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Young World
Amazing, but true?
S. RAGHUNATH
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Books that deal with the exotic, speculative or supernatural are termed science fiction.
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None has defined Science fiction to satisfaction, but it could be said that it is a popular Anglo-American form with technological interests that has developed in the 20th century.
Some of Edgar Allan Poe's stories anticipate modern Science fiction, but the true "father" figures of the genre are H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Verne wrote several extraordinary stories of adventure, among them, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. He wrote in French, and his works have been translated into many languages.
H. G. Wells had a wide knowledge of scientific subjects. His fame in Sci-fi lies mainly on The Time Machine (1895), The War of the Worlds (1898).
The year 1926 can be considered a landmark year in the history of Science fiction for, it marked the first publication of Amazing Stories edited by Hugo Gernsbeck. This magazine influenced everything that followed so much so the annual award is called the "Hugo". From then on, Sci-fi became enormously popular. The extent to which it dominated people's mind is perhaps demonstrated by the reaction to Orson Welles' notorious broadcast of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds and also the development of the new mythology of flying saucers.
Sir Arthur C Clarke ...
Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Issac Asimov and Robert Heinlein dominated the field and their writings have had profound influence on its evolution.
Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey. Asimov was also a prolific writer whose better known works are I, the Robot (1950) and Foundation Series (1957). Heinlein is also a prolific writer and his leading Sci-fi novel is Stranger in a Strange Land.
To put the widest possible definition to the term, one would say this genre deals wholly or in part with the exotic, speculative or supernatural topics. Homer's Odyssey would very well qualify as Sci-fi under this definition and so would Divine Comedy and Gulliver's Travels.
In recent years, sowriters have been trying to revolutionise Science fiction, but their qualities are difficult to judge. They are generally referred to as the New Wave. The most notable work in this genre are J. B. Ballard's The Terminal Beach (1964) and Alacrity Exhibition (1975).
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