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Rating: "To Tessa, the black-haired girl who took care of me when I needed it most; meaning, always. To her, with love" Philip K. Dick.
With these delicate words opens Dick's original 'mainstream' novel, developed in '59 but only published in '75. Jack Isidore (of Seville, California). The chronicle of a scientifically validated fact 1945-1959. The publication of this work was troubled due to the plot being considered too realistic and developed with a narrative scope too variable. Harcourt rejected it and Knopf in '60 asked him to revise it. Dick replied that he could not rewrite it, not because he did not want to do so, but because he was not capable. The story did not require it, as its significance lay precisely in the first use characterized by the multiple viewpoints of the protagonists. Only after several years, thanks to Entwhistle Book, was 'Artista di merda' finally printed.
'Confessions' was Phil's first non-science fiction work to be published. It is one of the 'non-genre experimental novels', as classified by Dick, written in the early years of his professional career. This is because it does not use the traditional structure of the novel since the story is narrated in the first person by different protagonists. Dick's novels have a structure rarely found in other writers, supported by a talent and sense of humor that allowed him to shape and bring life to extremely convincing characters. Drawing inspiration from Isidore of Seville, a Spanish author whose Etymologiae in the Middle Ages was considered a universal compendium of knowledge, Dick intended to create a stupid and ignorant character with irrelevant opinions, a reject of our society, a useless man. Isidore is a schizoid person, isolated and passionate about mysteries and pulp magazines like Thrilling Wonder Stories. But he, too, is a man with a heart.
Even Dick, rereading his own novel many years later, will notice how in some mysterious way Jack manages to be deeper than appearances and will feel sympathy for him. Isidore is an odd person but is also more authentic because he observes the world without preconceptions, in a sense he is superior, in short, he is not a puppet.
As often happens in Phil's novels, there are many similarities with his life and those of the people close to him. Therefore, the connections between the story and Dick’s life are many: complex to analyze them in depth. Dick admitted the bond with both Jack and Nat: the first represented the adolescent side, but stuck in development, while the second is centered on the adult side. Fay, on the other hand, is structured on the character of his third wife Anne. The story is confusing, funny, and painful at the same time, and it explores the male psyche struggling with its demons. In a crazy and cruel microcosm like our world, Dick is able to convey an inner despair in the characters' discussions. Regardless of how much they struggle to see how what surrounds them really appears, they will have to suffer, because awareness is pain. Jack Isidore is the 'artista di merda' from the book's title, a naive lost spirit with a passion for scraps of information. He is unable to distinguish the real from the unreal, observing the world as if it were an ambiguous and mysterious experience. He works at the Tire Reconstruction Service with the task of reconstructing smooth and worn tires. With a hot tip, he incises the rubber, retracing the tread marks, and then paints the tire. The job is not very profitable, but for Jack, it is pleasant, and in some cases, the result is gratifying. Fay Hume is the sister, a splendid, seductive yet aggressive woman, unhappily married to Charley Hume. Charley is a dull individual, a businessman who owns a factory. He takes care of all the accounts and suffers a heart attack. He will be forced to kill even the household pets because of his wife's demands and betrayals. Nathan Anteil is an intellectual married to the affectionate Gwen, with whom he shares a mediocre existence. Nat will be swept away by passion for Fay, believing he has found the right person to love. In a short time, he will realize he was wrong; he will bitterly regret it, but it will be too late for regrets. Each life with its stories will end up merging through a particular combination of chance and destiny. The story led me to reflect deeply on the monotonous daily life that can affect the psyche of individuals and turn it into true drama.
The themes addressed are still highly relevant today, for various reasons. Among these: unrequited love, lack of communication, interests, bullying, oppression, both physical and psychological violence present in everyday life. Isidore's personality can be analyzed with connections, perhaps even unconscious and precognitive, in relation to Dick's later works. His being an 'artista di merda' is misleading and limited. It will result that, despite the weaknesses, fixations, and obsessions, the key to understanding Isidore is to be interpreted on several psychological levels, but this is not immediately apparent...
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