Scan barcode
lapingveno's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of Lovecraft's more philosophical works; it unpacks his nihilistic atheism to a tee. An adult man, disillusioned by a life he finds meaningless, especially compared to his wild dreams of youth, finds a way to escape back into his youth and dreams.
The theme here is potent, for while Carter is able to escape back into the whimsy of childhood, we adults in the real world are trapped here.
The theme here is potent, for while Carter is able to escape back into the whimsy of childhood, we adults in the real world are trapped here.
knjigoholicarka's review against another edition
4.0
"Srebrni ključ" je knjižica koja se sastoji iz tri priče: "Izjava Randolfa Kartera", "Srebrni ključ" i "Kroz kapije srebrnog ključa". Zaplet je vrlo jednostavan (više-manje, kao i u svim Lavkraftovim knjigama) - Randolf Karter, mističar poreklom iz - gle čuda - Arkama, pokušava da pronađe put do svojih izgubljenih snova iz detinjstva. Negde u kasnim godinama, to mu uspeva uz pomoć mističnog srebrnog ključa, tako da dobija ne samo pristup nekada davno sanjanim svetovima, već i mnogo širem i neverovatnijem znanju poreklom iz drugih dimenzija Kosmosa. Uglavnom, da vam ne spojlujem, Lavkraft osmišlja interesantan koncept Multiverzuma (ne toliko naučni, naravno, koliko okultan), kao i Vremena (ono nije linearno već prošlost, sadašnjost i budućnost postoje istovremeno - možemo se kretati Vremenom ne samo "od napred ka nazad", već i obrnuto, kao i "levo-desno"... što je u principu i koncept koji je Kurt Vonegat izneo u nekoj svojoj knjizi, al' da me ubijete, ne sećam se kojoj... možda je malo prepisivao od ćaće Lavkrafta).
Elem, ono što se mene više dojmilo u ovoj knjizi jeste bolno otvoren autobiografski portret autora kroz lik Randolfa Kartera:
Mnogo je čitao o stvarima onakvim kakve jesu i razgovarao o tome sa isuviše mnogo ljudi. Dobronamerni filozofi učili su ga da istražuje logične odnose stvari i da analizira procese koji mu uobličavaju vlastite misli i snove. Čuda je nestalo i on je zaboravio da je sav život samo niz slika u mozgu, među kojima nema razlike između onih koje rađa stvarnost i onih koje rađa unutrašnje, lično sanjarenje, i da nema razloga da se jedne cene više od drugih. Stalnim navikavanjem utuvila mu se u glavu sujeverna pobožnost prema onome što opipljivo i fizički postoji i potajna posramljenost što sam živi u snovima. (...) A kad nije uspeo da pronađe divote u stvarima čiji zakoni su bili znani i merljivi, kazali su mu da mu nedostaje mašta i da je nezreo, zato što su mu se više dopadali prividi iz snova od privida našeg fizičkog sveta.
Lavkraft po prirodi nije bio osoba s kojom biste se rado družili ili išli na pivce. Introvertan i sputan konzervativnim vaspitanjem svoje novoengleske porodice, posmatrajući bolesti i smrt najbližih, bolešljiv, slab i mučen košmarima još kao dete, Lavkraft se nigde nije osećao tako sigurno kao u svom rodnom Providensu. Bio je ksenofob, rasista, voleo je da izlazi iz kuće tek posle sumraka i apsolutno mu je bilo nevažno što krcka i poslednje parice porodičnog nasleđa dok polako umire u bedi. Sve ovo, kao i večite priče o spaljivanju veštica iz Salema, terale su Lavkrafta na večito preispitivanje moći pojedinca u ogromnom svetu mogućnosti. Kao što i sam reče:
Now all my tales are based on the fundamental premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large.
I tako, u zbirci priča "Srebrni ključ" eksplicitnost ovih Lavkraftovih omiljenih tema eskalira. Ne samo što daje autorov dirljiv autoportret, već u sceni prometejskog darivanja van-zemaljskog znanja Randolfu Karteru, prikazuje čovekovu nespremnost da prihvati sopstvenu beznačajnost u odnosu na neotkrivene mogućnosti sveta i sopstvenog uma:
Nema te smrti, tog prokletstva, te agonije koja može pobuditi onakvo sveporažavajuće beznađe koje nastaje kada se izgubi identitet. Utopiti se u ništavilo samo je smireni zaborav; ali biti svestan vlastitog postojanja, pa ipak znati da više nismo jedno određeno biće različito od ostalih, da više nemamo vlastito ja, to je bezimeni vrhunac agonije i užasa.
Pre nekoliko dana umro je Hari Din Stenton. U dokumentarcu "Partly Fiction" Dejvid Linč ga pita: "How would you describe yourself?" "As nothing. There is no self." "And how would you like to be remembered?" "It doesn't matter." Evo ne znam zašto sam ovo napisala, ali neka se nađe. Jer, sasvim je moguće živeti odgovoran život, a ne shvatati sebe previše ozbiljno. Na kraju krajeva, sve je ništavilo i svi smo tako mali pred tajnama Kosmosa i njegovim skrivenim znanjima.
Elem, ono što se mene više dojmilo u ovoj knjizi jeste bolno otvoren autobiografski portret autora kroz lik Randolfa Kartera:
Mnogo je čitao o stvarima onakvim kakve jesu i razgovarao o tome sa isuviše mnogo ljudi. Dobronamerni filozofi učili su ga da istražuje logične odnose stvari i da analizira procese koji mu uobličavaju vlastite misli i snove. Čuda je nestalo i on je zaboravio da je sav život samo niz slika u mozgu, među kojima nema razlike između onih koje rađa stvarnost i onih koje rađa unutrašnje, lično sanjarenje, i da nema razloga da se jedne cene više od drugih. Stalnim navikavanjem utuvila mu se u glavu sujeverna pobožnost prema onome što opipljivo i fizički postoji i potajna posramljenost što sam živi u snovima. (...) A kad nije uspeo da pronađe divote u stvarima čiji zakoni su bili znani i merljivi, kazali su mu da mu nedostaje mašta i da je nezreo, zato što su mu se više dopadali prividi iz snova od privida našeg fizičkog sveta.
Lavkraft po prirodi nije bio osoba s kojom biste se rado družili ili išli na pivce. Introvertan i sputan konzervativnim vaspitanjem svoje novoengleske porodice, posmatrajući bolesti i smrt najbližih, bolešljiv, slab i mučen košmarima još kao dete, Lavkraft se nigde nije osećao tako sigurno kao u svom rodnom Providensu. Bio je ksenofob, rasista, voleo je da izlazi iz kuće tek posle sumraka i apsolutno mu je bilo nevažno što krcka i poslednje parice porodičnog nasleđa dok polako umire u bedi. Sve ovo, kao i večite priče o spaljivanju veštica iz Salema, terale su Lavkrafta na večito preispitivanje moći pojedinca u ogromnom svetu mogućnosti. Kao što i sam reče:
Now all my tales are based on the fundamental premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large.
I tako, u zbirci priča "Srebrni ključ" eksplicitnost ovih Lavkraftovih omiljenih tema eskalira. Ne samo što daje autorov dirljiv autoportret, već u sceni prometejskog darivanja van-zemaljskog znanja Randolfu Karteru, prikazuje čovekovu nespremnost da prihvati sopstvenu beznačajnost u odnosu na neotkrivene mogućnosti sveta i sopstvenog uma:
Nema te smrti, tog prokletstva, te agonije koja može pobuditi onakvo sveporažavajuće beznađe koje nastaje kada se izgubi identitet. Utopiti se u ništavilo samo je smireni zaborav; ali biti svestan vlastitog postojanja, pa ipak znati da više nismo jedno određeno biće različito od ostalih, da više nemamo vlastito ja, to je bezimeni vrhunac agonije i užasa.
Pre nekoliko dana umro je Hari Din Stenton. U dokumentarcu "Partly Fiction" Dejvid Linč ga pita: "How would you describe yourself?" "As nothing. There is no self." "And how would you like to be remembered?" "It doesn't matter." Evo ne znam zašto sam ovo napisala, ali neka se nađe. Jer, sasvim je moguće živeti odgovoran život, a ne shvatati sebe previše ozbiljno. Na kraju krajeva, sve je ništavilo i svi smo tako mali pred tajnama Kosmosa i njegovim skrivenim znanjima.
famel's review against another edition
2.0
I couldn’t care less for the main character. He is inane man, who got into depression because of dreams; get a life, dude. The childhood theme, concept of the key and the ending are good. However, they are not enough to make an interesting story.
eileen91's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
rsqoop's review against another edition
3.0
Although this story isn't as interesting as others Lovecraft has written in terms of horror, it contains some interesting social commentary (that for once, isn't racism). Even though this story isn't really all that exciting, it's still worth reading to get an insight into Lovecraft's ideas of how he fits into society, and also, this story's follow-up is, I think, one of the best, if not the best, story from Lovecraft.
caroline_carnivorous's review against another edition
3.0
So it seems like these Randolph Carter stories aren't really my thing. I feel like every time now I'm saying each Lovecraft story seems very different from the last, it felt like it this time too. I guess he was very diverse! This is a unique story, especially with the ending, but it didn't really grab me.
redsg's review against another edition
3.0
I may have jumped the gun by reading “The Silver Key” out of place. See, doing a bit of research, I discovered that it’s not only a part of a larger, interconnected fantasy series called the Dreamlands, but also a part of its own miniseries starring a character named Randolph Carter. In fact “The Silver Key” is the fourth book starring Carter. What this means is I might have to re-review it later as his other tales could theoretically add some background context to the story.
On its own, I found this to be a strange edition to this Lovecraftian collection as it is not horror but something more akin to an urban science fantasy story out of an episode of The Twilight Zone. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn if “Kick the Can” was inspired by this.
The first few paragraphs not only introduce us to this world, but also provide something of a personal treatise by Lovecraft on the spiritual and material flaws in both organized religion and scientific/atheistic circles. It’s a powerful, emotional lamentation on what Carter (or maybe even Lovecraft himself- apparently Carter was intended to be based off of the author) perceived as a degradation of human desire and imagination by these two opposing forces.
Now, people will no doubt argue about whether or not Lovecraft is right or creating a false equivalency or making outright incorrect judgments. As a reviewer of a fictional text, I’m not concerned with that- I’m concerned with the actual writing, and can proudly say that Lovecraft has outdone himself here. There are times when the language gets too rosy and poetic for its own good, but I’m inherently a sucker for this kind of romanticism and nostalgia, so I’m admittedly biased in this regard.
As I said, though, the purpose of this intro is two-fold: Lovecraft is fishing out a personal critique on the state of his world, while also giving some backstory to who Carter is and what he’s up to at this point in his life where he is middle-aged. Given my critique of the previous story in this collection, "In the Vault", for not giving the reader enough information about character backstories to make me invested in the present, it was a relief to see Lovecraft not make the same mistake again. I really got a sense as to the personality and personage of Carter, which made his journey more investable to follow along with.
To go into the details about the rest would be too spoilery, but needless to say Lovecraft really goes all in with the whimsical and freespiritedness of his language. There are times where he definitely could've lightened up on the concreteness of hte diction, but overall his flow is well-enough that I didn't have to double-back too many times.
Most importantly of all, "The Silver Key" ends on a satisfying and surprisingly happy note. There is a mythos in place, but Lovecraft actually finds a balance between giving us a part of it without making us desire more and giving us enough of it without overindulging the story in lore galore. Combined with the grammatical and syntax points above, I was overall satisfied with "The Silver Key".
On its own, I found this to be a strange edition to this Lovecraftian collection as it is not horror but something more akin to an urban science fantasy story out of an episode of The Twilight Zone. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn if “Kick the Can” was inspired by this.
The first few paragraphs not only introduce us to this world, but also provide something of a personal treatise by Lovecraft on the spiritual and material flaws in both organized religion and scientific/atheistic circles. It’s a powerful, emotional lamentation on what Carter (or maybe even Lovecraft himself- apparently Carter was intended to be based off of the author) perceived as a degradation of human desire and imagination by these two opposing forces.
Now, people will no doubt argue about whether or not Lovecraft is right or creating a false equivalency or making outright incorrect judgments. As a reviewer of a fictional text, I’m not concerned with that- I’m concerned with the actual writing, and can proudly say that Lovecraft has outdone himself here. There are times when the language gets too rosy and poetic for its own good, but I’m inherently a sucker for this kind of romanticism and nostalgia, so I’m admittedly biased in this regard.
As I said, though, the purpose of this intro is two-fold: Lovecraft is fishing out a personal critique on the state of his world, while also giving some backstory to who Carter is and what he’s up to at this point in his life where he is middle-aged. Given my critique of the previous story in this collection, "In the Vault", for not giving the reader enough information about character backstories to make me invested in the present, it was a relief to see Lovecraft not make the same mistake again. I really got a sense as to the personality and personage of Carter, which made his journey more investable to follow along with.
To go into the details about the rest would be too spoilery, but needless to say Lovecraft really goes all in with the whimsical and freespiritedness of his language. There are times where he definitely could've lightened up on the concreteness of hte diction, but overall his flow is well-enough that I didn't have to double-back too many times.
Most importantly of all, "The Silver Key" ends on a satisfying and surprisingly happy note. There is a mythos in place, but Lovecraft actually finds a balance between giving us a part of it without making us desire more and giving us enough of it without overindulging the story in lore galore. Combined with the grammatical and syntax points above, I was overall satisfied with "The Silver Key".