Vilken fin, men mycket annorlunda bok. Här ska läsas med konst-ögon, på samma sätt som en opera inte ska ses och höras genom texten, utan genom musiken.
Absolut läsvärt

Fractured and feverish, this novel which imagines the life and thoughts of Valerie Solanas (famous for shooting Warhol and writing the SCUM Manifesto), took me deep into the head of a very troubled woman. There are scenes from Valerie's childhood, university life, the time she ran away to the coast, her periods in a mental institution, in court, and on her deathbed in a seedy hotel in the Tenderloin in San Francisco. It's often hard to read, difficult to orientate oneself, jumbled and disturbing. But ultimately desperately sad.

Vähän vaihteleva kokemus, toisaalta hyvä ja toisaalta tosi hyvä. Välillä tuntui siltä, että olisi auttanut jos olisi lukenut scumin. Teksti oli tosi vetävää ja aika nopealukuista. Luulen, että tämän sulattelu vaatii vähän aikaa ja ehkä toinen lukukerta olisi myös antoisa.

I struggled with this novel. I appreciate the exploration of the novel form (or insubordination of the form, as Katy Waldman describes in her review for The New Yorker), but the blurred lines between history and fiction ignited an ethical dilemma within me.

Stridsberg uses tension and emotion to paint the semi-fictional, semi-firsthand account (but not actually) of the life of Valerie Solanas. Solanas was a radical feminist known for the attempted murder of Andy Warhol and the consequent publication of SCUM Manifesto, her radical text, in the late 1960s. Solanas was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the attempted murder, and was eventually sentenced to three years in prison.

My ethical dilemma regarding Stridsberg’s writing is this: she explicitly states that not many facts are known about Solanas’ life, so most of her novel is fictionalized. This includes fictional conversations between Solanas and the fictional narrator who interviews her on her death bed, Solanas and her mother, Solanas and her psychiatrist, and Solanas and her lover. At what point does an author have the authority to fabricate a real person’s narrative, actions, and words? Especially with the controversial nature of Solanas’ life, actions, and politics?

Stridsberg has immense respect for Solanas, and Waldman defines the novel as an “extraordinary love letter to a radical feminist.” I couldn’t help but question the novel throughout my entire reading. Can Stridsberg fabricate the thoughts and actions of a real person with mental illness? Is Stridsberg attempting to reshape the memory or reputation of Solanas through a fictionalized narrative? Am I supposed to love Solanas, if this is indeed a love letter, despite her violent actions against others? Is this novel taking a side or is it purposely igniting ethical conflict within its readers?

This novel received international praise, and I can’t help but feel that I am misunderstanding it. But what would be the point of a novel if every reader had the same exact experience and takeaway from reading it? I don’t always need to find an answer.

Så, vad ska jag säga om denna bok. Den är väldigt annorlunda än det jag brukar läsa, YA mest, om tonåringar i modern tid är det vanliga. Drömfakulteten är en samling med lösryckta texter sammanblandade som bygger upp en helhetsbild av Valerie Solanas liv till slut. Om hennes uppväxt, tid på universitetet, tid på psykiatrin, och sista tiden innan hon dör. Boken har en rytm och har en genomslagskraft. Den fick mig att känna mycket.

Viisi tähteä Stridsbergin uskomattomalle taidolle kirjoittaa maailman rumimmista ja rankimmista asioista niin rosoisen kauniisti, runollisesti ja vimmalla! Unelmien tiedekunta on hätkähdyttävä kuvaus epävakaudesta ihmisessä ja epäreiluudesta maailmassa. Keskushenkilönä toimii Andy Warholia ampunut Valerie Solanas, jonka hahmo ja elämä on jo itsessään kaikessa ristiriitaisuudessaan kiinnostava. Stridbergin fiktiivinen romaani tekee Solanasista vielä kiinnostavamman. Tämä teos tulee mylläämään ajatuksiani vielä pitkään!