The Gold Bug Variations

The Gold Bug Variations

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
Dewey Decimal	813/.54 20
LC Class	PS3566.O92 G65 1991

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

Plot introduction

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

The Gold Bug Variations has received the following awards:

• Time Book of the Year, 1991
• Publishers Weekly Best Books of 1991
• Vrij Nederland Best Books of 1991
• The New York Times Notable Book, 1991
• De Morgen Best Book of 1991 (named in 1999, in a compilation of the best books each year over the last half century)
• Finalist, National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, 1991

References

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

External links

• Bibliography of editions of Gold Bug Variations.
• Listing of reviews and writings about Gold Bug Variations.