Comments: Although it didn't win, one has to wonder why Beggars in Spain was nominated for the Prometheus Award. I suspect that its nomination was something of a case of mistaken identity. Originally, Beggars in Spain was published as a novella, and the dominant theme of that novella was the contrast between the productive members of society with those who, through either inability or inclination, were not - a contrast highlighted by an analogy concerning "beggars in Spain" that gave the story its title. Later, Kress expanded the story into a novel, and in the final third of the new version turned around and eviscerated the earlier libertarian premises. I suspect that those who nominated the book were either content with a book that brought up libertarian ideas, even if it then engaged in some criticism of them, or simply didn't read the expanded story and didn't realize that it contained this kind of turnaround in tenor.
Best Novel
Pallas by L. Neil Smith
Other Nominees:
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
Rainbow Man by M.J. EnghThe Silicon Man by Charles Platt
Virtual Girl by Amy Thomson
Hall of Fame
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Other Nominees:
None
Go to previous year's nominees: 1993
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 1995
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