The Employees

The novel follows the crew of the Six-Thousand ship, consisting of both humans and humanoids, as they encounter strange, alien objects that trigger deep emotional responses. The story is told entirely through fragmented workplace statements given to an unnamed corporate committee. It explores themes of artificial intelligence, labor exploitation, and what it means to be human in a capitalist future.

The English translation of The Employees was done by Martin Aitken, who expertly preserved the clinical yet poetic tone of Olga Ravn's original Danish text. The translated version was published by New Directions in 2022. Aitken's translation was highly praised and helped the novel reach the International Booker Prize longlist.

It blends classic science fiction tropes, like spaceships and humanoids, with literary fiction and corporate workplace satire. It reads more like a series of corporate HR transcripts or an epistolary novel than a traditional, action-packed narrative. This unique structure has drawn comparisons to the works of highly stylized sci-fi authors like Ursula K. Le Guin and Kazuo Ishiguro.

In the novel, the Six-Thousand ship retrieves a batch of strange, seemingly alien objects that profoundly affect both the human and humanoid crew members. These objects trigger memories, physical sensations, and intense emotions, disrupting the rigid, productivity-focused hierarchy of the ship. They act as a catalyst for the crew's awakening to their own existential realities.