The novel “Camp Concentration” by Thomas M. Disch was published for the first time in 1967, serialized in the magazine “New Worlds” and later as a book.
Louis Sacchetti was imprisoned as a conscientious objector who refused to participate in the war that had pitted the United States against virtually the entire world. Even in that situation, he tried to continue writing poetry, but after some time, he was transferred to a secret facility run by the military.
In his new prison, Louis Sacchetti discovers he was transferred to Camp Archimedes, where he becomes part of an intelligence-enhancement experiment. After being interviewed by resident psychiatrist Aimee Busk, he becomes a guinea pig for a treatment based on a derivative of the syphilis bacterium. Its negative side effect is that it’s even more lethal than syphilis itself.
“Camp Concentration” is one of the novels published by Thomas M. Disch, first in the UK and then in the USA, in the magazine “New Worlds.” At the time, it was a reference point for the New Wave movement, thanks in part to its editor, Michael Moorcock, who had become a key figure in the New Wave both as a writer and as an editor.
Thomas M. Disch projects part of himself and his personal experiences into Louis Sacchetti’s story. The narrative, developed in the form of a report, makes the story highly introspective, with the use of the first person facilitating the blurring of the boundaries between writer and protagonist.
The author wasn’t a conscientious objector, but his experience in the army was deeply traumatic and resulted in his admission to a psychiatric hospital. Throughout his life, Disch struggled with depressive tendencies that brought him close to suicide a few times before the final, tragic event that led to his death. Being gay in the 1950s made him an outcast, especially in the army, and this worsened his mental state.
Disch was raised Catholic but later distanced himself from religion, and in addition to being a writer, he was also a poet. Louis Sacchetti reflects many of these characteristics, also in the cynicism with which he expresses them, often with references to classics of literature and poetry.
Louis Sacchetti somehow tries to anchor himself to his culture while his mind is changing, and uses various metaphors to describe what’s happening within him and around him. The Faustian pact, with the exchange of an enormously grown intellect for a lifespan reduced to perhaps only a few months, is the most obvious reference. Camp Archimedes is compared to Hell, but Louis Sacchetti’s descent is unguided, unlike Dante’s.
In his report, Louis Sacchetti also sees other comparisons, which he expands upon by including quotes from authors such as Oscar Wilde. In his observations of the other prisoners, but also of the scientists running—or at least believing they’re running—the experiment, he sees parallels with Shakespearean characters, particularly with references to Hamlet and The Tempest.
Added to this are reflections on religion, which can often be considered decidedly heretical, and references to alchemy. In short, it’s a complex novel, already evident in Louis Sacchetti’s constant references to works of various genres in his commentaries on a wide range of topics. The narrative structure, in which it’s not always easy to understand what’s really happening, adds to its complexity.
The novel provoked varied reactions. The most bizarre was by writer Philip K. Dick, who was also a friend of Thomas M. Disch. Dick became completely paranoid and wrote a letter to the FBI claiming that “Camp Concentration” contained coded messages suggested by a secret organization. That event didn’t exactly help the friendship between the two authors.
Reading “Camp Concentration” shouldn’t induce psychotic episodes in readers without mental illness. It’s a complex novel that has been analyzed many times over the decades. I recommend it to anyone interested in profound themes that offer a lot of food for thought. You can find it on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
