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In "Schimmernder Dunst über CobyCounty" (2011), Leif Randt presents a county that seems to be a perfect representation of a consumerist utopia: located on the shore, CobyCounty is characterized by abundant parties, consumerism and wellbeing. The book, however, is narrated by a young man tormented by the possibility of a coming catastrophe, since his best friend left town, following his mother's advice – a woman that had joined an esoteric religion. If the perfect functioning of this society is very similar to an utopia, the fear of an announced catastrophe brings the work closer to a dystopia. Other than both genders, the narrative does not present any centralizing kind of power – even if consumerism and advertisement are frequently mentioned. In this article, "Schimmernder Dunst über CobyCounty" will be presented in the light of utopia and dystopia studies. Its bonds to the present time will be emphasized, mostly the dichotomy between the comfort society produced by the advanced technological development and the necessity to avoid the excesses that produced by the same society in the name of a possible ecological catastrophe, that has been announced by scientists and activists, but that still does not affect people's life directly. ; Em "Schimmernder Dunst über CobyCounty" (2011), Leif Randt apresenta um condado que seria a mais perfeita representação de uma utopia consumista: localizado à beira-mar, CobyCounty é um lugar de festas abundantes, consumo e bem-estar. O livro, contudo, é narrado por um jovem atormentado pela possibilidade de uma catástrofe que se aproxima, desde que seu melhor amigo abandonou a cidade, ouvindo os conselhos da mãe que se afiliou a uma religião esotérica. Se a perfeição do funcionamento dessa sociedade se aproxima muito de uma utopia, o temor de uma catástrofe anunciada aproxima a obra de uma distopia. Deve-se notar, no entanto, que, ao contrário de utopias e distopias, a obra não apresenta uma força centralizadora de poder – mesmo que a menção ao consumismo e às propagandas seja ...
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