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ROMANIA RUSSIA SCOTLAND SOUTH AFRICA SPAIN SRI LANKA SWEDEN UKRAINE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WALES ZAMBIA TABLE OF CONTENTS
Major Update of 3 June 1998: Science Fiction Film Hotlinks for many countries Minor Update of 3 June 1998: Russia Minor Update of 14 May 1998: South Africa Minor Update of 16 April 1998: Zambia Minor Update of 9 April 1998: Romania, Spain
For further information, see: "Bibliography of Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Sam J. Lundwall, 1964, which I believe has been updated in at least three editions. He also provided important information in "Science Fiction: fran begynnelsen till vara dagar", commissioned by Radio Sweden, and published in 1969. The English translation is "Science Fiction: What It's All About", Sam J. Lundwall, New York: Ace, 1971. "Billion Year Spree: The True History of Science Fiction", Brian W. Aldiss, (New York: Doubleday, 1973; Schocken Paperback, 1974) "Asimov on Science Fiction" (New York: Avon, 1981)
ROMANIA
The 1960s and 1970s marked an explosion of science fiction in Romania. For example, the solidly established mainstream magazine "Viata Romaneasca" had an issue devoted to translated and local science fiction. Major authors include: * Vladimir Colin * Victor Kernbach * Adrian Rogoz Romania's greatest poet was surely Mihail Iminovici, who wrote under the pseudonym Mihail Eminescu. His madness kept his output small, but his works such as "Venus and the Madonna" and "The Epigony" show the delicately sensitive and pessimistic view of the nature of humanity. As a Romantic poet, he played with fantasy themes including aspects of the legends and philosophies of India. The beauty of his language influenced many later prose and poetry works of Fantasy and Science Fiction. I know of two science fiction films shot on location in Romania: * Oblivion 2: Backlash (1996) yet another Sci-Fi Western, a sequel to Oblivion (1994). Produced by: Full Moon Entertainment Executive Producer: Charles Band Producers: Albert Band, Peter David, Debra Dion, Oana Paunescu, Vlad Paunescu Director: Sam Irvin Screenplay: Peter David Story By: Charles Band, Mark Goldstein II, John Rheaume, Greg Suddeth Cinematography: Adolpho Bartoli Editor: Any Horvitch Cast: Zack Stone -- Richard Joseph Paul Mattie Chase -- Jackie Swanson Sweeney -- Maxwell Caulfield Petrified Cowboy -- Gunter David Jaggar -- Andrew Stell Barr -- Meg Foster Buster -- Isaac Hayes Long John -- Brent Huff Stogie Joe -- Sam Irvin Bork -- Irwin Keyes Sidekick -- Michael C. Mahon Miss Kitty -- Julie Newmar Buteo -- Jimmie F. Skaggs Gaunt -- Carel Struycken Doc Valentine -- George Takei Lash - Musetta Vander Josephine -- Nadine Emilie Voindrouh Crowley -- Jeff Weston * Trancers 5: Sudden Death (1991) Trancers 5: Sudden Deth UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of ContentsRUSSIA
A strong case can be made that Russian science fiction is second only to English-language science fiction in quality and quantity, and in many cases science fiction books sell in more copies in Russia than anywhere else. Whether or not the authors get paid is another story. Of course, the American intelligence forces, with time-scanners, saw the impact of young Isaac Asimov, and covertly paid his family's way over to Brooklyn, New York, to keep Russia from taking over the SF world. Russia beat America into space with Sputnik, the definitive event that showed the world that science fiction dreams of spaceflight were now reality, and hammered home the point with the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. Russian authors had created the fictions that led to this reality. 1892 Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935), the Father of Space Rocketry, publishes his first science fiction story "On the Moon" in a Moscow magazine 1895 Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935), the Father of Space Rocketry, publishes his second science fiction story "Dreams of the Earth and the Sky and the Effects of Universal Gravitation" and describes in fiction an artificial satellite -- the predecessor of Sputnik, as it were 1895 A. N. Goncharov also publishes a satellite story "Fantasies of Earth and Sky" in Moscow An important reference work on Russian SF is "Russian Science Fiction Novel" by Anatolij Britikov (Moscow: Nauka and the Soviet Academy of Sciences, 1970). I am going to add, soon, some notes on these particularly important Russian science fiction authors: * A. Belayev * M. A. Bulgakov * Anatoly Dneprov * Mikhail Emtsov * I. Lukodianov * Georgui Martinov * V. A. Obruchev * E. Parnov * Victor Saparin, "The Trial of Tantalus" * The Brothers Strugatsky (Arkadi and Boris) * A. Tertz (A. D. Siniavskii) * A. Tolstoi * Konstantin Tsiolkovski (father of the Spaceship AND Rusian space fiction) * Ilya Varshavsky * I. A. Yefremov * Evgeni Zamiatin Filip Schils Abidjan, Ivory Coast, icq : 6951680 e-mailed on 2 June 1998 to say: "I am familiar with the "Russian classics" re: Zamyatin, Jevgeni & Arkadi Strugatski. I think you could add Vassilli Akhsionov to your essay as he often uses "SF" settings and styles in his books. If I am not mistaken he has also a scientific education (doctor ?) , his style is very experimental using poetry, song texts. He is a scion of the Thaw period and should surely have been mentioned by Yevtuchenko....I am very much interested in other links on Russian SF..." Eugene Zamiatin (1884-Mar 1937) [Evgeni Ivanovich Zamiatin] Russian dystopian novelist, banned in the USSR, of the influential "We" (New York: Dutton, 1924, tr. by Gregory Zilboorg) which surely influenced George Orwell's "1984" -- a global state where people are denied names and love. Important SF figures born in Russia who emigrated include: * Boris Artzybasheff (25 May 1899-?) American artist born in Kharkov (Russia) and trained in St.Petersburg (1909-1918); * Isaac Asimov * Reginald Bretnor * George Gamow (scientist/science writer) * Ayn Rand * many who recently emigrated to israel (see entry on Israel) Charles Angoff (1902-?), Russian-born American newpaperman, English professor, editor, author of fantasy anthology "Adventures in Heaven" (New York: Ackerman, 1945), nothing on the Web? One Russian member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America: * Alexander Korzhenevski Russian SF book publishers include: * Detgiz * Mir * Molodaja Gvardija * Mysl * Znanije Important magazines include: * Junost (circulation hit over 2,000,000) * Nauka i zjisn * Teknika-molodezji * Sveta * Vokrug Sveta (circulation almost 3,000,000) * Znanije-Sila 32 Russian Science Fiction films/TV series include: * The Amphibian Man (1962) * "Gostya iz buduschego" (1984) (mini)TV Series ...aka "Guest from the Future" (1984) (mini) * "Krakh inzhenera Garina" (1973)(mini)TV Series ...aka "Failure of Engineer Garin" (1973) (mini) * Abdulladzhan, ili posvyaschayestya Stivenu Spilbergu (1991) ...aka Abdulladzhan, or Dedicated To Steven Spielberg (1991) * Aelita (1924) a classic! ...aka Revolt of the Robots (1924) ...aka Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924) * Charodei (1982) (TV) very popular ...aka Magicians (1982) (TV) * Chelovek-nevidimka (1984) ...aka Invisible Man, The (1984) * Cherez ternii k zvezdam (1981) ...aka Per Aspera Ad Astra (1981) ...aka To the Stars By Hard Ways (1982) (US title) ...aka Humanoid Woman (1981) * The Death Ray (1925) * Es ist nicht leicht ein Gott zu sein (1989) ...aka Trudno Byt Bogom (1989) ...aka Hard to Be a God (1989) [from the novel by the Strugatski brothers] * I Was a Sputnik of the Sun (1958) * Inoplanetyanka (1984) ...aka Extraterrestrial Women, The (1984) * Iskusheniye B. (1990) ...aka Temptation of B. (1990) * Kin-Dza-Dza (1986) very popular * Klatwa doliny wezy (1988) ...aka Curse of Snakes Valley (1988) ...aka Zaklyatie doliny zmei (1988) (Russian title) ...aka Madude oru needus (1988) * Krik delfina (1986) ...aka Cry of a Dolphin (1986) * Moon Rainbow (1985) * Moskva-Kassiopeya (1973) ...aka Moscow - Cassiopea (1973) * Nebo Zovet (1959) ...aka Battle Beyond the Sun (1962) (US title) ...aka Sky Calls, The (1959) ...aka Heavens Call, The (1959) ...aka Sky Is Calling, The (1959) * Ocharovatelnye prisheltsy (1991) ...aka Charming Aliens (1991) * Otroki vo Vselennoy (1974) ...aka Teenagers in Space (1974) ...aka Boys In the Universe (1974) * Planeta Burg (1962) ...aka Planet of Storms (1962) ...aka Planet of Tempests (1962) ...aka Storm Planet (1962) ...aka Cosmonauts on Venus (1962) * Pokhischeniye charodeya (1989) ...aka Kidnapping of a Wizard (1989) * Priklyucheniya Elektronika (1979) (TV) ...aka Adventures of the Electronic, The (1979) (TV) * Solaris (1972) classic, based on Staislaw Lem novel * Stalker (1979) * Strannaya istoriya doktora Dzhekila i mistera Haida (1985) ...aka Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The (1985) * Taina zheleznoi dveri (1970) ...aka Secret of the Iron Door, The (1970) * Tretya planeta (1991) * Unikum (1983)
...aka Phenomenon (1983) * Yevo zvali Robert (1967) ...aka We Called Him Robert (1967) * Zaveschaniye professora Dowelya (1984) ...aka Testament of Professor Dowell (1984) The story "The Blind Pilot" by Nathalie-Charles Henneberg, translated by Damon Knight, appears (pp.250-265) in "The World Treasury of Science Fiction", edited by David G. Hartwell, Boston: Little Brown, 1989 (and released by Book of the Month Club). Hartwell comments "Nathalie-Charles Henneberg, who is RUSSIAN, met her Alsatian-German husband in Syria when he was in the French Foreign Legion. They began writing SF in French in the 1950s, and until his death in 1959 they signed their collaborations with his name.... Nathalie went on to become a prolific novelist, the 'most read' French SF writer in France in the 1960s, according to [Damon] Knight. This story bears an uncanny resemblance in atmosphere to the early works of the American writer Roger Zelazny, which it predates." The story "I was the First to Find You" by Kirill Bulychev, translated by Helen Saltz Jacobson, appears (pp.690-700) in "The World Treasury of Science Fiction", edited by David G. Hartwell, Boston: Little Brown, 1989 (and released by Book of the Month Club). Hartwell comments "Among the most versatile and popular SF writers in the Soviet Union, Kirill Bulychev is one of a group of younger Soviet writers to emerge in the 1960s. Above all, his talent for storytelling and his interest in human characters interacting with SF problems make him a particularly effective representative of recent Soviet SF. The strain of utopianism remains strong in Eastern European SF and sinks many stories with didacticism, but Bulychev is able to sustain his delight in the wonders of the technological future, as in the days of [American editor/author] John W. Campbell. And, of course, the influence of Campbell-style SF itself, in this case [A. E.] Van Vogt's 'Far Centaurus' is clearly present." UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of ContentsSCOTLAND
Scotland Update of 6 March 1997 Scotland has many internationally published science fiction authors, including: * Iain Banks * Christine Carmichael * Alisdair Grey (also a noted artist) * Duncan Lunan (also a leading Space author/activist) Scotland has many internationally published fantasy authors, including: * Sir Walter Scott * Robert Louis Stevenson * Sir Arthur Conan Doyle * J. M. Barrie * Andrew Lang * Kenneth Graham OTHER AUTHORS KNOWN FOR FANTASY AND/OR SCIENCE FICTION INCLUDE: * Ruth M. Arthur * Chris Boyce * Robert Easson (later became citizen of United States) * Stuart Gordon (Richard Gordon) * Mollie Hunter * J. T. McIntosh * Compton Mackenzie * Angus MacLeod * Sheila MacLeod * Paul MacTyre * Angus MacVicar * Donald Malcolm * David I. Masson * Naomi Mitchison * John Taine (Eric Temple Bell) (later became citizen of United States) Leclaire Gowans Alger (1898-?), a leading Scottish occult editor: nothing on the Web? Help me out, fans from Scotland! Gaelic Ghosts: Tales of the Supernatural from Scotland, under his Gaelic pseudonym Sorche Nic Leodhas)(New York: Holt, 1964) I know of three science fiction films shot on location in Scotland: * Dragonslayer (1981) * No Blade of Grass (1970) UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of ContentsSOUTH AFRICA
South Africa, the only country to have the atomic bomb and then renounce and abandon it, has a nmber of internationally-published science fiction authors, including: * E. J. Blow * H. A. Fagan * W. Rose * C. C. Reed Harry Allighan (1898-?), wrote a 1962 political SF novel foretelling the end of apartheid: "Verwoerd--The End": nothing on the Web? Help me out, fans from South Africa! Moyra Caldecott (1927-): pseudonym of Olivia Brown, British author born in South Africa, books below are Fantasy unless otherwise noted: * the "Tall Stones" series, set in Prehistoric Britain: * The Tall Stones [1977] * The Temple of the Sun [1977] * Shadow on the Stones [1978] * Guardians of the Tall Stones [1986] omnibus edition * The Silver Vortex [1987] * the "Ancient Egypt" series: * Son of the Sun [1986] * Daughter of Amun [1989] * Daughter of Ra [1990] * Weapons of the Wolfhound [1976] story collection * Adventures by Leaflight [1978] story collection for children * The Lily and the Bull [1979] Crete, goddess * Twins of the Twylwyth Teg [1983] story collection * Taliesin and Avagddu [1984] story collection * Bran, Son of Llyr [1984] story collection * Child of the Dark Star [1984] Science Fiction * The Tower and the Emerald [1985] Arthurian * Etheldreda [1987] * Women in Celtic Myth [1988] nonfiction * The Green Lady and the King of Shadows [1989] Glastonbury * Crystal Legends [1990] nonfiction * Myths of the Sacred Tree [1993] * The Winged Man [1993] (according to "The Encyclopedia of Fantasy" by John Clute & John Grant, 1997, p.158) I know of two science fiction films shot on location in South Africa: * Alien from L.A. (1987) * Quest for Love (1971) UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of ContentsSPAIN
"Don Quixote" by Cervantes (1605) not only pounded the final nail into the coffin of chivalric fantasy, but also was an astonishingly ahead-of-its-time meta-fiction, in which the author encounters a character who claims to be the author. In a sense, this was postmodernism over 350 years early, and a true ancestor of modern science fiction. Juan Maldonado, in his 1541 story "Somnium" ("The Dream") wrote a moon-trip science fiction story that is surely the first such known in Spanish. This is referenced in Miguel Aviles "Otros cuatro relatos utopicos en la Espana moderna. Las utopias de J. Maldonado, Omnibona y El Deseado Gobierno" ("Another Four Utopian Stories in Modern Spain: The Utopias of J. Maldonado, Omnibona and The Desired Government") in "Las utopias en el mundo hispanico" (Utopias in the Hispanic World). Jose Cadalso (1741-1782) was a precursor to the Romantic movement in Spain, by publishing "Noches lugubres" [1790] ("Mournful Nights"). Augustin Perez Zaragoza published the wonderfully blood-drenched and gothic "Galeria funebre de espectros y sombras ensangrentadas" [1831] ("A Funeral gallery of Ghosts and Bloodstained Shadows") Pedro Antonio de Alarcon (1833-1891) published the story collection "Narraciones inverosimiles" [1882] "Hard-to-believe Stories" which included the famous story "La mujer alta" ("the tall woman"). Jesus de Aragon was a popular action/adventure novelist of the 1930s who often had SF elements, including a Moon trip. Gustavo Adolfo Becquer (1836-1870), poet and novelist, wrote a number of often-anthologized fantasy and weird short stories. His collection of 18 stories "Leyendas" [1871] "Legends" were exotic and poetic in the extreme. Enrique de Benito published a sequel to Jules Verne's "20,00 Leagues Under the Sea", namely "El hijo del Captain Nemo" and similarly Lazaro Clendobius published a sequel to H. G. Wells' "The Time Machine", namely "Elois y Morlocks" (1909). Ramon del Valle Inclan (1866-1936) advanced a unique absudist aesthetic, which held that Spanish culture is a bizarre mutation of normal European values, and that drama must deal with this through self-conscious artifice, as in his play "Luces de Bohemia" [1920" ("Bohemian Lights"). Jose de Elola (1859-?) was a scientist/soldier/author best known for the 8 volume "Viajes Intrplanetarios en el siglo XXII." His science writing influenced many Spanish SF authors. Other significant SF writers in Spain include: * M. A. Asturias (see below) * Gonzalo Torrente Ballester (1910-) * La saga/fuga de J.B. [1972] change-the-past TIME TRAVEL * E. S. Chapela * Rafael Sanchez Ferlioso (1927-) * Industrias y andanzas de Alfanhui [1951] * Wenceslao Fernandez Florez (1884-1964): * El Secreto de Barba Azul [1923] ("Bluebeard's Secret") bizarre warfare between two Ruritanian imaginary countries * Las siete columnas [1926] ("The Seven Pillars") Satan destroys society by eliminating the 7 deadly sins * J. M. Gironella * A. Robles * Tomas Salvador, whose "La Nave" (1959) is similar to Heinlein's "Universe", except that it turns into a science fiction poem! Miguel Angel Asturias (1899-?) major novelist in Spain, with one genre book translated into English: "Mulata", a.k.a. "The Mulata and Mr.Fly" (New York: Delacorte, 1967) Two Spanish members of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America: * Miquel Barcelo * Robert Carrick I know of seven science fiction films shot on location in Spain: * Enemy Mine (1985) * La Grieta (1980) also known as Endless Descent also known as The Rift * Krull (1983) * The Land That Time Forgot (1975) * Mysterious Island (1961) * One Million Years B.C. (1966) * Viaje al Centro de la Tierra (1976) also known as "Voyage to the Center of the Earth" also known as "Where Time Began" The Internet Movie Database (a subsidiary of Amazon.com) lists 31 Spanish science fiction films: * Abre los ojos (1997) * Alien Predator (1987) ...aka Falling, The (1987) ...aka Mutant II (1987) ...aka Cosmos mortal (1987) (Spanish title) ...aka Alien Predators (1987) * Androides Inc. (1969) * Bruja sin escoba, Una (1967) ...aka Witch Without a Broom, A (1967) (US title) * Caballero del dragón, El (1985) ...aka Knight of the Dragon, The (1985) ...aka Star Knight (1993) (US video title) * Cartas boca arriba (1966) ...aka Cards Face Up (1966) ...aka Attack of the Robots (1966) ...aka Cartes sur table (1966) (French title) ...aka Cards On the Table (1966) * Fosa común (1969) * Grieta, La (1990) ...aka Rift, The (1990) ...aka Endless Descent (1990) * Hermano del espacio (1986) ...aka Eyes Behind the Stars (1986) ...aka Fratello dello spazio (1986) (Italian title) ...aka Brother from Space (1986) *Incredible Invasion, The (1968) ...aka Invasion siniestra (1968) ...aka Alien Terror (1968) ...aka Sinister Invasion (1968) * Isla de la muerte, La (1967) ...aka Island of the Dead (1967) ...aka Geheimnis der Todesinsel, Das (1967) (German title) ...aka Man Eater of Hydra (1968) (US TV title) ...aka Death Island (1967) ...aka Island of the Doomed (1967) (US title) ...aka Bloodsuckers, The (1967) * Isla de la muerte, La (1969) ...aka Philosophy in the Boudoir (1969) ...aka Jungfrau und die Peitsche, Die (1969) (German title) ...aka Eugenie (1969) ...aka Wildkatze, Die (1969) ...aka De Sade 70 (1969) ...aka Inassouvies, Les (1969) (French title) ...aka Eugenie... the Story of Her Journey into Perversion (1969) * Javier y los invasores del espacio (1967) ...aka Invasores del espacio, Los (1967) (working title) * Katuwira (1997) * Largo retorno (1975) ...aka Long Return, A (1975) * Llegaron los marcianos (1964) ...aka Marziani hanno 12 mani, I (1964) (Italian title) ...aka Twelve-Handed Men of Mars, The (1964) * Marciano, El (1965) * Miss Muerte (1966) ...aka Miss Death (1966) ...aka Dans les griffes du maniaque (1966) (French title) ...aka Diabolical Dr. Z, The (1967) (US title) ...aka Miss Death and Dr. Z in the Grip of the Maniac (1966) * Monstruos del terror, Los (1969) ...aka Dracula Vs. Frankenstein (1969) ...aka Man Who Came from Ummo, The (1969) ...aka Hombre que vino de Ummo, El (1969) ...aka Hombre quel vine dela Ummo, El (1969) (working title) ...aka Operation Terror (1969) ...aka Assignment Terror (1970) ...aka Dracula jagt Frankenstein (1969) (German title) * Nuevos extraterrestres, Los (1983) ...aka Tales of Trumpy (1983) ...aka Pod People (1984) ...aka Unearthling, The (1984) ...aka Return of E.T., The (1983) ...aka Extra Terrestrial Visitors (1985) * Operación Goldman (1966) ...aka Operazione Goldman (1966) (Italian title) ...aka Lightning Bolt (1966) * Perro en órbita, Un (1966) * Planeto ciego (1975) ...aka People Who Own the Dark (1980) (US title) ...aka People Who Own the Dark, The (1980) (US title) * Rayo desintegrador, El (1965) ...aka Aventuras de Quinque y Arturo el Robot (1965) (alternative title) (working title) * Robot embustero, El (1966) * Sieben Männer der Sumuru (1969) ...aka Ciudad sin hombres, La (1972) (Spanish title) ...aka Future Women (1969) ...aka Rio 70 (1970) (US title) ...aka Seven Secrets of Sumuru, The (1969) ...aka River 70 (1969) ...aka Sumuru (1969) * Sterminatori dell'anno 3000, Gli (1983) ...aka Exterminador de la carretera, El (1983) (Spanish title) ...aka Exterminators of the Year 3000 (1983) (US title) * Supersonic Man (1979) * Terrore nello spazio (1965) ...aka Haunted World, The (1965) ...aka Terror in Space (1965) ...aka Planet of the Vampires (1965) ...aka Planet of Terror, The (1965) ...aka Planet of Blood (1965) ...aka Terror en el espacio (1965) (Spanish title) ...aka Planet of the Damned, The (1965) ...aka Outlawed Planet, The (1965) ...aka Demon Planet (1965) ...aka Space Mutants (1965) ...aka Haunted Planet, The (1965) * Viaje al centro de la Tierra (1976) ...aka Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth (1976) ...aka Where Time Began (1978) (US title) ...aka Journey to the Center of the Earth (1976) * Órbita mortal (1968)
...aka Mission Stardust (1968) ...aka Operation Stardust (1968) ...aka 4... 3... 2... 1... morte (1968) (Italian title) ...aka Mortal Orbit (1968) ...aka Perry Rhodan - SOS aus dem Weltall (1968) (German title) ...aka You Only Live Once (1968) I had just begun a section on Galician and Catalan Science Fiction and Fantasy, based in part on some wonderful current information e-mailed to me about catalan Science Fiction awards, but a head-crash wiped out my files on that and my e-mail from my informat on that subject. If you are he, please e-mail me again. UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of ContentsSRI LANKA
Sri Lanka was once known as Ceylon, and longer ago was known as Serendip. The story was told of the three princes of Serendip, each on a quest, and then one who kept making wonderful discoveries by chance. This gave rise to the world "Serendipity." One Sri Lankan member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America: * Arthur C. Clarke Arthur C. Clarke told me, your humble webmaster (we have met several times and I've co-edited a book with him) that he lives in Sri Lanka for several reasons: * He owns a nice house in Colombo * He is Chancellor of the University there * He has many friends in Sri Lanka * The country is so beautiful that he suspects it to be the source of the Garden of Eden myth * The scuba diving is fantastic, and last but not necessarily least: * There is no income tax. I know of no science fiction films shot on location in Sri Lanka, although the Internet Movie Database lists 24 Sri lankan films total. UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of ContentsSWEDEN
Sweden may have the highest per capita science fiction readership and publication in the world. There are nearly 2,000 original works of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror in Swedish, and at least 4,000 Swedish translations of English-language and European works. Sweden produced numerous works as precursors to modern science fiction, such as "Ny Upptackt av Landet Catacombe" [New Discovery of the Country Catacomb] by P. O. Fredell (Stockholm, 1780), and "The Subterranean Journey of Niels Klim" (1741). On a related front, the famour naturalist Carl von Linne wrote about travel beyond the skies with metal spheres containing vacuums as superballoons, in "Iter lapponicum" [Journey through Lapland] (1732). Sweden had a great SF boom at the turn of the century, perhaps kicked off by journalist Claes Lundin's novel "Oxygen och Aromasia--Bilder fran ar 2378" [Oxygen and Aromasia--Pictures from the Year 2378] (Stockholm: Jos. Seligman, 1878). Experts believe that this work comes dangerously close to plagiarising "Bilder aus der Zukunft", Kurd Lasswitz (Breslau, 1878). Claes Lundin's novel "Oxygen och Aromasia--Bilder fran ar 2378" is not the typical utopian fantasy. It features matter transmitters (as in "beam me up, Scottie"), space ships (very close to H. G. Well's "cavorite"-based "First Men on the Moon"), suspended animation, television-telephones, and weather control. Nonetheless, in the decade before 1900 AD and the decade after, there were roughly 300 original works of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror in Swedish, and at least 500 Swedish translations of English-language and European works. Examples from this boom include the dystopian "Kallocain" by Karin Boye (1940), the classic epic SF poem "Lycksalighetens O" [The Island of Happiness] by Per Atterbom, and "Katastrophen" [Catastrophe] by Gustaf Jansson (1913). As a result of this boom there were two very early science fiction magazines: Hugin (7 Apr 1916-Christmas 1919), edited/published by Otto Witt, arguably the world's first SF magazine, bi-weekly, circulation 10,000, letters to editor from Nobel laureate Svante Arrhenius, only 2 complete sets known to exist, one of which is in the Royal Library of Sweden Vetenskapen och Livet [Science and Life] (1916-1928), edited by E. Thrall, which spread to a French and a Finnish edition Svante Arrhenius, Swedish astronomer, declared in 1917: "Everything on Venus is dripping wet," which led to plenty of pulp stories about the rainforests of Venus where, as we now know, the dominant liquid is actually sulfuric acid, droplets of which make up the perpetual clouds. In the 1930s, one notable novel was "Ormus och Ariman" [Ormouz and Ariman] by Carl Jonas Love Almqvist (1930). Roland Adlerberth (21 Sep 1923-), noted Swedish writer/librarian/translator/critic: nothing on the Web? Help me out, fans from Sweden! He was said to have written the first article about Science Fiction in Sweden: "SF--Renaissance of the Adventure Novel" (Bibliotek Bladet, Sep 1951) with at least two bibliographic/critical sequels The best survey of Swedish science fiction that I know of is the "Bibliography of Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Sam J. Lundwall, 1964, which I believe has been updated in at least three editions. He also provided important information in "Science Fiction: fran begynnelsen till vara dagar", commissioned by Radio Sweden, and published in 1969. The English translation is "Science Fiction: What It's All About", Sam J. Lundwall, New York: Ace, 1971. Lundwall points out that the popular Swedish folk song "Hjalmar och Hilda" actually derives from the sadistic Gothic novel "The Monk" (1796) by Englishman Matthew Gregory Lewis. Other major Swedish authors and editors (besides those mentioned above) include: * Hans Arnold, international SF artist * Hennig Berger * Ann-Margaret Dahlquist-Ljunberg, "Stralen" [The Ray] * Sven O. Emilsson * P. C. Jersild * Torsten Jungstedt, "Stors Skrackboken" [Huge Horror Book] * Bjorn Karlstrom * Denis Lindbohm * S. Lonnerstrand * Harry Martinson, "Aniara", book-length space/SF poem, which helped to win Martinson a Nobel Prize! * Henrik Nanne [under pseudonym "Carl Henner"] * B. Nyberg * Nils Parling, "Korset" [The Cross] * Arvid Rundberg * Gustav Sandgren [under pseudonym "Gabriel Linde"] * Eugen Semitjov * Bo Stenfors * Olle Strandberg, "Kalla kara" anthology * Ingvar Svenssonb Hannes Alfven, Swedish Nobel laureate physicist who wrote SF under pseudonym O. Johannesson: nothing on the Web? Help me out, fans from Sweden! One Swedish member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America: * Sam J. Lundwall Swedish science fiction publishers include: * Eklunds Bokforlag, Eklunds SF-Serie (1953-1955) * Lindqvist, Atombockerna, Lindqvist LP Pocket * Pingvinforlaget, Atombocken * Wennerberg, Rymdbockerna I know of two science fiction films shot on location in Sweden: * Independence Day (1996) * Rymdinvasion i Lappland (1959) also known as "Horror in the Midnight Sun" also known as "Invasion of the Animal People" also known as "Space Invasion from Lapland" also known as "Space Invasion of Lapland" also known as "Terror in the Midnight Sun" Summary: Extraterrestrials unleash a monster in Lapland which seizes a pretty woman and gives various scientists a hard time The Internet Movie Database lists 7 Swedish science fiction films/TV series * "Kenny Starfighter" (1997) (mini)TV Series * Créatures, Les (1966) * Gröna gubbar från Y.R. (1986) * Last Border - viimeisellä rajalla (1993) ...aka Last Border, The (1993) * Rymdinvasion i Lappland (1959) ...aka Horror in the Midnight Sun (1959) ...aka Space Invasion from Lapland (1959) ...aka Space Invasion of Lapland (1959) ...aka Terror in the Midnight Sun (1959) (proposed US title) ...aka Inaasion [sic] of the Animal People (1962) (US title) * Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997) 7.4/10 (522 votes) ...aka FrΣulein Smillas Gespⁿr fⁿr Schnee (1997) (German title) ...aka Smilla's Feeling for Snow (1997) ...aka Fr÷ken Smillas kΣnsla f÷r sn÷ (1997) (Swedish title) * Sweetwater (1988) UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of ContentsUKRAINE
Achmed Abdullah, pseudonym of Achmed Abdullah Nadir Khan el-Durani el-Iddrissyeh (12 May 1881-12 May 1945), born the son of a Grand Duke in Yalta, now in the Ukraine, second cousin to Princess Nurmahal and Czar Nicholas II of Russia, author of Aliens Souls and half a dozen other Asian fantasies (and the screenplay for "The Thief of Baghdad"): nothing on the Web? Educated at Eton and Oxford, then the University of Paris; served with the British Army in China, the Near East, India, and France, and only after turned into a professional writer. Prolific storyteller, often for the Munsey magazines, and became famous for not only the screenplay of "The Thief of Baghdad" (1924) but also "Lives of a Bengal Lancer." Autobiography is "The Cat Had Nine Lives" (1933). I know of one Ukranian Science Fiction Film: * Dandelion Wine from the book by Ray Bradbury UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of ContentsUNITED STATES OF AMERICA
THE WEBMASTERS OF THIS PAGE ARE NOT ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS, BUT FOR SIMPLICITY'S SAKE ALONE, ANY DATA IN THIS PAGE WHICH DOES NOT MENTION A COUNTRY BY NAME SHOULD BE ASSUMED TO REFER TO AMERICA -THEREFORE MOST OF THE INFORMATION FOR USA APPEARS ELSEWHERE IN THE SITE. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is considered by many literary scholars to be the true father of Science Fiction, and of the Mystery/Detective genre. Only this year doctors concluded that Poe died of rabies, contradicting earlier theories. Poe's translations by Baudelaire were crucial to the evolution of French symbolism, surrealism, and science fiction. "Amazing Stories", starting in April 1926 is belived by most experts to be the first true science fiction magazine, and its editor/publisher Hugo Gernsback is deemed the father of modern science fiction. Edward E. Smith's "Skylark of Space" (1928) was the first genuinely interstellar novel. Isaac Asimov explains: "For the first time in a science fiction magazine, man was whirled off into the depths of interstellar space, with all the Universe open before him. For the first time, the reader had the chance to visualize man as a creature of infinite capacity--man as God, almost." [Asimov on Science Fiction, p.190] UNDER CONSTRUCTIONWALES
UNDER CONSTRUCTION - WE NEED YOUR INPUT. WHO ARE THE WELSH SF WRITERS? Return COUNTRIES Table of Contents
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ZAMBIA
Peter Dickenson, full name Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickenson (1927-): British author born in Rhodesia (now Zambia), maried to author Robin McKinley; known for SF/Fantasy/Mystery and Young Adult novels: * Sleep and His Brother [1971] SF/Fantasy/Mystery * Emma Tupper's Diary [1971] Loch Ness monster * The Iron Lion [US: 1972; UK: revised 1983] * Mandog [1972] co-author Lois Lamplugh * The Dancing Bear [1972] children's story * The Green Gene [Pantheon, 1973; Daw] SF/Fantasy/Mystery * The Poison Oracle [Pantheon, 1974] * The Gift [1974] * the "Changes" Young Adult Fantasy series: * The Weathermonger [Little Brown, 1968; Daw] * Heartsease [1970] * The Devil's Children [1971] * The Changes : A Trilogy [1975; 1985; US: 1991] omnibus edition * Chance, Luck, and Destiny [1975] story collection * King and Joker [Pantheon, 1976; Avon] SF/Fantasy/Mystery * The Blue Hawk [Little Brown, 1976; Ballantine Books] Egypt * Annerton Pit [1977] Young Adult Science Fiction * Walking Dead [1977] Zombies * Hepzibah [1978] chapbook * The Flight of Dragons [1979] nonfiction * Tulku [1979] magical Tibet * City of Gold [1980] * The Seventh Raven [1981] * Hundreds and Hundreds [1984] anthology * Healer [UK: 1983; US: 1985] * Giant Cold [1984] chapbook * A Box of Nothing [1985] * Eva [1988] Science Fiction * Merlin Dreams [1988] linked story collection * Skeleton-in-Waiting [1989] SF/Fantasy/Mystery * Time, the Clockmice, Etcetera [1993] UNDER CONSTRUCTION Return COUNTRIES Table of Contents
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