Anslem


Anslem was the first novel written by Jake Sisko, begun (but not finished) while under the influence of Onaya, an apparently non-corporeal being who fed on creative energy given out by talented individuals. It was suggested by his father, Benjamin Sisko, however, that she only forced out what was already within him. () 

In its original conception at least, it was somewhat autobiographical. The mother of the main character was deceased, though that was only one of several themes Jake hoped to incorporate. The father of the main character also featured in the first draft.

The first sentence of the first draft of Anslem began with "From my window, it looked like the...". 

Further short excerpts: "... there is no escape. And it seemed so comforting. So I succumbed, letting the feelings engulf me. Images flooded...", "...I'd become the focal point of the room's sympathy, that everyone would feel it necessary to reassure me with kind words and I couldn't bear the ... of so much compassion aimed my way. I decided to stay put. Outside the rain had stopped, the trees had..." ()

In an alternate timeline, Jake Sisko completed the novel before he married Korena in 2381. He had worked on the novel at a desk in his house in Louisiana. The novel was received with generally favorable reviews. In the 25th century, a friend of Melanie recommended this novel and she read it straight through twice in one night. ()

Appendices

Background information 

It is not known whether Jake Sisko ever finished this book in the main timeline. We only ever see it finished in the alternate timeline shown in "The Visitor". In "The Muse" Benjamin Sisko suggests that his son let the manuscript rest for a while, but eventually start working at it again.

Apocrypha 
In the Deep Space Nine book trilogy Millennium, Anslem is stated to be a part-autobiographical book that Jake works on every now and then. Short excerpts begin each of the three books in the trilogy. Millennium also indicates that "Anslem" is the Bajoran word for "father." 

The Star Trek Online novel The Needs of the Many states that by the early 25th century Anslem is considered to be one of the great pieces of contemporary literature.

External link 
 

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Literature