Writer-fiction writer William Gibson: biography, creativity

He became famous for the fact that his debut novel was the most successful in his category and immediately sold more than six million copies worldwide. He was nicknamed the father of the style of science fiction (cyberpunk), and it is his pen that belongs to the term "cyberspace", although he refuses in every way from this title and does not seek to uphold the primacy of this idea. It's all he is - William Gibson.

Life essays

Born March 17, 1948 in the town of Conway, in South Carolina, in an ordinary American family. Not to say that the boy wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents and all his life to work for a state that barely noticed their pathetic attempts to get out into people. He studied well and easily entered the University of British Columbia at the Faculty of Philology. This happened not at the call of the heart, the young man simply did not want to work or serve in the army, and study solved all his problems at once. In addition, he had innate good inclinations, and the items were given to him easily and did not require serious time and effort to develop them. Later, in 1968, he moved to Canada and settled in the city of Toronto. His departure, William Gibson himself explains that he did not want to participate in the Vietnam War. Four years later, the future writer is finally determined with the place of residence. He chose Vancouver, a picturesque city on the Pacific coast. It was here that inspiration came to him and, under the splash of the waves and the sound of wind on the tops of the pines, a twenty-four-year-old man begins to write fiction.

Early Creativity

The first works that the author brought to the public were short, fantastic stories full of strange terms, describing the symbiosis of cybernetics and human life, narrating how virtual reality changed people's lives. The earliest story was called "Shards of the holographic rose", it is dated 1977.

New direction

Critics unanimously declare that William Gibson is the ancestor of the literary style of cyberpunk, although the author himself categorically rejects this. The fact that William himself owned a computer literacy at a very primitive level is interesting. Typical for this direction stories are considered to be published in 1981 "Johnny-Mnemonics" and "Burning Chrome" in 1982.

"Neuromancer"

Two years later one of his most famous novels, The Neuromancer, was published. William Gibson was able to combine in him all that he considered the canon for the style invented by him. The book was the first in a cycle entitled "Cyberspace". It also included the novels "Graf Zero" and "Mona Lisa Overdrive." In part they were co-written with Bruce Sterling.

The basis of the new style

William Gibson, whose books were full of descriptions of all sorts of gadgets and technical novelties, preferred the plot and the relationship of the characters, believing that the attributes are not the most important thing. Having a higher literary education, the writer was skeptical towards him.

The model of the future in which events develop, in Gibson's view the place is not very pleasant. Spheres of influence are divided between the owners of mega-corporations, which lead to a continuous enmity between themselves. Central to all countries in this new world is Japan, although the author himself in it at that time was not. He extrapolated American realities in oriental scenery, so it turned out the town of Chiba, for example. Many knowledge of the Land of the Rising Sun William Gibson learned from the communication with tourists.

Tearing labels off

Out of his pen came a lot of fantastic literature. These are such novels as "Virtual Light", "Idor", "Country of Ghosts", "Machine of Differences". William Gibson wrote both alone and in co-authorship, but he always adhered to the style worked out. Although he denies the label "inventor of cyberpunk" in every possible way, because he considers it detrimental to creativity. When a person is associated only with one particular genre, it is very difficult to reveal himself completely as a writer. And the reader is accustomed to seeing his idol exclusively in such a role and refuses to perceive something else.

For example, William Gibson plays, of which few have heard. Their references are not even on the official website of the writer, because no one would ever think that the science fiction writer will waste his time on dramatic works, if you can write another fascinating story about the life of the people of the future.

Shields and Prizes

William Gibson won the "Hugo" and "Nebula" awards, and also received the Phillip K. Dick award in 1995. At the same time, albeit with a small gap, two films are released, based on the stories of the hero of our narrative: "Johnny Mnemonic" with Keanu Reeves in the title role and "The New Rose Hotel."

But the main novel is still "Neuromancer". William Gibson was surprised by such interest precisely to this period of his work, because those few stories that were already printed did not arouse frenzied excitement. Of course, the readers were somewhat surprised by the unusual situation, but then, in the late eighties and early nineties, when faith in the boundless possibilities of man on the Internet was already captured by fragile young minds, it was just in time. Teenagers dreamed of becoming hackers, they thought that understanding the intricacies of the world wide web, hacking secret codes and writing programs is fun and unusual. Then, in fact, it was the most suitable time for this kind of literature.

Now interest in it a little cooled down. Children are more fit for the possibilities of modern technology, they are difficult to surprise with something really. Therefore, fantasy with an abundance of colorful characters, a huge selection of races for every taste and color, as well as magical abilities is gaining popularity again. The younger generation wants to get out of this reality by all available means. And the literature is no worse, and maybe even better.

Probably, in order to attach the mass audience to cyberpunk again, a serious technical breakthrough is needed that will attract the attention of the general public and will echo the contents of Gibson's books.