Canopus in Argos: Archives is a sequence of five science fiction novels by Nobel laureate author Doris Lessing, which portray a number of societies at different stages of development, over a great period of time. The focus is on accelerated evolution guided by advanced species for less advanced species and societies. The novels all take place in the same future history, but do not form a continuous storyline. Each book covers unrelated events, with the exception of Shikasta and The Sirian Experiments, which tell the story of accelerated evolution on Earth through the eyes of Canopeans and Sirians, respectively.

Novels

The five books have also appeared compiled in a single volume entitled Canopus in Argos: Archives (1992, ISBN 0-679-74184-4).

Background

When Lessing began writing Shikasta she intended it to be a "single self-contained book" but, as her fictional universe developed, she found she had ideas for more than just one book, and ended up writing a series of five. The Canopus in Argos series as a whole falls into categories of social or soft science fiction ("space fiction" in Lessing's own words ) because of its focus on characterisation and social-cultural issues, and its lack of emphasis of the details of scientific technology. This set of writings represented a major shift of focus for Lessing, influenced by spiritual and mystical themes in Sufism, in particular by Idries Shah. She later wrote several essays on Sufism which were published in her essay collection, Time Bites (2004).

Reception

The Canopus in Argos was not well received by some reviewers and readers, who felt that Lessing had abandoned her "rational worldview". This prompted her to write in the preface to the third book, The Sirian Experiments: "I would so like it if reviewers and readers could see this series, Canopus in Argos: Archive, as a framework that enables me to tell (I hope) a beguiling tale or two; to put questions, both to myself and to others; to explore ideas and sociological possibilities." Later Lessing discovered that many younger people who had read the Canopus series were not interested in her other works. They told her, "Oh, realism, I can't be bothered with that."

Adaptations

The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 and The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five have been adapted for the opera by composer Philip Glass with librettos written by Lessing. The Marriages... is described as the second part of an opera trilogy based on Canopus in Argos.