William Gibson

William Gibson, like fellow Vancouverite Douglas Coupland, will go down in history for having introduced a ubiquitous word to the modern vernacular – in this case, “cyberspace” in the 1981 anthology Burning Chrome.

The best-selling science fiction author is also regarded as no less than a prophet and visionary for conceiving, in his futuristic stories, of concepts like the Internet and virtual reality before they ever existed. His high-tech, high-energy writing style was quickly dubbed “cyberpunk” by the literary press. As Gibson told the Philadelphia Enquirer, “I’m not even sure what cyberpunk means, but I suppose it’s useful as a tip-off to the people that what they’re going to read is a little wider.”

His debut novel, Neuromancer, won the Hugo, the Nebula and the Philip K. Dick awards in 1984 and began a trilogy that include Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. Other works include Idoru and his most recent novel, All Tomorrow’s Parties.

Mr. Gibson has also been a screenwriter, adapting his short story “Johnny Mnemonic” for the film of the same name in 1995.