A Palestinian clown on stilts walks on a street amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Gaza City on November 20, 2020. (Photo by Suhaib Salem/Reuters)

William Gibson is not one of the authors that spits out novels like a machine – in his long and fruitful career he has only published 11 novels andof short stories and articles in the tens each. Still his impact on modern literature was huge – the “noir prophet” of the cyberpunk subgenre (that he was one of the pioneers of) has predicted the rise of reality television, virtual reality, video games and the internet. He is a Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction writer, with a special eye for what the future might bring.

A dog takes a dip in the river Elbe on February 6, 2012 in Hamburg, Germany.The current cold front that has claimed over 200 lives in eastern Europe makes its way west. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

A woman runs while another woman ducks down to avoid teargas as police disperse supporters of the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, during a demonstration against Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, 09 May 2016. (Photo by Dai Kurokawa/EPA)

A member of a winter swimming club wears flippers during the celebration of Maslenitsa, also known as Pancake Week, a pagan holiday, marking the end of the winter, in Novosibirsk, Russia. (Photo by Alexandr Kryazhev/Sputnik/Profimedia)

Contorsionist Rich Miteku performs during the opening of the 41st Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival in Monaco on January 19, 2017. (Photo by Valery Hache/AFP Photo)

Chinese women run with a ball on a snow covered field in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province during International Women's Day on March 8, 2018. International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year and commemorates the movement for women's rights. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)

Mara Salvatrucha (MS) gang members show off their weapons in the Las Victorias district of San Salvador. In March 2012, the two largest gangs in El Salvador - the Mara Salvatrucha (MS) and the Barrio 18 (M18) - agreed on a truce following secret negotiations between gang leaders in prison which were mediated by a bishop and a former rebel leader. It is unclear whether the decision was the idea of the gangs themselves or whether they were encouraged by the government. (Photo by Adam Hinton)