Classic SF with Andy Johnson
Exploring classic science fiction, with a focus on the 1950s to the 1990s.
Classic SF with Andy Johnson
#196 Winter of the world: Greybeard (1964) by Brian Aldiss
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20 years ago, Alfonso Cuaron's film Children of Men was released to some acclaim. Today, its depiction of a decaying, paranoid UK is often described as chillingly prescient. Less discussed is the central concept - of a sterile world, a world without children being born. The film was loosely based on P.D. James' 1992 novel, which itself has been described as "derivative" of Greybeard - a 1964 novel by British SF legend Brian Aldiss.
This episode takes a close look at Greybeard, which was written as means for Aldiss to process a difficult time in his personal life and which is a powerfully effective entry in the tradition of the British catastrophe novel.
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