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.

In a picture taken with an underwater camera, a couple stands in front of a Polynesian priest during their underwater wedding ceremony on October 25, 2014 in Bora-Bora, in French Polynesia. The ceremony lasts twenty minutes and costs around 2700 euros. (Photo by Ben Thouard/AFP Photo)

Tigray refugees who fled the conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray arrive with their donkey on the banks of the Tekeze River on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in Hamdayet, eastern Sudan, Saturday, November 21, 2020. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)

A girl, named Tata and aged 8, wears a Red Army uniform-styled dress during the celebrations of Victory Day, which marks the 78th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, Russia on May 9, 2023. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

Yoga enthusiasts perform a yoga exercise in a wine yoga class inside “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience”, a multi-sensorial exhibition featuring artworks of renowned artist Vincent van Gogh at a department store in Bangkok, Thailand, August 5, 2023. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Thousands flock to Bondi Beach for the traditional expats Christmas Day celebration in Sydney, Australia, 25 December 2014. Expats of all nationalities have been flocking to Bondi Beach for Christmas Day for many years. (Photo by Dean Lewins/EPA)

Anne Vyalitsyna and Emily Ratajkowski attend the Bloomberg & Vanity Fair cocktail reception following the 2015 WHCA Dinner at the residence of the French Ambassador on April 30, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/VF16/WireImage)