The Invention of Everything Else
Encyclopedia
The Invention of Everything Else is a novel written by American author Samantha Hunt, published in 2008. The novel presents a fictionalized account of the last days in the life of Nikola Tesla
, the inventor who pioneered radio
and alternating current
electricity. Other fictionalized versions of historical characters include Thomas Edison
(a rival), George Westinghouse
, and Mark Twain
. Tesla is the novel's protagonist along with a chambermaid named Louisa with whom he shares some common interests including science and pigeons. Much of the book takes place in the New Yorker Hotel
. The book also includes elements of science fiction, namely time travel.
The author, Samantha Hunt, received a National Book Foundation
award for authors under 35, for her previous novel, The Seas. The Invention of Everything Else was shortlisted for an award from Believer magazine and shortlisted for the Orange Prize . She won the Bard Fiction Prize for 2010.
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, the inventor who pioneered radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
electricity. Other fictionalized versions of historical characters include Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
(a rival), George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse, Jr was an American entrepreneur and engineer who invented the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry. Westinghouse was one of Thomas Edison's main rivals in the early implementation of the American electricity system...
, and Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
. Tesla is the novel's protagonist along with a chambermaid named Louisa with whom he shares some common interests including science and pigeons. Much of the book takes place in the New Yorker Hotel
New Yorker Hotel
The New Yorker Hotel, is a hotel located 481 Eighth Avenue in New York City. The 43-story Art Deco hotel opened in 1930.-General:The New Yorker Hotel is a 900 room, mid-priced hotel. It is located in Manhattan's Garment Center, central to Pennsylvania Station, Madison Square Garden, Times Square...
. The book also includes elements of science fiction, namely time travel.
The author, Samantha Hunt, received a National Book Foundation
National Book Foundation
The National Book Foundation, founded in 1989, is an American nonprofit literary organization established "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America." It achieves this through sponsoring the National Book Award, as well as the medal for Distinguished Contribution to American...
award for authors under 35, for her previous novel, The Seas. The Invention of Everything Else was shortlisted for an award from Believer magazine and shortlisted for the Orange Prize . She won the Bard Fiction Prize for 2010.