At Lewis Shiner’s Fiction Liberation Front, I stumbled across this interesting piece of info in the author’s notes that accompanies the legendary essay "Confessions of an Ex-Cyberpunk."
In the original 1991 New York Times op-ed piece Shiner wrote:
| Quote: |
| As one reader told me: "We’re the first generation that spent our entire lives around computers and video games. We don’t see computers as threats; we see them as toys. Cyberspace [computer-generated reality] is just an enhancement of video games. We can see the future. We can see this happening." |
In his notes among several other interesting tidbits, Shiner divulges this "shocking" information:
| Quote: |
| By the way, the "one reader" I quote is my friend Rick Klaw, who’s gone on to write a lot of criticism. |
This was certainly news to me. I’m very familiar with the essay. It elicited some serious discussion within the sf field. And even though I was hanging out with Shiner at the time, I did not realize that "reader" was me until I read his revelation.
If you’ve never read "Confessions of an Ex-Cyberpunk," it offers a unique insider’s account of the rise and downfall of the Movement.