American writer (b. Brownsville, Texas, 1954). Science fiction writer, S. is considered one of the ideologists of the genre cyberpunk, in fact in 1986 he published and edited the anthology of stories by various authors Mirrorshades, considered the manifesto of the genre. Graduated in journalism, after spending a few years in India he began working in the sector. He made his debut in narrativa in 1976 with the story Man-Made Self, contained in a anthology of science fiction by Texan authors and his first novel, considered still immature by critics, was released the following year, Involution Ocean. After The Artificial Kidin 1980, a picaresque adventure set in a distant future dominated by technology, he became famous with the novel Schismatrix(1985), one of the points of reference for the cyberpunk. One of the peaks of his production is Holy Fire from 1996, in which he talks about the possible deviances of a future dominated by genetic manipulation. S. is also the author of numerous essays and over the years his production seems to have oriented towards cautious optimism. Among his latest novels are: Distraction, 1998; Zeitgeist, 2000; Love is Strange, 2012; Pirate Utopia, 2016. S. is a professor at the European Graduate School and collaborates, among other things, with Wired e < em>La Stampa of Turin.

by Treccani