Olga Ravn, Martin Aitken (trans) – The Employees : A workplace novel of the 22nd century

The Employees is one of those novels which is so rich in meaning that it can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. Like the other books from Lolli Editions, the book’s structure contributes to the ‘less is more’ philosophy that this publisher encapsulates.

The setting is in the far future, where humanoids and humans work along each other. The book opens up with a series of page lone confessions/interviews of robots who took part in a space mission, which went awry. Think of Blade Runner (the 1982 version) meets the HAL segment of 2001 : A space odyssey.

On one hand The Employees could be a criticism of work hierarchies, the humanoids seem to notice that humans are a different rank and, despite claims of equality, humanoids work and suffer more. As what happens in strictly regimented societies , chaos will surface. In hindsight, one could say that the ship and all the goings on represent the problems that occur with humanity. A workplace novel of the 22nd century or do things never change?

However one other plot point which struck me is the dichotomy between humans and humanoids. The latter are constantly experiencing aspects of life we take for granted and also live in fear of being deprived (the dreaded off switch) from all this beauty. Who is the more human? person or robot?

The Employees proves that one can mix experimental structures and multilayered concepts and yet a heartfelt tale emerges. A minimal approach can lead to a maximal outcome.

Many thanks to Lolli Editions for providing a copy of The Employees.

For Maltese readers

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