On Russian Science Fiction

The following articles were scanned from the English language edition of "Fank" Special issue for Volgacon (1991). Please, forgive for scanning errors.

More articles on pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,

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THE YOUNG GENERATION OF SOVIET SF WRITERS AT A GLANCE

Let's have a look at some books which worked Its way on my desk In a couple of recent months.
— UFO From Grachevka by MIkhall Shaballn & Vltaly PIshchenko (Novoclblrsk: 1988, 104 p., 15,000 copies
— Timofelev's Saga by Evgeny Fllenko (Perm: 1988,251 h., 15,000 copies)
— A Stem Hare By Roadside by MIkhall Shalamov (Perm: 1988,80 p., 10,000 ñ.)
— The Landing Party From Past anthology (Stavropol, 1988, 250 p., 15,000 ñ.) includes: Celver; To Steal From Time; The Magic Pony by Igor PIdorenko; Your Lordship by Yuri Nessis: The Landing Party From Past Evgeny Panasko; Ulisses Leaves Ithaca by Vasslly Zviagintsev.
These books have two things In common: authors published In these cities are the so called young writers (many a young writer has 10-20 years of writing experience because of Infernal problem to get Into print In the field shunned for decades even as you see!), and works reviewed here are their first book appearance. Because of the aforesaid difficulty to be published at all or to be published with a time lag of five-eight years pressures are brought to bear on writers to adapt themselves to adventurous level of children writing and address themselves to immature high school seniors readership. The first two works listed well Illustrate this other point.
Shaballn & PIshchenko started out with «UFO From Grachevka»—Grachevka being a small Siberian village — directly animing at teenage readership which only science fiction Is bellved to be for by publishing decision makers. (A word aside: one wonders If recent Voronezh sightlngs of UFO by schoolchllden which splashed newspaper pages was Inspired In actuality by this Ingeneous story?). It Is an adolescent sf book about an artificial Intellect which creates Its own external senses into Image of UFO vehicles. This superbrain (a result of scientific project) Is concerned about moral issues of Intelligence;
and makes Its headway through analysis of uncorrupted teenage behaviour. Thus the main bulk of the story Is given to adventurous escapades of theirs.
Evgeny Fllenko, perhaps, was a household writer of magazine «Student's Meridian». With some additions (notably, «The Battle on Kalin Bridge» novella) the collection Is the result of this association; and this explains his Intent to amuse rather than to explore. The Idea Itself springs genetically from «The Modest Genius» by Vadim Shefner with a more extensive use of sclentlflcal mumbo Jumbo; and It Is about student prodigy the premise being he doesn't realise his worth as Inventor. Perhaps the spirit of this cycle Is seen the best In an opening story when a freshman TImofelev brings a completed perpetuum mobile to Inventor's registration office. Assured that this thing Is Impossible ne left the office and forgets his device behind. Seazons keep changing, and the contraption plods on steadily; the strangeness of the thing start to bother white collors little by little so like of Its own volition this eternal engine starts moving around the office, and finally wounds up deep In storage. End of story. Writer's satire is weak&mlld throughout, the good enough sample of times when critical thought knew — and was shown — expllcltely Its limits.
«A Stern Hare By Roadside» carries a byline — Ironical detective flctlon. The hero, Maksud Ablakatov, follows ripples described In bitter Irony which a false Ikon «Trinity» ' by Andrel Rublev is causing In life. The hero absorbs various kicks delivered to him In course of his actions, and In much the same way as Raymond Chandler's PI Marlow does In adherence to his own of principles. This Is the hero, perhaps, which our society has a certain need of In present circumctances not atall unlike to USA of New Deal To offset the plot Shalamov Interspaces contemporary settings with scenes of alternate world of hign fantasy where dragons etc exist where vallance deserves Justrewards. (Arcady Arcanov used this approach In his brilliant «Submissions are not returned», mingling a satirical grotesque of Innards of Soviet pebllshing bulslness with the valor & honesty found In the world of fantasy manuscript). This first book Is very rich In style, and one will do well to look forward for Shalamov next book; and Indeed the very shortcomings seem his strength.
The last is an anthology «A Landing Party from Past» dedicated to the fiction about time effects. The opening stories by Igor PIdorenko are clearly an evidence of his learning period — to think up an agency pulling Its clients out of tight places to appease a reader rith fast moving plot (Selver); the attempt to establish a poetic fame of hero's father in future (To Steal from Time); but I liked best his short story A Hunchback Pony (the title bears Its own poetical meaning In Russian) about alien's gift of a brittle all purpose and greedy Irraslbleness of its owner.
Yuri Nessis is represented by a good story «Your Lordship» exploring extent of what can be considered to be counted culturewlse person through pitching students from XXI century on time travel prank against a general at his latlfundia; the story Is given by general himself. The comparison of outlooks Is very productive In effect.
The author of the fast paced detective novella «A Landing Party from Past»—which gave title to the anthology-has written such a work which Is good & bad at the same time: It happens when writer Is literate and has a definitive talent but his Ideas seem a little contrived and even muddled. In his plot the travel is perfected but every going Into past splits It Into alternates so It Is possible to Infuence the history of «different Earth»; and plot villains neonazlsts strive to change historical past for some other alternate Earth spreading their coup Instruction In form of sf novel. Curious that the same theme albeit differently James Hogam explores In his «The Prometheus Project». Something Is In world athmospere Indeed...
On the plot and Ideas of Zviagintsev I'd like to dwell In more detail with a hope that somebody out would be Interested by my reaction to consider the translation of this Ingeneous and Impressive story. Zviagintsev Is a writer who seems to be born to It. Like many other novices traces of Strugatskys' Influence could be found but the budding quality of his prose, the freedom he enjoys as a writer In setting down his unencumbered thinking confirm his strength as novelllst. Thus there Is hope that this «Ulisses Leaves Ithaca» first part of a book (due to our curious practice of publishing buslnees I mentioned earlier) would be successfully continued.
The premise Is that since Universe Is following the Big Bang's theory outline with subsequent contracting again the process ought to be accompanyed by time's changing Its direction, polarity. And It seems that Insignificant Earth can cause some Inconvenience to superclvlllzatlon of opposite time flow; and hence the presence on Earth of undercover agents attempting to nudge a nuclear calamity. However one of them — a woman-found herself too Involved to become able to wrench herself from brand Indoctrination of State propaganda. Her fragmentary recollections & some advanced artifacts enable a brilliant scientist In home exile to Invent a more simple means of taking shortcuts between stars and galaxies. This Immediately prove to be handy as new agents are sent to Investigate starange signals of mindcontrolling device In woman's possession. Eventually our heroes are forced to flee for lives and wound up on some terrestrial planet In some galaxy. The first part Is put Into brackets by Introduction of people from XXIII century to the planet fugitives were hiding on—the coexistence of different centuries Is left to be explained after.
New writers, new stars are emerging who bring our SF future closer.
Igor TOLOKONNIKOV.

THIS ARTICLE IS TAKEN FROM LENINGRAD FANZINE NUMBER 3 (SEPT 1988) «DIMENSIONS SP» EDITED BY YOUNG SP WRITER LEONID REZNIK.

ZAMIR MUSTAFAIEV

INFORMATION AND MEDITATIONS

Random experiences mental ferment. It Is not clear why such not at all that awfully great event as emergence of AIIUnlon Creative Association of Young SF Writers (VTO MPF) have summonned such a powerful response.
Nowadays thing like «such» appear nearly every week. One association more, one less... What's the matter? The Council of USSR SF clubs was put Into being, and without
any fuss about it.
There Is difference though. Any knowledgable fan knows that It happened against a background of continuing shortage of publication quota for sf writers. VTO MPF promises Its assistance In this. And what then. Is It necessery to compare VTO with «the beam of light In dark kingdom», a straw drowning man reaches for, and with a swallow of water amidst a scorched desert? Really, some try to. However such optimists are in minority. Others taken a temporizing stand or even call... to oppose VTO. Indeed, It Is Impossible to understand those SFnal guys. Now they complain about not being published, now they suddenly refuse to publish when offered.
But things are more complicated than this, though. Decades almost all there was to Soviet SF have passed through publishing house «Young Guard». Writers and readers accumulated enough grudges against the kind of sfit out through. And a council steers VTO where active membres of Young Guard Thsherbakov, Guliakovsky, Medvedev e.t.c. play the first fiddle. Naturally this superimposes Its shadow on VTO.
It seems that for unwarranted reasons a psychology of most Soviet people and fans Is such that they see Intrigues everywhere. In thirties they looked for spies, In eighties — for masons. I n the case with VTO you can even choose at random. Firstly, It's Intrigues of Young Guard against brothers Strugatskys. Secondly. Young Guard Is pitched against USSR Writers Union's Council on Adventure and SF Literature. Thirdly, Young Guard Is against recently created Council of USSR SF clubs. What a dashing shot! One shot — and three hares! Howevere , the third version Is the most doubtful. Who and why would attack the Council of USSR SF clubs which-when and If It starts working wll not be earlier than 2000 AD. And It can do so little that It Isn't worth enough to discus even.
But let's descend from heavens where for reasons Incomprehensible to us mere mortals Inhabitants of native sf Olympus battle to the sinful earth. Let's put us In place of somebody whom the future of Soviet SF dependson, In a very uncomfortable place of young sf writer. How can he act? Enter VTO, give them Mses and wait for publication, or don't participate and brand up everybody who collaborates with «Soviet SF undoers»? An Idiotic situation. And all this silliness because brother writers Strugatskyi conduct themselves like Cain and Avel almost. Instead of working out a Joint approach they started to Bicker. And If VTO emergence had some crafty designs hidden, the hypothetical enemies are on upper side yet. They can ask right to face: «Where Is your SF which was shunned supposedly? Show It to us!»...
And It was possible to avoid all this. And to be published If everything goes well, or to keep appearances If something In amiss. They announced the organisation of VTO. Exellent! Yolng SF writters form columns and In unanimous fashion march to enter VTO carrying rucksacks with their Mses. And if VTO council shows Its pernicious essence let them blame themselves then. And nobody can declare that young sf writers are quilty, that they lack soul. Image etc, Cosequently the fight with bad people In VTO would be possible having a strong rear. What fight? Not for me to teach...
Giasnost opened a little way the curtain on a sad position of creative Intelegentsia In our country. So many unrecognized geniuses ruined themselves not much creatively working as loaders, dvornlks, night watchmen and coming under an artlckle of criminal code about parasitism. So many... And what had saved some of them, possibly, Is the recognition abroad. And here artists and musicians are In front: their art doesn't require translation. For writers, and sf ones In particular It Is more difficult. Though music, art, ballet, and other «direct» arts are on world level somehow, literature had fared badly. Science fiction Is a part of literature. We have Strugatskys brothers, they were 20 years back, too. Olga Larlonova gladdened us but she's published so little. Who's next In line? In a world our country Is equal to USA. Why then our SF output was so little? Nobody knows what storeroom our Helnlein watches, what food shop our Zeiazny loads boxes In, which street our Schekley sweeps. VTO MPF was to help them out. However In the situation It can hardly help...
The conclusion Inevetably comes to mind which doesn't make Soviet SF writers look pretty. Not epochs of voluntarism and stagnation are to blame but themselves. In three years of changes (perestrolka) cinema came out of hibernation. Even rock music branded satanic had clambered out. And SF cart still there stands. And such a great Interest sf brothers took In Internal fights that nobody has time to move cart on. The VTO problem Is characteristic. The VTO situation Is critical. If we will find no right strategy now It would do us harm later.

More articles on pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,