldy bison chips and rotten plants on the wall. She used to say that this was Roachs Soul. She would also say that Roach had a very big soul. Very big and very smelly. As I approached the mouth of Roachs cave, I smelled pungent smoke. In fact, the cave was filled with this smoke. In the middle of the cave sat Roach and his woman. They were burning a big pile of weeds and inhaling the smoke. What are you doing? I asked. Turning on, baby, said Roach. Ive just invented it. What does `turning on mean? Well, you get this weed, dig? You burn it, and then you honk the smoke. I scratched my head, inadvertently killing several of my favorite fleas. Why do that