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Konrad (assassin)
Encyclopedia
Konrad is a fictional character in William Gibson
's novel All Tomorrow's Parties
. An anonymous and quasi-mystical assassin
, Konrad is moved by the Tao
in all his actions, heedless of the demands of his employers. He is clad in nondescript clothing and carries a tantō
, which he wields with sublime and thoughtless skill. He is haunted by the memory of his lost lover, Lise.
Konrad is described in All Tomorrow's Parties as a slim, middle-aged man with short, grey hair and a vaguely academic resemblance like that of a professor. He wears a dark green woolen coat, dark grey pants, black leather shoes and round, gold-rimmed glasses; similar, then, in appearance to the author himself. In the considered opinion of The Washington Post
' s reviewer Michael Dirda
, Konrad "nearly steals the book away".
, aligning his movements with the spontaneous, universal energy path of the Tao
. Throughout the novel, he continually appeals to the Tao to guide and interpret his actions. Little is revealed about Konrad's past; there are, however, hints of a previous army service (some of his actions are described as 'military') and his nostalgic, jaded view of cities suggests that his work has taken him to many places around the world. The New York Times
somewhat crudely characterized his perspective as "sentimentalist".
Konrad is trained in the art of Argentine knife-fighting which he learned on a beach in Cuba (anticipating Tito of Spook Country
). His weapon of choice is the tantō
, a shorter version of the Japanese katana
sword. He carries the tantō concealed under his armpit using a magnetic clip which grasps the hilt, leaving the blade swinging freely. His skill with the weapon is absolute and is continually compared to the sublime, transcendent, thoughtless skill of an enlightened martial artist. Gibson arrived at the character of Konrad through witnessing the serenity, the alert, relaxed presentness, the inner transparent stillness of an FBI agent he serendipitously encountered.
A chance apophenic
glimpse of a stranger stepping onto Market Street
, San Francisco (the city in which the novel is set) shortly before he began writing the novel drew the character, and his lost love—a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman named Lise, whose image haunts Konrad's dreams—from Gibson's imagination:
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
's novel All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (novel)
All Tomorrow's Parties is the final novel in William Gibson's Bridge trilogy. Like its predecessors, All Tomorrow's Parties is a speculative fiction novel set in a postmodern, dystopian, postcyberpunk future. The novel borrows its title from that of a song by Velvet Underground...
. An anonymous and quasi-mystical assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, Konrad is moved by the Tao
Tao
Dao or Tao is a Chinese word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'...
in all his actions, heedless of the demands of his employers. He is clad in nondescript clothing and carries a tantō
Tanto
A is one of the traditional Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate...
, which he wields with sublime and thoughtless skill. He is haunted by the memory of his lost lover, Lise.
Characteristics
Konrad is portrayed as a mysterious, strangely philosophical corporate assassin. He is described as a retainer for media baron Cody Harwood although his employer does not seem to issue specific orders, nor does Konrad demonstrate a willingness to obey. Thus, Konrad's professional relationship to Harwood is a peculiar one; neither truly needs the other but the relationship is maintained nonetheless for collateral reasons.Konrad is described in All Tomorrow's Parties as a slim, middle-aged man with short, grey hair and a vaguely academic resemblance like that of a professor. He wears a dark green woolen coat, dark grey pants, black leather shoes and round, gold-rimmed glasses; similar, then, in appearance to the author himself. In the considered opinion of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
Michael Dirda
Michael Dirda , a Fulbright Fellowship recipient, is a Pulitzer Prize–winning book critic for the Washington Post.-Career:Having studied at Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree, Dirda took a Ph.D. from Cornell University in comparative literature. In 1978 Dirda started writing for the...
, Konrad "nearly steals the book away".
Philosophical assassin
Konrad follows the Chinese philosophy of TaoismTaoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
, aligning his movements with the spontaneous, universal energy path of the Tao
Tao
Dao or Tao is a Chinese word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'...
. Throughout the novel, he continually appeals to the Tao to guide and interpret his actions. Little is revealed about Konrad's past; there are, however, hints of a previous army service (some of his actions are described as 'military') and his nostalgic, jaded view of cities suggests that his work has taken him to many places around the world. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
somewhat crudely characterized his perspective as "sentimentalist".
Spook Country
Spook Country is a 2007 novel by speculative fiction author William Gibson. A political thriller set in contemporary North America, it followed on from the author's previous novel, Pattern Recognition , and was succeeded in 2010 by Zero History, which featured much of its core cast of characters...
). His weapon of choice is the tantō
Tanto
A is one of the traditional Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate...
, a shorter version of the Japanese katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
sword. He carries the tantō concealed under his armpit using a magnetic clip which grasps the hilt, leaving the blade swinging freely. His skill with the weapon is absolute and is continually compared to the sublime, transcendent, thoughtless skill of an enlightened martial artist. Gibson arrived at the character of Konrad through witnessing the serenity, the alert, relaxed presentness, the inner transparent stillness of an FBI agent he serendipitously encountered.
A chance apophenic
Apophenia
Apophenia is the experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data.The term was coined in 1958 by Klaus Conrad, who defined it as the "unmotivated seeing of connections" accompanied by a "specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness", but it has come to...
glimpse of a stranger stepping onto Market Street
Market Street (San Francisco)
Market Street is an important thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. It begins at The Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building at the northeastern edge of the city and runs southwest through downtown, passing the Civic Center and the Castro District, to the intersection with Corbett Avenue in...
, San Francisco (the city in which the novel is set) shortly before he began writing the novel drew the character, and his lost love—a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman named Lise, whose image haunts Konrad's dreams—from Gibson's imagination:
See also
- Molly MillionsMolly MillionsMolly Millions is a recurring character in stories and novels written by William Gibson, particularly his Sprawl trilogy. She first appeared in Johnny Mnemonic, to which she makes an oblique reference in Neuromancer...
, the fictional razorgirl of Gibson's Sprawl trilogy - Hubertus BigendHubertus BigendHubertus Bigend is a fictional character appearing in the later novels of science fiction and literary author William Gibson. Bigend is the antihero of Gibson's Pattern Recognition , Spook Country and Zero History...
, antagonist of Gibson's later novels - wu weiWu weiWu wei is an important concept of Taoism , that involves knowing when to act and when not to act. Another perspective to this is that "Wu Wei" means...
, the tenet of natural action that guides Konrad's movements