Arc d'X
Arc d'X (1993), authored by Steve Erickson, is an avant-pop novel that attracted notable acclaim from distinguished writers such as Thomas Pynchon, Tom Robbins, and William Gibson. The book has been rendered into multiple languages, including Italian and Japanese.
Plot summary
The narrative begins with a historical account focusing on the complex relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his African-American concubine, Sally Hemings, whose racial identity is portrayed with deliberate ambiguity. Erickson highlights Jefferson’s period in France amidst the early stages of the French Revolution, featuring a detailed depiction of the storming of the Bastille. After their romantic involvement, they return to America; while Hemings remains enslaved, her offspring are emancipated—illustrating the contradiction inherent in American liberty as Jefferson indulges only in what he possesses.
The storyline takes a sudden turn when Hemings departs from Jefferson following his presidential victory and journeys westward to a land unfamiliar with racial distinctions. In a chamber connected to a homicide, Sally awakens in an alternate reality where the United States has vanished. This new world is Aeonopolis, a theocratic metropolis situated near a volcano on North America's western shore. There, she meets Wade, an African-American detective who liberates her despite resistance from the Church. Wade later abandons law enforcement and seeks refuge within the Arboretum, an underground district centered around the nightclub Fleurs d'X, where he becomes enamored with the dancer Mona.
The plot explores Mona’s relationship with Wade alongside Sally’s involvement with Etcher, an archivist affiliated with Church Central. Both storylines are enveloped in a surreal, dreamlike ambiance. Etcher’s passionate yet troubled affection for Sally culminates in her demise in a frigid northern region where they had fled from persecution. The tale then shifts back to Paris and contemporary times, focusing on Seuroq, a French mathematician mourning his wife Helen’s passing. Seuroq’s investigation into temporal phenomena uncovers an additional day—Jour d'X or X-Day—inserted between December 31, 1999, and January 1, 2000.
Subsequently, the story follows "Erickson" traveling to Berlin in 1998. This version of Berlin exists as an alternate reality: mostly deserted despite the Fall of the Berlin Wall, it struggles following an unspecified catastrophe. Meanwhile, Erickson’s hometown of Los Angeles lies in devastation after a Cataclysm. Erickson is murdered by Georgie Valis, a young neo-Nazi skinhead and son of an East German academic who attempted to flee to West Berlin. Using Erickson’s passport, Georgie gains access to the United States and journeys toward its ruined West Coast. There he encounters Thomas and Sally among Los Angeles’s wreckage, ultimately leading him to Aeonopolis and the Fleurs d'X nightclub.
Influence
Fleurs d'X is a suite of brief musical compositions for solo classical guitar inspired by Erickson’s novel and created by Italian guitarist Fabio Selvafiorita.