Prisoner's Dilemma (novel)

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Prisoner's Dilemma
PrisonersDilemma.jpg
First edition
Author Richard Powers
Cover artistCheryl Asherman [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Beech Tree Books
Publication date

1988
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages248 pp.
ISBN 0-688-07350-6
OCLC 16985003
813/.54 19
LC Class PS3566.O92 P75 1988

Prisoner's Dilemma is a 1988 novel by American author Richard Powers. It is the story of a dysfunctional family living in DeKalb County, Illinois. The novel explores the impact of history on contemporary life. [2]

Contents

The novel centres on the father of the family, Eddie Hobson, who is trying to find a solution to the "prisoner's dilemma" posed by mathematicians at the RAND Corporation. He wishes to solve the dilemma through writing an alternate reality, explaining how human beings could live together peacefully. To do this, he uses many elements from real life twisted slightly.

Non-fiction portrayed in the novel

Many of these events are portrayed differently. For example, Disney is portrayed as having Japanese ancestry, when he did not.

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References

  1. Official website of Richard Powers Archived 2008-11-23 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Hegi, Ursula (March 13, 1988). "What's the matter with Eddie". The New York Times , accessed September 28, 2011.