The Gernsback Continuum

Infobox short story |
name = The Gernsback Continuum
title_orig =
translator =
author = William Gibson
country = Canada
language = English
series = "Burning Chrome"
genre = Science fiction, cyberpunk short story
publication_type = Anthology
published_in = "Burning Chrome"
publisher =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pub_date = 1981
english_pub_date =
preceded_by = Johnny Mnemonic
followed_by = Fragments of a Hologram Rose

"The Gernsback Continuum" is a short story by William Gibson about a photographer who has been given the assignment of photographing old, futuristic architecture. This architecture, although largely forgotten at the time of the story, embodied for the generation that built it their concept of the future. The titular "Gernsback" alludes to Hugo Gernsback, a pulp science fiction writer and publisher during the early 20th century. By using this title Gibson contrasts the future envisaged during Gernsback's style of science fiction and the present, cyberpunk era that Gibson was establishing. The story appeared in Gibson's "Burning Chrome" anthology.

Plot summary

During his assignment to photograph 1930s era futuristic architecture, Parker begins to come into contact with the "continuum," an alternate reality containing the possible future of the world represented by the architecture he is photographing – a future that could have been, but was not, thereby contrasting modernist optimism and postmodern loneliness.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

"The Gernsback Continuum" was adapted in 1993 as "Tomorrow Calling", a short TV film by Tim Leandro for Film4 Productions. [http://www.antonraubenweiss.com/gibson/gibson5.html The William Gibson Aleph] ] Originally shown on Channel 4, the film was also presented at the British Film Festival, 4-10 October 1996.

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1988/1/1988_1_34.shtml Complete text of The Gernsback Continuum] from AmericanHeritage.com