To Live Again (novel)
A 1969 novel about personality backup and transplantation.
To Live Again is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Robert Silverberg. The story is set in a world where major figures—scientists, thinkers, and builders—can afford an expensive procedure to store a backup of their personality, typically updated every six months. After their death, these personalities can be transplanted into other people, coexisting with the host and offering new insights and expertise. In high society, possessing multiple personalities has become a status symbol, and the wealthy buy as many as they can afford. However, a strong-willed personality can overwhelm its host, destroying the host’s original personality—a state called "dybbuk."
Critic Algis Budrys found the novel "genuinely mov[ing]" despite its indifferent craftsmanship, arguing its success came from the unwritten parts that tap into deep fears and longings. Sidney Coleman praised it, noting that while the characters feel they have lived fully, the reader is left with a sense of horror, like watching feeding time at a cannibal cage. Thomas D. Clareson’s monograph on Silverberg does not treat the novel as major and omits discussion of it.
- author
- Robert Silverberg
- year
- 1969
- genre
- Science fiction
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Exploring personality transplantation and social prestige
Lore & Background
The novel describes a world where great scientists, economists, thinkers, and builders can afford to store a backup of their personality, typically recording it every six months. Upon their actual death, these personalities can be transplanted into other people, living alongside the host and providing new insights. In high society, possessing many personalities has become a mark of prestige, leading to a fashion of buying as many as one can afford. Occasionally, a strong-minded personality can overwhelm the host's personality, destroying it—a state called 'going dybbuk'.
Reader's Guide
To Live Again received mixed but notable critical attention. Algis Budrys found the novel 'genuinely mov[ing]' despite being indifferently crafted, suggesting its power came from the unwritten parts that play on half-buried fears and longings. Sidney Coleman reviewed it favorably, noting that the characters end in triumph or defeat but are convinced they have lived life to the fullest, while the reader is left in horrid fascination. Thomas D. Clareson's monograph on Silverberg does not treat it as a major novel and does not discuss it. The novel's significance lies in its exploration of identity, prestige, and the consequences of commodifying human consciousness, though it is not considered a central work in Silverberg's oeuvre.
Did You Know?
- The novel was published in 1969.
- Personalities can be transplanted into other people after the original person's death.
- Possessing many personalities became a mark of prestige in high society.
- A personality that overwhelms its host is said to have gone 'dybbuk'.
More in Novels by Robert Silverberg 1-24
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