Pat Cadigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pat Cadigan
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Cadigan in 2017
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| Born | September 10, 1953 Schenectady, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American British (as of 2014) |
| Alma mater | University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Kansas |
| Genre | Science fiction, cyberpunk |
| Notable works | Synners, Fools |
| Notable awards | Arthur C. Clarke Award 1992 Synners Arthur C. Clarke Award 1995 Fools Hugo Award for Best Novelette 2013 The Girl-Thing who Went Out for Sushi |
Pat Cadigan (born September 10, 1953) is an American-British author famous for her science fiction stories. She is a major writer in the cyberpunk genre. Cyberpunk is a type of sci-fi that often shows a future with advanced technology but also social problems.
Cadigan's books and short stories explore how technology could connect with the human mind. Her first novel, Mindplayers, was about this idea. It was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Pat Cadigan was born in Schenectady, New York, and she grew up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
A Creative Childhood
When she was a kid in the 1960s, Cadigan had a big imagination. She and a friend pretended they were secret twins from the planet Venus. In their make-believe world, they gave advice to the famous band The Beatles.
She said they even used their pretend shape-shifting powers to help the band. When The Beatles were too tired, the "Venusian twins" would take their place to finish recording songs or performing in concerts. They also used their imaginary superpowers to help heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman.
College and Early Career
Cadigan studied theater at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Later, she went to the University of Kansas to study science fiction writing with the author James Gunn.
After college, she worked for a fantasy writer named Tom Reamy. She also worked as a writer for the Hallmark Cards company. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she edited two small science fiction magazines, Chacal and Shayol.
In 1996, Cadigan moved to London, England. She became a citizen of the United Kingdom in 2014.
Writing Career
Cadigan sold her first professional science fiction story in 1980. By 1987, she was successful enough to become a full-time writer.
Exploring the Mind in a High-Tech World
Cadigan’s first novel, Mindplayers, introduced a theme she would use in many of her stories. She writes about a world where the human mind is a real place that people can explore using technology. This idea blurs the line between what is real and what people see in their minds.
Her second novel, Synners, also explores this theme. It imagines a future where people can directly access their minds with technology. Her stories are known for being part of the cyberpunk genre, but she is especially famous for writing about the connection between technology and the human mind.
Awards and Recognition
Cadigan has won several important awards for her writing. These include:
- The Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1992 for her novel Synners.
- The Arthur C. Clarke Award again in 1995 for her novel Fools.
- The Hugo Award in 2013 for her story "The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi".
The famous science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1982 novel Friday partly to Cadigan. This was after she helped him as a guest liaison at a major science fiction convention.
Health
In 2013, Cadigan announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer. She received treatment and has since recovered.
See also
In Spanish: Pat Cadigan para niños
