Rudy Rucker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rudy Rucker
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Rucker in 2004
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| Born |
Rudolf von Bitter Rucker
March 22, 1946 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | St. Xavier High School Swarthmore College (BA) Rutgers University (MS, PhD) |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Ware Tetralogy |
| Spouse(s) |
Sylvia Rucker
(m. 1967; died 2023) |
| Relatives | G. W. F. Hegel (four generations removed) |
Rudolf von Bitter Rucker (born March 22, 1946) is an American writer, mathematician, and computer scientist. He is famous for his science fiction novels and is one of the people who helped start the cyberpunk style of writing. He has written both fiction (made-up stories) and non-fiction (true stories and facts). Rucker is best known for his series of novels called the Ware Tetralogy. The first two books in this series, Software and Wetware, both won the Philip K. Dick Award.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rudy Rucker was born and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. His father, Embry Cobb Rucker Sr., ran a furniture company and later became a priest. His mother was Marianne von Bitter. Rudy Rucker is also a very distant relative of a famous German philosopher named Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.
Rucker went to St. Xavier High School. After that, he studied mathematics at Swarthmore College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1967. He continued his studies at Rutgers University, getting his master's degree in 1969 and his PhD in mathematics in 1973.
A Career of Ideas
After finishing his education, Rucker taught mathematics at the State University of New York at Geneseo from 1972 to 1978. He also wrote a book called Geometry, Relativity and the Fourth Dimension during this time.
From 1978 to 1980, Rucker taught at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg in Germany, thanks to a special grant. He then taught at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Virginia from 1980 to 1982. After that, he decided to become a full-time writer for four years.
In 1986, Rucker became a computer science professor at San José State University. He retired from this role in 2004 as a professor emeritus, which means he kept his title after retirement. From 1988 to 1992, he also worked as a programmer for a company called Autodesk. He worked on something called cellular automata, which are like simple computer models that can create complex patterns. This work inspired his book The Hacker and the Ants.
Science and Philosophy in Stories
Rucker is a mathematician who also loves philosophy. He has written non-fiction books like The Fourth Dimension and Infinity and the Mind. These books explore big ideas about space, time, and endlessness. Infinity and the Mind was re-released by Princeton University Press in 1995 and 2005.
Rucker often uses his novels to explore scientific or mathematical ideas. For example, his novel White Light looks at the idea of infinity. His Ware Tetralogy series, written between 1982 and 2000, explains how natural selection can be used to create computer software. This idea was also explored in his 1994 book The Hacker and the Ants.
His non-fiction book, The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul, talks about different philosophies he has believed over the years. It suggests that maybe the world works like a giant computer.
Exploring New Worlds: Transrealism
Rucker created his own writing style called transrealism. He described this style in his 1983 essay, The Transrealist Manifesto. Transrealism is a type of science fiction that mixes the author's real-life experiences and feelings with amazing, imaginary elements. These fantastic parts often stand for changes happening inside a person. Many of Rucker's novels and short stories use these ideas. For example, in his novel Saucer Wisdom, the main character is taken by aliens. Rucker and his publisher jokingly marketed this book as if it were a true story.
His first transreal novel, White Light, was written when he was teaching in Germany. This book is based on his experiences from his time at SUNY Geneseo.
Personal Life
In 1967, Rudy Rucker married Sylvia Bogsch Rucker. They had three children together. Sylvia passed away in 2023. In 2008, Rucker had a serious health event called a cerebral hemorrhage. This experience led him to write his autobiography, Nested Scrolls, which tells the story of his life.
Film Appearances
- As an actor-speaker in Manual of Evasion LX94, a 1994 film by Edgar Pêra.
See also
In Spanish: Rudy Rucker para niños
