 First edition | |
| Author | Richard Powers |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | William Morrow & Company |
Publication date | August 1, 1991 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-688-09891-6 |
| OCLC | 22665566 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3566.O92 G65 1991 |
The Gold Bug Variations is a novel by American writerRichard Powers, first released in 1991.
The novel intertwines the discovery of the chemical structure ofDNA with the musicality ofJohann Sebastian Bach'sharpsichord composition theGoldberg Variations. A similar theme is explored byDouglas Hofstadter in his 1979 bookGödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid. The title also alludes toEdgar Allan Poe's 1843 short story "The Gold-Bug", which is incorporated in the plot of the novel.[1]
The plot hinges on two love affairs: the first set in the 1950s, between two scientists intent on discovering the mysteries of DNA; the second in the 1980s, between two lovers who befriend the scientist featured in the novel's flashbacks.
The Gold Bug Variations has received the following awards:
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