Soviet Science Fiction: The Golden Age and Beyond

What comes to mind when you think of science fiction? Stories of extraterrestrial intelligent beings, other worlds, spaceships, and robots set in the future, right?

Most of you might recall space-themed movies or TV series when thinking about science fiction. All of these are accurate. However, science fiction is an incredibly diverse universe that has permeated various art forms, expressing itself through written literature, visual works, and music. At first glance, it might seem unlikely for science fiction to thrive in the Soviet Union, a country associated with cold, rational, and dialectical thinking. On the other hand, considering that this nation produced literary giants like Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Pushkin, and Chekhov, it's quite normal to expect some achievements in the field of science fiction, especially by those who love the genre.

If we take a closer look at the history of science fiction in the USSR and Russia, we find a variety of works that have become classics in different art forms, especially in literature and cinema. Despite the initial skepticism, science fiction found its place in the early Soviet Union, driven by individuals who dared to dream about the future and the possibility of intelligent life beyond Earth.

Tsiolkovsky: Father of Soviet Science Fiction

In the realm of Soviet science fiction, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky is acknowledged as its father. While renowned for his contributions to space exploration and spacecraft design, Tsiolkovsky's literary work also made an impact. His story "Beyond the Earth," published in the magazine "Nature and People" in 1918, describes the concept of a reactive rocket. Another milestone in Soviet science fiction literature is Aleksey Tolstoy's "Aelita," serialized in the magazine "Red Innovation" as "The End of Mars" in 1922-1923. Although influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars stories, Tolstoy's work stands out, featuring a protagonist who not only wins the heart of the beautiful princess Aelita but, having reached Mars, leads a communist revolution as a true revolutionary.


The 1920s saw the publication of two more space-themed books in the USSR. "Interplanetary Traveler Andrey" and scientist Nikodim organize a revolution among the inhabitants of the Moon in "Interplanetary Traveler" (1924), while Alexander Yaroslavsky's "The Argonauts of the Universe" (1926) sends characters to Mars. Andrey Platonov's "The Moon Bomb" (1926) and Valery Yazvitsky's "Travel to the Moon and Mars" (1928) further explore events in close space. Other works, such as Graal Arelsky's "Mars Stories" (1925) and S. Gorbatov's "The Last Voyage of the Moon Colomb" (1929), introduce encounters with extraterrestrial intelligence.

Yan Larri and the Exploration of Socialist Utopias

A notable figure in Soviet science fiction is Yan Larri, whose work "In the Land of the Happy" (1931) presents a vision of the near future in a communist society. Despite being initially overlooked due to the author's exploration of political themes, Larri's work gained attention when he wrote a science fiction novel for Comrade Stalin. His novel depicted an alien's perspective on the Soviet system, highlighting its flaws. As a result, Larri was arrested by the NKVD (predecessor to the KGB) in 1941 and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Another influential work is Alexander Belyayev's "Leap into the Void" (1933), admired by Tsiolkovsky himself. The novel narrates the story of bourgeoisie on a spaceship waiting for the end of revolutionary processes on Earth. Their journey leads them to Venus, where a conflict ensues between the bourgeoisie and the workers, ultimately returning the victorious workers to Earth, confirming the reality of the communist utopia.

1930s and the Continued Exploration of Space

In the early 1930s, more books joined the Soviet science fiction library. Notable among them are Abram Paley's "KIM Planet" (1930), Yan Larri's "In the Country of the Happy" (1931), and Aleksandr Belyayev's "Leap into the Void" (1933).

This period was marked by various explorations of space and encounters with extraterrestrial life. Andrey Platonov's "The Moon Bomb" (1926) and Valery Yazvitsky's "Travel to the Moon and Mars" (1928) provide narratives of events in close space. Grigory Adamov's "The Secrets of Two Oceans" (1939) tells the story of interplanetary war between Earth and Mars, with the effective use of ray weapons.

Soviet science fiction flourished with numerous works during its early years, but Aleksey Tolstoy's "Aelita" stands out as a pioneering work in the genre.

The Great Breakthrough

After the victory in the war, science fiction publication saw a decline in frequency. Sergey Belyayev's "The Tenth Planet" (1945) and Ivan Yefremov's "Starships" (1947) are among the few notable works during this time. Vladimir Obruchev's "Voyage to the Planets" (1949) serves more as an informative piece. Boris Lyapunov's "Coming from the Depths of the Universe" (1950) explores the Tunguska meteor.


However, Soviet science fiction experienced a significant shift with the publication of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's "Country of Crimson Clouds" (1959). This marked a departure from traditional themes, focusing more on character analysis than scientific and technological aspects. The Strugatsky brothers' characters often find themselves facing moral choices.
In the 1960s, the Strugatsky brothers continued to explore space with novels like "The Way to Amaltea" (1960) and "Interns" (1962). Their work "Far Rainbow" (1963) stands out as one of their best novels.
Other authors, such as Igor Zabelin ("Belt of Life," 1960) and Vladimir Mihaylov ("Legends About Star Captains," 1961), contributed to the theme of space exploration in Soviet science fiction. The 1960s also introduced writers like Igor Rosohovatskiy, Anatoliy Dneprov, and Vladimir Mihaylov, who delved into the genre with their own perspectives.

Return to the Stars

Yuri Gagarin's historic spaceflight had an unexpected effect on Soviet science fiction, causing a decline in interest. Space exploration, once a captivating dream, had become a routine part of daily life. Nevertheless, the genre persisted, and works like Sergey Snegov's "Gods Like Humans" trilogy emerged. The trilogy, comprising "Galactic Discovery" (1966) and "Attack on Perseus" (1968), faced criticism for being too Western-inspired in its cosmic opera style. The concluding part, "The Time Ring Going Back" (1977), was only published years later.


Olga Larionova's "Aramis Watch" (1967) brought a unique, space-themed romantic story to Soviet science fiction. Larionova's stories were even said to be on par with the Strugatsky brothers' work. During this time, the Strugatsky brothers continued to explore philosophical and social themes in their novels, with "Little Fuzzy" (1971) presenting a moral choice arising from contact with an alien civilization.

The late 1960s and the 1970s witnessed the release of other noteworthy works. Sergey Pavlov's "The Rainbow of the Moon" (1978) stood out as one of the most important works of the period. The novel's characters, former intelligence agents, transform into strange creatures after leaving humanity. Vladimir Mihaylov's works "Guardian of My Brother" (1976) and "So Let's Come to Judgment" (1983) echoed the socio-philosophical themes found in the Strugatsky brothers' later works.

The End of an Era

From the mid-1970s to the 1980s, Soviet science fiction experienced another lull. The waning interest in space exploration, combined with political pressures, led to a decrease in the publication of science fiction works. However, "Molodaya Gvardiya" publishing house continued to release less popular books. Sergey Pavlov's "The Rainbow of the Moon" (1978) was a standout novel, with characters transforming from former intelligence agents into strange beings.

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the publication of Sergey Pavlov's "The Rainbow of the Moon" (1978), where former intelligence agents transformed into strange creatures. Vladimir Mihaylov's works, "Guardian of My Brother" (1976) and "So Let's Come to Judgment" (1983), explored socio-philosophical themes similar to those in the Strugatsky brothers' later works.
In conclusion, with the advent of Perestroika and the subsequent dissolution of the USSR, interest in science fiction waned. However, the modern era has seen the translation of numerous foreign science fiction works into Russian, reaching a wider audience. Today, virtually no science fiction novel remains untranslated into Russian.

The early classics of Soviet science fiction include works by Aleksey Tolstoy, Ivan Yefremov, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Alexander Belyayev, Georgiy Martonov, Yevgeniy Voykunskiy, Isay Lukodyanov, Sergey Snegov, Georgiy Gureviç, Sergey Jemaytis, and Sergey Pavlov. These authors played a significant role in shaping Soviet science fiction during its formative years.


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