Online Encyclopedia
Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland (born December 30, 1961 on an air-force base, Baden Söllingen , Germany) is a Canadian author and cultural commentator, raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. Trained as a sculptor, he worked in Europe and Japan before returning to his hometown, where he began to write on youth and popular culture for local magazines. This led him to the subject of his breakthrough novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture (1991), which was critically praised for capturing the zeitgeist of his peer group, for whom its title provided a convenient label. Although society later guestimated "generation x", the generation, as being born up to and including the very early 1970s, Douglas' range was close enough to approximate the label. Without knowing it, he had literally provided one of the names for his whole generation.
His next novel, Shampoo Planet , had a more conventional structure than its predecessor but many similarities, including a detailed eye for the mores and minutiae of the lives of its young protagonists, including video games, hippie parents and an obsession with grooming products. Microserfs (1995) is centred on high-tech life in Seattle, Washington, and Palo Alto, California, contrasting the corporate culture of Microsoft with pre-dot-com bubble start-up companies.
Girlfriend in a Coma (with a title from, and many knowing nods within the text to, The Smiths) showed a willingness to tackle broader themes and featured some of his most mature writing — poet and critic Tom Paulin described his use of language as "fresh, like wet paint". Like the earlier novels, however, it was criticised as poorly structured. While his books are rich in humour, observation and carefully drawn vignettes, Coupland's critics noted a tendency for the plot development to be lost amongst these. The apocalyptic ending of Girlfriend..., which seems forced and out of step with the remainder, is often held up as a case in point. In this context, Miss Wyoming is possibly his most rounded and satisfying novel.
Sofia Coppola's company acquired the film rights to Generation X in 2001, although, like many novels, this does not necessarily guarantee one will be made. In fact, the one-year option on the property has long expired, leaving this and many other Coupland film projects in limbo.
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Books
Fiction
- Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture (1991)
- Shampoo Planet (1992)
- Life After God (1994)
- Microserfs (1995)
- Girlfriend in a Coma (1998)
- Miss Wyoming (1999)
- (2001)
- God Hates Japan (2001)
- Hey Nostradamus! (2003)
- Eleanor Rigby (2004)
- jPod (2005)
Non-fiction
- Polaroids From The Dead (1996) — collected essays
- Lara's Book : Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider phenomenon (1998)
- City of Glass (2000) — a collection of essays and photographs of Vancouver.
- Souvenir of Canada (2002)
- School Spirit (2002)
- Souvenir of Canada 2 (2004)
- Terry - The Life of Canadian Terry Fox (2005)
Polaroids from the Dead includes some fiction as well, as a series of 10 quick descripatory shots of Grateful Dead concerts at the beginning were invented.
Plays
- September 10 (2004) — written and performed by Coupland