Today celebrates the birth of [SIC]
[SIC] is a completely appropriated work, readymade for a world populated and reduplicated by copies. It takes its title from the Latin abbreviation for “as written,” and includes public domain works, like “Cademon’s Hymn,” Sherlock Holmes, and the prologue to The Canterbury Tales, and features Wikipedia pages, intellectual property law, genetic codes, and other untoward appropriations. The text also pivots on Jorge Luis Borges’s story, “Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote,” taking its publication history through a replicated series of Google auto-translations.
It's a commentary on plagiarism in its most up-front, unabashedly unapologetic form. It speaks volumes about the accessibility of literature, the security of copyright, and the de-evolution of literature as we know it without actually saying a unique word of its own.
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Here's what early reviewers had to say about it:
Christopher Nosnibor (goodreads)
“It’s a crash-course in literary history, a compilation of all the books you should read but probably haven’t… Schneiderman plays the game of appropriation and continues the debate concerning issues of ownership and authorship.”
Leo X (Goodreads)
“Schneiderman is not only one to watch, he is one of the literary greats of our time!”
Bradley Milton (author)
“Schneiderman's [SIC] is a feast for those hungry for reality and wanting more.”
Corey Mesler (author)
“Davis Schneiderman’s latest conceptual art book, [SIC]...is challenging, trippy, humorous, clever and, ultimately, just plain beautiful.”
Christina Gaspar (goodreads)
“it's a fascinating work.”
Shane Lindemeon (author)
“..as a body of work, [Sic] can only be read in the same manner as one would read chicken bones. When you make your way through this hauntingly genius monstrosity, don’t be surprised with the weird places your mind will go.”
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We are proud to host a Goodreads discussion with its author, Davis Schneiderman, this coming week to continue [SIC]'s celebration. Won't you join us and chat about the future of literature: public domain texts and the accessibility of literature, our fixation with digital and mutilmedia literature, and any other bookish topic you can think up!
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Davis's website got all fancied up for the occasion, too. Learn more about [SIC], its prequel Blank, and the upcoming third volume in the series, Ink., here.
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You can purchase [SIC] here.
If you would like a PDF review copy, please leave a comment here with the promise that you will link me back to the review once it's posted. I'd be more than happy to send you one!
Happy reading.
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