In 2011, novelist Jennifer Egan was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel A Visit from the Goon Squad. While not strictly a science fiction novel, the unconventional narrative of the book did include a chapter set in a futuristic New York City, as well as another quasi-future chapter told entirely through a Power Point presentation. Now, Egan is back with a new mash-up of technology and prose. Starting tonight, she’ll begin tweeting her new short story “Black Box” via The New Yorker Fiction Twitter feed.
This is part of the launch of the forthcoming first-ever science fiction issue of The New Yorker. The installment will appear starting tonight between 8pm-9pm EST, and will last for ten nights. The entirety of “Black Box” will appear in the next issue of The New Yorker, which will release this coming Monday. The story involves a character from A Visit from the Goon Squad and will be a kind of spy narrative.
Read more about why science fiction fans will love Jennifer Egan here.
Well, the science fiction parts were the only parts of that book I liked, so that is…okay.
One of Egan’s previous novels, The Keep, was also a genre riff. (Horror, specifically.)
@2.
Yep. Good one too.
That’s ‘A visit from the goon squad’.
Jennifer Egan. Squee…
Goon squad was fabulous, wasnt it? The power point chapter was so moving. (As well as structurally playful — tying up loose ends, that self referential pause, etc etc ). Just audacious.
Looking forward to her tweets.
(Part of my joy in the novel is that it is about middle age; redemption is through children in the context of career accomplishment. Not sure I would have been quite so painfully smitten with it if I was in my 20s.)
In 2011, novelist Jennifer Egan was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel A Visit from the Good Squad.
A classic to rank alongside Heinlein’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mattress”.
@@.-@ and 6
Yeah, we also like Stranger in a Strange Lamb! Thanks for the catch though. We got so excited that we just kept calling the novel “good!”
Love the idea of storys on twitter. I agree it can be a bit clunky but I am currently following Stephan J Myers. I don’t read everyday but wait till the end of the week when I get a chapter to read and as he does not tweet anything else they are very easy to follow. I think as a reading medium it is a matter of choice but it does provide insight into the authors style of writing and it is great to see some really good indie authors offering alternative ways of accessing their work without the emphasis on profit which will ultimately be the downfall of big publishing houses. Just my thoughts.