Understand (story)
Encyclopedia
Understand is a science fiction
novelette
published in 1991 by Ted Chiang
. It was nominated for the 1992 Hugo Award for Best Novelette
, and won the 1992 Asimov’s Reader Poll. The story has been recorded by Rhashan Stone
and broadcast as a four-part series on BBC Radio 7.
to heal brain damage
caused by anoxia
after he nearly drowns. The drug regenerates his damaged neurons and has the unintended side effect of exponentially improving his intellect and motor skills. As he gets smarter and smarter, he is pursued by several government agencies and eventually receives a message from—and then enters into conflict with—another super-smart test subject.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novelette
Novelette
A novelette is a piece of short prose fiction. The distinction between a novelette and other literary forms is usually based upon word count, with a novelette being longer than a short story, but shorter than a novella...
published in 1991 by Ted Chiang
Ted Chiang
Ted Chiang is an American speculative fiction writer. His Chinese name is Chiang Feng-nan.He was born in Port Jefferson, New York and graduated from Brown University with a Computer Science degree. He currently works as a technical writer in the software industry and resides in Bellevue, near...
. It was nominated for the 1992 Hugo Award for Best Novelette
Hugo Award for Best Novelette
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
, and won the 1992 Asimov’s Reader Poll. The story has been recorded by Rhashan Stone
Rhashan Stone
Rhashan Stone is a British-American actor, comedian, musician, composer, singer and playwright. He is best known for appearing in many BBC television comedy shows such as Desmond's and Mutual Friends. As well as his numerous television appearances, Rhashan is also an accomplished stage actor...
and broadcast as a four-part series on BBC Radio 7.
Plot summary
The story follows a man who is given an experimental drugExperimental drug
An experimental drug is a substance that has been tested in a laboratory and has got approval from regulatory authorities to be tested on people. In the United States, the body responsible for approval is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
to heal brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
caused by anoxia
Hypoxia (medical)
Hypoxia, or hypoxiation, is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise...
after he nearly drowns. The drug regenerates his damaged neurons and has the unintended side effect of exponentially improving his intellect and motor skills. As he gets smarter and smarter, he is pursued by several government agencies and eventually receives a message from—and then enters into conflict with—another super-smart test subject.
External links
- Understand - a novelette by Ted Chiang Read the story online at Infinity Plus.
- Understand by Ted Chiang at BestScienceFictionStories.com - A short review of the story with resources for finding it.