Listen to a conversation with Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Anathem, and most recently Reamde. Moderated by Alfred E. Guy Jr, director of Yale College Writing Center.
Rewiring the Real is a yearlong series of conversations with writers about the interplay of literature, technology and religion, Jennifer Egan on February 7 and Mark Z. Danielewski on April 24.
by Ajay Singh Chaudhary and Abby Kluchin
A response to a public talk with Neal Stephenson on December 1, 2011.
In his 1960 novel A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter Miller wrote of the “Albertian Order of Saint Leibowitz,” a monastic order whose members—quite literally—religiously copy the texts of the scientists of a pre-apocalyptic age. While maintaining the practices and beliefs of Catholic monks, they painstakingly recreate electronic schematics, hydraulic plans, and pages of fragmented statistical research findings and journal articles, each new version copied by hand, gilded, margins adorned with smiling cherubim and mythical creatures. They didn’t have the slightest idea what any of it meant. They did not know what this “science” was—just that it was practiced by “saints” of old and had allowed them to work great wonders. This point is driven home when Brother Francis, one of the heroes of the piece, is lucky enough to find and copy a sheath of notes of the Blessed Saint Leibowitz himself. In the sheath, alongside that most holy of discoveries, a blueprint, is a curious note from the Blessed Saint that reads: “Pound pastrami, can kraut, six bagels—bring home for Emma.” In complete ignorance of the meaning of this message, not to mention their Blessed Saint’s Yiddishkeit, this too is copied, illuminated and, preserved.
Read the rest of this entry »
Listen to a conversation with Gary Shteyngart, author of The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, Absurdistan, and most recently Super Sad True Love Story. Moderated by McKenzie Wark, professor of media and cultural studies at The New School and author of Gamer Theory.
Rewiring the Real is a yearlong series of conversations with writers about the interplay of literature, technology and religion, including Neal Stephenson on December 1; Jennifer Egan on February 7; and Mark Z. Danielewski on April 24.
A conversation with Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Anathem, and most recently Reamde. Moderated by Alfred E. Guy Jr, director of Yale College Writing Center.
Rewiring the Real is a yearlong series of conversations with writers about the interplay of literature, technology and religion, including Jennifer Egan on February 7 and Mark Z. Danielewski on April 24.
A conversation with Gary Shteyngart, author of The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, Absurdistan, and most recently Super Sad True Love Story. Moderated by McKenzie Wark, professor of media and cultural studies at The New School and author of Gamer Theory.
Rewiring the Real is a yearlong series of conversations with writers about the interplay of literature, technology and religion, including Neal Stephenson on December 1; Jennifer Egan on February 7; and Mark Z. Danielewski on April 24.
