William Gibson Biography

Science fiction author and essayist William Gibson, an American-Canadian, is largely credited with creating the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction. His writing career began in the late 1970s, and his early works were noir, near-future tales that explored how technology, cybernetics, and computer networks affected humans. These tales were a "combination of lowlife and high tech," and they contributed to the development of iconography for the information age prior to the widespread use of the Internet in the 1990s. In his short story "Burning Chrome" (1982), Gibson famously created the word "cyberspace" for "widespread, linked digital technology." Later, in his successful first book Neuromancer, Gibson further popularised the idea (1984). It has been said that these early Gibson novels "renovated" science fiction in the 1980s. Gibson and Bruce Sterling worked together on the alternate history book The Difference Engine (1990), which became a significant work of the science fiction subgenre known as steampunk. The Difference Engine built on the plot in Neuromancer with two more novels, thus concluding the dystopian Sprawl trilogy. Gibson wrote the Bridge trilogy of books in the 1990s, which addressed the sociological trends of postindustrial civilization, late capitalism, and near-future urban landscapes. Following the turn of the century and the 9/11 attacks, Gibson published a series of progressively realistic books set in a roughly modern setting, including Pattern Recognition (2003), Spook Country (2007), and Zero History (2010). His name initially appeared on widely read bestseller lists thanks to these books. The Peripheral, one of his most recent books, was published in 2014 and made a return to a more overt engagement with technology and identifiable science-fiction issues. The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) and The Guardian (UK) both referred to Gibson as the "noir prophet" of cyberpunk in 1999, with the Sydney Morning Herald calling him "arguably the most influential author of the last two decades." Gibson has authored more than 20 short stories, 10 highly praised books (including one co-written by him), several pieces for important magazines, and numerous collaborations with musicians, filmmakers, and performers. Numerous fields, including academics, design, cinema, literature, music, cyberculture, and technology, have acknowledged the influence of his work.

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