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What is
Science-Inspired Fiction?
While
my first love is fiction, I studied
Mathematics and Physics at university
and wanted to combine my interest in
science with short stories.
Inspired by Alan Lightman's beautiful
book, Einstein's
Dreams (see
below), I found a way to do this which
I call "science-inspired fiction" -
not to be confused with science
fiction! Taking a piece of scientific
fact as her starting point, I allow my
imagination free rein in creating a
story from it.
I am collecting more and more examples of SiF
or "sci-lit" - see below...
As a science journalist, I was exposed to
the wonders and craziness of scientific
discovery on a daily basis. Science, to me,
is endlessly fascinating. scientists are
exploring our world from so many different
angles, asking questions that no-one has
ever asked before. They say to themselves,
'What if....?' This is the same question
fiction writers ask... so it seemed natural
to me to combine the two!
The title story in my collection, The White
Road, is a great example of
how this works. It was inspired by this
quote from weekly science magazine New
Scientist:
What's
long,
white, and very, very cold? The road
to the South Pole is nearing
completion… this road will stretch for
more than 1600 kilometres across some
of the most inhospitable terrain in
the world.
The
short story that emerged is about a
woman fleeing from tragedy who sets up a
roadside cafe alongside this snowy"white
road" to the South Pole. Read the story
on
NewScientist.com.
Half the stories in this collection are
similarly inspired by articles from New
Scientist. My
Name is Henry, for example,
was inspired by an article on the damage
caused by lightning strikes;
Express took as its
starting point a piece of research about
how people who are bilingual spend their
lives ignoring one of the two languages
they speak; On a
Roll was
inspired by an article on randomness.
I am now writer-in-residence in
Bristol University's Science Faculty,
taking inspiration directly from the labs,
and working on a collection of
biology-inspired short stories. Read
my blog about my
experiences.
Riffing on Strings
an
anthology
of cr an anthology of
creative writing
inspired by String
Theory....
...including
Tania's story,
Secrets |
Einstein's Dreams
Alan Lightman's beautiful
and original meditations
on the nature of time and
Einstein's theory of
relativity. A true example
of science-inspired
fiction. |
Copenhagen
Michael Frayn's
thought-provoking and
moving play about the
visit made by the German
physicist, Werner
Heisenberg, to Neils
Bohr during World War
Two. |
LabLit.com
"...dedicated to real
laboratory culture and to
the portrayal and
perceptions of that culture
– science, scientists and
labs – in fiction, the media
and across popular culture."
Check out their
ever-expanding list
of novels, films, plays and
TV programs featuring
science and scientists!
including
Tania's
flash story Sci Idol |
The Wave Theory of
Angels
Alison MacLeod's
stunning novel which
combines medieval
theology with 21st
century physics. |
Tangled Roots
Sue
Guiney's
wonderful
debut novel about a
physicist dealing with
issues of family,
religion and the
workings of the
universe. |
A
Quark for Mister Mark
101 Poems about science
Published
by
Faber. |
Darwin: A Life in
Poems
Ruth
Padel's
poems about the life
and work of her
great-great-grandfather,
Charles Darwin.
|
The
Solitude of Prime Numbers
Paolo
Giordano's dark and moving
novel about families,
mathematics, tragedy and
friendship.
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When
It Changed: Science Into
Fiction
An
anthology of short
stories resulting from
pairing fiction writers
with scientists.
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Litmus:
Short Stories from
Modern Science
A
second anthology of
short stories
resulting from pairing
fiction writers with
scientists - this one
centred around the
myth of "Eureka"
moments.
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About
Grace
Anthony Doerr's
beautiful novel about
water, about snow
crystals, about love
and dreams,
catastrophe and hope.
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The
Gate of Angels
Penelope
Fitzgerald's wonderful
and very funny love
story about a Cambridge
academic physicist. |
Litro
magazine's SCIENCE-themed
issue (April 2011)
PANK
magazine's SCIENCE and FICTION
issue (Dec 2011)
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Brazzaville
Beach
William
Boyd's novel which
manages to combine the
study of chimps in the
wild with the
mathematics of
turbulence!
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