Accepting Reality: The University Years

 Cover illustration by Sofia Lindgren.

Accepting Reality is the long-awaited (awaited by four or five people…) sequel to Confronting Reality. It was written during Saimon A.’s undergraduate studies, between 2011 and 2014. Although there is veneer of surrealism and absurdity in these stories, Saimon A. has furthered his scope. There is more satire. Warped mysteries. Dollops of pornography. There are obsessive characters. There are neuroses and psychoses. Saimon A. throws a lot of disparate elements together. Sometimes they gel, sometimes they don’t. In the preface, Saimon A. writes that ‘there is an acceptance of reality’ instead of an ‘assiduous scepticism.’ Many of these stories can be said to be an attempt to reconcile the subjective with the objective, the macro and the micro. They are interested in the ways in which broader legislative political decisions affect the ontology of individuals. A lot of these stories are set in obscure moments in history and foreign countries, continuing with Saimon A.’s interest in what he calls ‘cosmopolitan literature.’ Many of these stories are based on real life figures. Some deal with Saimon A.’s obsession with classical, jazz and experimental music. Some deal with Saimon A.’s burgeoning interest in philosophy. Saimon A. continues to be interested in outsiders and those people who subject themselves to the outer extremes of human experience. All in all, this is another eclectic and eccentric collection from one of the most eccentric writers. Whether the world is ready to accept this unusual and unclassifiable book remains to be seen.'

Preface                                                                                                                                                9

Eight PM in Buenos Aires                                                                                                        15

Francisca Franzen                                                                                                                    18

Letters to Camila Vallejo                                                                                                         24

The Murmurings                                                                                                                      27

The Hermit and the Despot                                                                                                      33

The Bridge of Time                                                                                                                 40

Desperate Lives                                                                                                                       44

The Second Death of God                                                                                                       48

Burned Manuscripts                                                                                                                 54

Consigned to Mythology                                                                                                          57

Quartet for the End of Time                                                                                                     63

Rose of the Fair State                                                                                                               66

Alone in the Cyber Age                                                                                                             70

Hit the North!                                                                                                                          73

The Sleep of Reason Produces Wonders                                                                                    76

The Tea Boy                                                                                                                            79

Valparaíso                                                                                                                               83

My Vinyl Fetish                                                                                                                       85

The Death of Labour                                                                                                               96

The Thing in Itself                                                                                                                   99

Afterword                                                                                                                                101

One copy still available to any one who shows the faintest interest. 104 A4 pages printed and bound. Completely free, including postage. This even applies if you are a complete stranger.