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From: jack@cca.UUCP (Jack Orenstein)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Computer-written book
Message-ID: <7601@cca.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Apr-86 09:48:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: cca.7601
Posted: Wed Apr 30 09:48:27 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 3-May-86 17:48:55 EDT
References: <57@se-sd.UUCP>
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge
Lines: 22

> >      A few years ago, a computer somewhere (a college, i believe) was
> >      programmed to write a book - a work of fiction, generated by the
> >      computer itself -- i believe it was a mystery, titled something
> >      very unusual, like:  THE POLICEMAN'S PARTIALLY-CONSTRUCTED
> >      MOUSTACHE --

> 
>     The book in question is entitled "The Policeman's Beard is Half
>     Constructed", and is a collection of sort-of-free-verse poetry
>     generated by a Basic program called Racter (short for Raconteur).


I have it on good authority (although second-hand) that an entire
*novel* was generated by computer. It was the result of a research
project which aimed to "parameterize" an author's writing style. The
study concentrated primarily on one author, Italo Calvino, and I have
heard that the novel, "If on a winter's night a traveller", was actually
published and marketed with Calvino's blessing.



Jack Orenstein