Re-reading works of fiction can shed new light on the current trends and concerns surrounding demography. Aggravated by waning birthrates, these concerns relate to fertility, migration, aging, or (more broadly) the environment.
Two French specialists, Jacques Véron and Jean-Marc Rohrbasser, have written an original book on the subject [Extreme Demography: When Fiction Anticipates the Future of Societies]. Working at the Institut national d’études démographiques (INED) (French Institute for Demographic Studies), these two prolific readers examine what literature can tell us about demography. Drawing on their reading of stories, novels, essays, and various tales, they analyse population changes to address the question: “Are the dystopian worlds and ‘demographic hells’ portrayed by authors entirely unrealistic?” Their work provides an opportunity to explore the realities of global demographic dynamics and
