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The Gold Bug Variations

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The Gold Bug Variations
First edition
AuthorRichard Powers
LanguageEnglish
PublisherWilliam Morrow & Company
Publication date
August 1, 1991
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
ISBN0-688-09891-6
OCLC22665566
813/.54 20
LC ClassPS3566.O92 G65 1991

The Gold Bug Variations is a novel by American writer Richard Powers, first released in 1991.

Plot introduction

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The novel intertwines the discovery of the chemical structure of DNA with the musicality of Johann Sebastian Bach's harpsichord composition the Goldberg Variations. A similar theme is explored by Douglas Hofstadter in his 1979 book Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid, and the title also alludes to Edgar Allan Poe's 1843 short story "The Gold-Bug", which is also 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.

Awards

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The Gold Bug Variations has received the following awards:

References

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  1. ^ "Genetic Coding and Aesthetic Clues: Richard Powers's 'Gold Bug Variations'". Mosaic. 31 (4). Winnipeg: 151. December 1, 1998.
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