Popping up in the early 2000s, solarpunk is a relatively new genre. Solar – referring to the sun and punk– referring to the desire to have societal change. When diving into what this literature movement is about you begin to see a picture painted that shows you a world full of nature, reducing or undoing climate change, and advanced technology that works with the world instead of endangering it.
RelatedBinge-Read These 10 Mind-Blowing Feminist Dystopian Novels
Visualizing Solarpunk: From Yogurt Commercials to Vertical Forests
As weird as it is to say, Chobani Yogurt did a great animated commercial that showcases what life would be like if we were to go back to putting nature on an equal footing as technology and how the two could co-exist to create a thriving world. When I saw it, I thought it was a beautifully animated commercial that showcased how we could have a different future with the planet and technology. It gives you a great visual of what this genre is all about.
Usually in this genre, the book starts after a disastrous event. This event gives way to hope, resilience, and optimism taking root as well as humans finding a way to create a new future that will thrive. From making the world healthy again, to creating a thriving society with their new world. Now not every book will follow that exact format, but after 2012 when the publishing world saw waves of dystopian novels, we saw an uptick in focusing on a different view after the collapse of the planet.
Related10 Science Fiction Subgenres: A Walkthrough
Solarpunk in Literature: Origins and Notable Examples
Solarpunk really started making a name for itself and become a strong subgenre after this massive wave of dystopian novels being published thanks to the likes of The Hunger Games, among others. Focusing on including nature in the redesign of society kept more of an optimistic vibe and societal change. Solarpunk literature is a subgenre of science fiction.
While the name and genre of solarpunk is new and modern, the idea that nature and technology can co-exist in this way is not new. Many older novels could, and can, fall into this sub-genre of sci-fi. From books like Dune by (Frank Herbert) to Ectopia (by Ernest Callenbach) these earlier stories showcase some impressive stories of resilience, hope, and building new technologies.
Kim Stanley Robinson is quoted describing solarpunk literature as rejecting “the inevitability of the machine future.” Kim Stanley Robinson is an award-winning science fiction author who has numerous amount of works in which scientists are viewed as heroes and have political themes that focus on ecology and reshaping culture to be able to move forward with the world. (You may know him from his Mars series of books).
If you would like yet another visual of how we could apply solarpunk into our daily lives, take a look at Italy’s vertical forest. This architectural statement stands out against the world we live in now – but it is a good look of how we could start to incorporate more nature into cities and utilize different types of energy and green spaces.
Related10 Best Sci-Fi Books According To Goodreads Users
Core Principles of Solarpunk: Nature, Technology, and Optimism
So to summarize: Solarpunk is a genre that focuses on the integration of nature and architecture. Blending in technology with the world we have, and focusing on sustaining and healing the world and living a better life with it. At its core, it is about the best of what we as humans can achieve. A world with clean energy, and acknowledging that we need to work with nature – not against it – in order to ensure humanity’s prosperity.
Knowing all that, what do you think about this new subgenre of literature? Is it a movement that you are waiting to see start shaping our society today? Or are you someone who prefers the nihilistic dystopian novels that started the movement of solarpunk? Let us know your thoughts!
