The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe. (3.5 out of 5) Published 4/19/22.
Authors creating worlds based on music is my thing. I can’t get enough of it. The Memory Librarian, is an anthology that remixes (i.e. reimagines) the concepts of Janelle Monáe’s 2018 LP, Dirty Computer, into written compositions. These stories are very much a reflection of the sort of thing that Monáe has been saying for years through her art and her music. Monáe and her collaborators build worlds where inhabitants fight memory mastery, examine the idea of identity, explore technology, and ultimately, blaze new trails towards salvation. And just like her music, the results feel alive, promising, and next level. References to songs and lyrics from Monáe’s catalog are scattered throughout the novel which, beyond being Easter eggs for the fandom, serve as a throwback of how this deep ethos has advanced. The tales in The Memory Liberian weave a completely different, fresh, and astonishing approach towards the common Sci-Fi tropes. These stories breeze through definitions of speculative fiction and fantasy, police states and problematic utopians, apocalypse and dystopia, magic and science.
This was a very interesting read and I was pleased with the breadth of stories and ideas presented. The Memory Librarian asks you if it is fair that differences of opinion equal differences of respect. I think that’s revolutionary. I think that it goes against the grain of so much Sci-Fi and fantasy past and present. I have found some themed anthologies need to be broken up because of too much similarity in their stories, but that was not the case here. A thoughtful, inventive collection that takes so many risks and almost every single one of them pays off. It gives every story in the collection the correct number of pages in order to work. The length varies from story to story, and it’s always the right decision to let a story breathe or cut it off when it’s time.
If you’re only as good as the company you keep, some of her past music collaborators (Andre 3000, Badu, Miguel, Prince) say a lot for her talent, and the people who appreciate it. The other authors/collaborators in this collection, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Danny Lore, and Sheree Renée Thomas, provide a foundation that challenges the literary landscape.
And look, If you don’t think you’ve heard anything of Monáe’s except maybe in that Sonos commercial. Check out The Audition. This one is the real introduction to the Cindi Mayweather saga. I’d also suggest the tracks (off the long play below) Neon Valley Street if you’re looking for a torchy ballad, or Babopbyeya if you’re interested in a nine minute long jazz epic. However, in my opinion, the best place to start is The ArchAndroid. If you’re an album kinda person just listen to it straight through, if you need singles to hook you, just listen to the ridiculously good one-two punch of Tightrope and Cold War, then realize what you’ve been missing and start at the beginning.