Typescript of the Second Origin

Typescript of the Second Origin (Catalan: Mecanoscrit del segon origen) is a science fiction novel written by Manuel de Pedrolo in 1974, that had a great success and that has become one of the best-selling books of Catalan literature. The work is divided into 6 chapters, the first 5 of them having a similar extension and being called Quaderns (Catalan word for Notebooks) and the last of them being short and entitled «És l'Alba la mare de la humanitat actual?» (Is Alba the mother of current humanity?).^[1] The novel was published in English in 2017 by Wesleyan University Press.^[2]

It was brought to television by a very successful TV series produced and displayed by TV3,^[3] and in 2015 it was adapted for the big screen with the film Segon origen.

Plot

In this science fiction novel de Pedrolo tells the story of Alba and Dídac, 14 and 9 years old respectively, who live in a Catalan town called Benaura. They become the only survivors on Earth after some extraterrestrials destroy almost all humanity. Before the invasion, Dídac is attacked by some guys from the town because he is black. He falls into the water, and Alba, who sees the scene, jumps into it and saves him. It is then when some UFOs destroy it all, but they survive as they were under the water.

During the following four years, they will have to wise up on their own to survive in a destroyed world and to face all sorts of troubles and difficulties that will make them mature fast. They will realise the importance of knowledge by keeping and reading books. They will run away from the epidemia and will take refuge in a farmhouse, where they will find dead people and survivors, they will walk by the ruins of Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea. They will basically learn from everything that will happen to them (illnesses, enemy defense) and from the information they collect.

The book explores the relationship between the two kids and the recreation of a world, as a utopia. The narration is structured in chapters that always start the same way: by mentioning Alba's age and her virginity.

The narrator is omniscient and uses plenty of descriptions.

Translations

The novel has been translated to Spanish (1984), to Dutch (1986), to Basque (1989), to Galician (1989), to French (1993), to Romanian (2000), to Portuguese (2004) and to Italian (2011).^[4] In November 2016, the diputació de Lleida financed the first translation into English,^[5] which was published in the United States in 2017.^[6]

References

Bibliography

• de Pedrolo, Manuel; Ballús, Carme (2009). Mecanoscrit del segon origen. Barcelona: Educaula. p. 255. ISBN 9788492672356.

See also

• Second Origin: film adaptation.