William Gibson is an American-Canadian science-fiction writer who rose to prominence after the publication of his debut novel, Neuromancer. Gibson began writing science fiction and noir-influenced short stories that explored the cyberpunk style throughout the late 1970s and through the 1980s, eventually going on to publish Neuromancer, a novel that expanded his previous short story "Burning Chrome." Gibson went on to publish two more novels related to Neuromancer, which are now referred to as the "Sprawl trilogy," and has since gone on to write three more trilogies of science fiction novels, as well as one co-authored novel released in 1990.
Gibson has been credited with popularizing the use of terms such as "cyberspace" and "the matrix" in relation to technology. Some go so far as to say that Gibson's work anticipated the founding of the internet, as it predicted a series of interconnected technological spaces that could be utilized for communication, as well as the creation of virtual-reality spaces and video games. Gibson himself has admitted that he has little interest in technology for his own use, and is instead more fascinated by the impact technology has on people's behavior.
Gibson became fascinated by science fiction in his early adolescence and continued to read the genre throughout his teenage years. He became involved in countercultures in his late teens and traveled to Canada in order to avoid being drafted in the Vietnam War, later settling in Toronto and becoming involved in the city's hippie subculture. After traveling around Europe with his future wife, the two married, returned to Canada, and had their first child. Gibson enrolled in college and received a degree in English, where he was first exposed to literature outside of science fiction, including postmodernist work. While working a series of teaching and writing jobs after graduating, Gibson continued to write short stories and rose to prominence within the science fiction community.
Following Neuromancer's success, Gibson continued to write. Outside of his novels, he has since worked on screenplays, essays, graphic novels, performance art, and electronic, cryptographic poems.
William Gibson first wrote The Miracle Worker for Playhouse 90, a television anthology drama series that gave networks the opportunity to air something different from the traditional long-running serials, but more meaty than half-our sit-coms or...
Neuromancer, written by William Gibson and published in 1984, is a science fiction novel best known for being one of the first examples of the "cyberpunk" genre. Upon publication, Neuromancer received critical acclaim, winning the Nebula Award,...
