The Golden Gate
by Vikram Seth · first published 1986
4mentions
2recommended by
4HN commenters
2014–2023first – last mentioned
50% recommend50% neutral
One of the most highly regarded novels of 1986, Vikram Seth's story in verse made him a literary household name in both the United States and India. John Brown, a successful yuppie living in 1980s San Francisco meets a romantic interest in Liz, after placing a personal ad in the newspaper. From this interaction, John meets a variety of characters, each with their own values and ideas of "self-actualization." However, Liz begins to fall in love with John's best friend, and John realizes his journey of self-discovery has only just begun.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
…and the ends to which it will certainly be put. In a matter of months, not years. If you already have a god, pray. If not, one will be confected from math shortly. If you want something to read, _The Golden Gate_, by Vikram Seth, which touches ever-so-slightly on nuclear arms development, is a good place to start --- 'about the thing without being about the thing'. [Full disclosure: I quit a job in AI myself…
on “OK, it’s time to freak out about AI” ↗If you are into prose told as poetry, as in long stories written as poems, Vikram Seth's "The Golden Gate" is a very approachable work.
on “On getting poetry” ↗"Microsoft’s new CEO finds relaxation by reading poetry, in all forms and by poets who are both Indian and American." Wonder if he has read Vikram Seth's Golden Gate. Looks to be an interesting person despite the corpspeak.
on “Satya Nadella – Microsoft's CEO” ↗> This being HN... where are the poets writing about Silicon Valley See Vikram Seth's 1986 novel in verse The Golden Gate [0], which mentions a Silicon Valley in its relatively early years and even drops the terms RAM and ROM in the first lines. Stanislaw Lem wrote a poem about computers within The Cyberiad. [1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Gate_(Seth_novel)…
on “On getting poetry” ↗