Minus One
Encyclopedia
"Minus One" is a short story by British author J. G. Ballard
; it was first published in the June 1963 edition of Science Fantasy
(Volume 20, Number 59), the 1967 collection The Disaster Area
, and then later in the larger The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: Volume 1
anthology (2006).
Film Festival.
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
; it was first published in the June 1963 edition of Science Fantasy
Science Fantasy (magazine)
Science Fantasy, which also appeared under the titles Impulse and SF Impulse, was a British fantasy and science fiction magazine, launched in 1950 by Nova Publications as a companion to Nova's New Worlds. Walter Gillings was editor for the first two issues, and was then replaced by John Carnell,...
(Volume 20, Number 59), the 1967 collection The Disaster Area
The Disaster Area
-Contents:*"Storm-bird, Storm-dreamer"*"The Concentration City"*"The Subliminal Man"*"Now Wakes the Sea"*"Minus One"*"Mr F. is Mr F."*"Zone of Terror"*"Manhole 69"*"The Impossible Man"-External links:*...
, and then later in the larger The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: Volume 1
The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: Volume 1
The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: Volume 1 is a short-story collection by J. G. Ballard, published in 2006.The collection is the first installment of the J. G. Ballard's complete collection, followed by The Complete Short Stories of J. G...
anthology (2006).
Plot summary
"Minus One" is set in Green Hill Asylum, which has as its motto, 'There is a Green Hill Far, Far Away'. It provides a private prison where the rich can incarcerate "miscreant or unfortunate relatives whose presence would otherwise be a burden or embarrassment". Security rather than treatment comes first and the asylum boasted that no-one had ever escaped, that is until the disappearance of a patient called Hinton. Thorough searches are conducted and staff questioned but no trace of him can be found. Dr. Mellinger, the director of the asylum leads the investigation and it transpires that nobody can remember much about him at all. Dr Mellinger realises that the patients are not being treated as individuals and decides that from then on the regime of Green Hill will change to take more interest in the individual. Still the disappearance of Hinton remains unexplained; Dr. Mellinger looks at Hinton's file and realises that it is the only evidence of him ever having existed. Fortuitously the file is then 'lost' and the director announces that the disappearance was an administrative error and that Hinton had never really existed. All are happy until a visitor arrives at the hospital to see her husband. It is Mrs Hinton. As she is obviously suffering from delusions in need of treatment she is admitted.Film adaptation
In 1991 it was made into a short film by Simon Brooks, first shown at the ViareggioViareggio
Viareggio is a city and comune located in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of over 64,000 it is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as Versilia, and the second largest city within the Province of Lucca.It is known as a seaside resort...
Film Festival.