Masarykova univerzita Filozofická fakulta

Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky

Magisterská diplomová práce

Hana Šimečková

2016 Hana Šimečková

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Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English-language Translation

Hana Šimečková

Translators of and in the and the Fandom Influence Master’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: Ing. Mgr. Jiří Rambousek, Ph. D.

2016

I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

…………………………………………….. Author’s signature

I would like to thank Zdeněk Rampas, RNDr., for his enthusiastic approach regarding this thesis and for providing me with the access to the valuable information about the fanzine translators. Big thanks also go to Daniela Mičanová, who introduced me to Antonín K. K. Kudláč and his monograph Anatomy of the Sense of Wonder that influenced the concept of this thesis. I am also very grateful to all the translators who dedicated their time to filling out the survey and answering my questions. And, most importantly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Ing. Mgr. Jiří Rambousek, PhD., for his infinite patience and his kind supervising of this thesis.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ...... 7 1.1 Methodology and Thesis Structure ...... 8 2. Terminology ...... 10 2.1.1 Science Fiction ...... 11 2.1.2 Fantasy ...... 12 2.2 Fans ...... 14 3. Fandom ...... 16 3.1 History of the Anglo-American SF Fandom ...... 18 3.2 History of the Fandom in the Czech Republic ...... 19 3.2.1 1979 - 1989 ...... 21 3.2.2 1990 – 2003 ...... 22 3.2.3 2004 – 2016 ...... 23 4. Czech Translators of Fantastic Literature ...... 23 4.1 Translators before 1989 ...... 24 4.1.1 Assorted Fanzines ...... 25 4.1.2 Klub Julese Vernea (1969-1970,1984-) ...... 27 4.1.3 Villoidus (SFK MFF UK) (1979-) ...... 29 4.1.4 Klub Literární Fantastiky (1982) ...... 30 4.1.5 AF 167 (1984-1990) ...... 31 4.1.6 Klub Stanisłava Lema (1990) ...... 33 4.1.7 Ikarie (XB-1) (1990-2010, 2011-) ...... 34 4.1.8 Translators ...... 37 4.1.9 Non-affiliated Translators ...... 37 4.1.11 Writers ...... 38 4.2 Translators after 1990 ...... 39 4.3 Translators after 2000 ...... 40 5. Criticising the Fantastic Literature Translations: Genre specifics ...... 41 5.1.1 Fictional worlds and their rules ...... 41 5.1.2 Neologisms ...... 43 5.1.3 Intertextuality ...... 44 5.2 Feedback from fans ...... 45 5.3 Professional feedback ...... 45 5.3.1 Koniáš ...... 46 5.3.2 Ceny Akademie Science Fiction, Fantasy a Hororu ...... 46 6. Translators of Fantastic Literature – Who Are They? ...... 46 6.1 Initial hypotheses ...... 46 6.2 Questionnaire Analysis ...... 48 6.2.1 Demographic Data ...... 48 6.2.2 Education ...... 49 6.3 Translating ...... 50 6.3.2 Experience ...... 50 6.4.4 Encountering the fantastic literature ...... 55 6.4.4.1 Translating the fantastic literature ...... 55 6.4.4.2 Specialization ...... 56 6.5 Connections with Fandom...... 57 6.6 Final notes ...... 58 7. Results: Average Fantastic Literature Translator? ...... 59 8. Conclusion...... 60 References ...... 62 Summary ...... 70 Resumé ...... 72 Appendix A ...... 73 Appendix B ...... 74 1. Introduction

During the last decade, there was a shift of general opinion about the science fiction (hereafter shortened as sci-fi or SF) and fantasy genres, as well as their fans and culture. General audience slowly starts to abandon the pathological image of a fan as a nerdy guy with glasses, rubber pointy ears and “no life” (Jenkins, 2012), and some people are even inclined to the opinion that „geek is the new jock“ (Muniowski, 2016). Even though the “fan studies” in the Anglo-American countries have existed since the 1980s, it is only in the last decade the fan culture has become a topic of more extensive academic studies in the Czech Republic (most notably Pohl 2008 and Kudláč 2016). While the basic outline of the Czech fandom history is relatively well mapped due to the efforts from within the fandom (Neff, Adamovič, Langer, Macek, Kudláč), there is no thesis or encyclopaedia focused on the Czech translators that are or were a part of the fandom. Considering that fan translations were the source of most Anglo- American sci-fi and fantasy literature during the Communist era and currently, according to the Svaz českých knihkupců a nakladatelů (2014), there are over 6000 books translated from different languages published per year and around 600 of those are sci-fi or fantasy novels1, it seems hardly believable that no attempts have yet been made to document such important aspect of the fan culture. This lack of interest could be attributed to the fact pointed out by Taalas and Hirsjärvi (2013) that “the invisibility of translations does not only cover the translator as a person but the cultural processes of translating texts” (originally Venuti, 1995). The translators of sci-fi and fantasy share the same struggles with the recognition of their work as the mainstream literature translators (they are mostly being reduced to a name in the copyright or imprint). Moreover, until the last decade, their situation has been accentuated by the relative seclusion of sci-fi and fantasy fiction from the mainstream literature. The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of the translators of sci-fi and fantasy literature in the Czech Republic and ground it in the historical context of the community for which the older translations were initially created. The community whose evolution has been rather fascinating due to the circumstances surrounding the

1 According to the interview with Richard Podaný carried out by Jan Rosák (Rosák 2011). 7 time of its formation in the early 1980s and its semi-legal origin. A community which is highly critical of their works to the point that the anti-award for popular fantastic literature Koniáš was established few years before the Skřipec, anti-award organised by Obec překladatelů (Czech Literary Translators’ Guild). The fandom feedback will also be addressed in one chapter of the thesis, following the overview itself. This thesis takes into account that most people do not have the insight into the sci-fi and fantasy literary genres and the fandom, therefore the overview of translators themselves is preceded by a short vocabulary of terms and the definition of the fandom and its brief history for better orientation and easier referencing in the text.

1.1 Methodology and Thesis Structure

Thanks to the efforts of fans and aca-fans in the Czech Republic and around the world in the recent years, there are quite a lot of sources to draw the information from. These sources range from interviews conducted with the individual translators and fans, essays in specialised periodicals (Ikarie, Interkom), several academic works published in print (Anatomie pocitu úžasu, Paralelní světy, Fandom a text) to various student theses that are analysing some aspect of the selected genres or fan culture. Due to Fandom efforts, several online databases related to fandom and literature (Legie.info, Kdo je kdo v SF) have been created and are regularly updated. Entries in the fandom related databases have been cross-referenced with entries in the database of Czech Literary Translators’ Guild and Databáze českého uměleckého překladu. I have also reached out to Mr Zdeněk Rampas, RNDr., who is the “official president of the ČS Fandom for life” and was very kind to answer my questions regarding the translators participating in fandom activities in an interview and later via the email correspondence. Any quotations marked “Rampas 2016” refer to this correspondence, which was conducted in the Czech language. I have also contacted several translators mentioned in the thesis and conducted a few non-structured personal interviews with some of them and the information provided will be credited accordingly (Kotrle, Ríša, Bronec, Kantůrek). The first chapter delineates the terminology used in the later chapters in the thesis. It provides the descriptions of the literary genres and their respective sub-genres, as well as the definition of the concept of “fan” as it is perceived in relation with sci-fi and fantasy. While I acknowledge the merits of the new conception for the classification of 8 fantastic literature proposed by Dědinová (2015), I have decided to keep the classical structure as is used by Mocná (2004), Neff & Olša (1995) and Adamovič (1995) due to the focus of the thesis: the extent of additional information needed to introduce the new complex classification adequately would mean a significant diversion from the main topic. The second chapter establishes the cultural, sociological and literary context as it deals with the history of the fandom abroad and more importantly, it describes the history of the Czech fandom in greater detail as it not only provided means to publish the translations semi-legally, but many members did translations themselves. As the groundwork is established in the second chapter, the third one deals exclusively with the translators. The initial research determined that the Czech fandom subculture still primarily revolves around the literary texts. Therefore, this thesis will analyse the profile of Czech literary translators only and won’t include other media, such as fan subtitles for sci-fi and fantasy films. After analysing the list provided by Mr Rampas, it was apparent that their situation over the years has been significantly more complicated than expected. Therefore, instead of focusing solely on the process of fan translator professionalisation, this thesis focuses on documenting the translators and their interconnectedness with fandom. Due to the emphasis on the relations as well as the fact that some of them started translating later in life (for example Jana Rečková), they are organised according to the groups they participated in rather than listed chronologically. As some of them moved from one sci- fi club to another during their lives, they are placed in the group or organisation for which they are most renowned. The classification of translators, who were not affiliated with any club, is based on their dominant profession. I have also implemented Kudláč’s method of determining the generations of fans: the deciding factor was their age during the Velvet Revolution in 1989 as the character of book publishing has changed following the fall of Iron Curtain. Moreover, this thesis does not contain the complete list of translations for each translator, just a few examples of their works in the selected genres. The fourth chapter examines the peculiarities of translating the sci-fi and fantasy fiction, including the feedback from fans, both casual enthusiasts and erudite professionals in the fandom. The several examples of the specific translation problems were obtained through the means of the “insider research”. This chapter also mentions

9 the awards and anti-awards related to translating that are or were awarded within the fandom. The fifth and final chapter is summarising the data extracted from the databases and compares them with the results of the questionnaire that was sent out to the literary translators of sci-fi and fantasy. As most of the resources regarding this thesis were in the Czech language, the direct quotations translated from Czech are marked in italics.

2. Terminology

While the terms science fiction and fantasy are currently no longer an entirely uncharted territory to the general public, it is better to define them in advance to avoid any misconceptions. Moreover, it is necessary to specify the terminology in the academic context because “the varied interpretations of the current terminology connected to the fantastic arts studies border with chaos” (Dědinová, 2015) and they often lack a unifying element. For example, Mocná, Peterka et al. (2004: 187) state that the Czech term “fantastika” is the direct equivalent to the English term “fantasy”. Adamovič (1995) uses the term also in the strict sense of fantasy literature, but also includes “any with the supernatural cause of terror”, and adds that it can be used as a more general designation “encompassing all science fiction works and literature where the stories go beyond the boundaries of mundane reality”. Finally, Kudláč (2016) and fanzine sources use the word in the general sense as an umbrella term for science fiction, fantasy, and fantastic horror literature. This thesis will be using a modification of Kudláč’s usage and his proposed equivalent in English, the “Popular Fantastic Arts”: More precisely the “popular fantastic literature” as it presents the most accurate description of the works that have been translated as of yet. While Kudláč meant to indicate the transmedia2 character of popular arts and the status of “fantastic genres” suspended between the high and popular culture, it also corresponds with the topic of the thesis. The emphasis on sci-fi and fantasy (SF&F) in the title of this thesis is intentional as these two literary genres are classified as a part of a “fantastic literature triumvirate” along with the horror fiction. However, the fantastic horror genre has attracted a

2 “(…) the integration of (…) experiences across a range of media platforms.” (Jenkins 2013b) 10 significantly smaller following, and the occurrence of translated works in the Czech Republic is marginal in comparison with SF&F. Therefore, the term “popular fantastic literature” will be mostly used for SF&F only.

2.1.1 Science Fiction

Science fiction genre, often abbreviated as SF or sci-fi, was born as a reaction to the technical progress of society from the Industrial Revolution onward. First science fiction works are attributed to Jules Verne, Marry Shelley and H. G. Wells. Mocná (2014) states that it “(…) represents hypothetical worlds, created with the usage of technical and science paradigms.” Neff (1981) presents a more reader-friendly definition: “Science fiction literature, (…), is a literary laboratory that examines the reactions of a human in an artificially created environment. (…). The author implements “something different” in the story and explores the response; “something different” being the artificially created environment (…)“. Over time, science fiction literature has branched into numerous sub-genres based on the means used to create the element of “something different”.

 Hard SF focuses on the technological advancements and inventions, scientific accuracy or technical details. Most notable representatives are Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey, Stanisłav Lem.  Soft SF or prefers to analyse the humanistic, psychological aspect of a possible progress or inside workings of a fictional society. Most notable writers are H. G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert, or Ursula K. Le Guin.  Cyberpunk stems from the development of information technologies and cybernetics. Bruce Sterling (1995) states: “It derives from a new set of starting points: not from the shopworn formula of robots, spaceships, and the modern miracle of atomic energy, but from cybernetics, biotech, and the communication web – to name a few.” Most renown authors are Bruce Sterling, William Gibson and Neal Stephenson.  Steampunk is an offshoot of the cyberpunk subgenre, but instead of imagining the future it borrows heavily from the past, especially “the age of

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steam” in the mid-nineteenth century Britain. Gradually, it has morphed into “craft and lifestyle movement” (Guffey and Lemay 2014) with intricate brass and clockwork accessories and Victorian era fashion.

The term dystopian literature can also be encountered in connection with the science fiction genre. In this context, it presents a “trivial” form of utopia (Mocná 2004) and describes “totalitarian or environmentally degraded”3 fictional world. The works span from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four to Suzanne Collin’s Hunger or The Maze Runner by James Dashner. As a side-note, the history of the SF genre offers interesting parallels. The early works of British fantastic literature in the 1900s and 1910s were published in boys’ magazines, aimed at the juvenile audience. The American “dime novels” of the 1880s and 1890s with science fiction stories were also aimed at the younger audience (Neff and Olša 1995). The current young adult literature4 has too experienced a rapid increase of SF, fantasy and dystopian novels during the last decade. However, more research would be needed, possibly literary-scientific or sociological, to determine the cause of such recurring trends.

2.1.2 Fantasy

Fantasy as a genre was established even later than science fiction: in the mid- twentieth century when John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Clive Staples Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia were published. Unlike SF that relies on scientific explanations, the fantasy genre often uses magic and draws inspiration from the history and myths, while maintaining the rules of logic and its own inner consistency (Swinfen 1984). In the last 15 years, it has gained enormous popularity, possibly due to the widespread acceptance of film adaptations (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings). Čuřín (2006) also proposes a possibility of a trend similar to the case of the Romanticism prevailing over the Enlightenment Rationalism. Such trend would be overlapping with Kudláč’s (2016) opinion that the contemporary popular culture assumes to some extent the magical, sacral role of mythology, religion and modernistic art. The fantasy fiction seems more suitable for such role, due to its ties to history and mythology.

3 ("dystopia - definition of dystopia in English | Oxford Dictionaries", n.d.) 4 “The literature wherein the protagonist is either a teenager or one who approaches problems from a teenage perspective.” (VanderStaay 1992) 12

Ivanovič (1995), Mocná (2004) and Pospíšilová (2011) agree on several subgenres:  Typical aspects of High or Epic Fantasy are several complex storylines, mythological allusions and epic battles between good and evil (although the latter has been weakened in more recent works, such as G. R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series). is an epitome of this sub- genre.  Heroic Fantasy focuses, as its name implies, on a hero and his adventures. Typical representation is R. E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian series.  Science Fantasy is an intermediary between science fiction and fantasy with spaceships and robots, but also a mystical element. The prime example is Star Wars: over the span of 35 years5, the novels and stories have formed an entire Expanded Universe (currently renamed to Star Wars Legends).

Several more sub-genres will be mentioned in this thesis:  Historical Fantasy combines historical facts or events with a fantasy twist, for example, Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series: Napoleonic wars were enriched with air battles where soldiers ride flying dragons.  Humorous Fantasy often incorporates other subgenres, but the main aim is satire, parody or just plain entertainment. Pilipiuk’s Upír z činžáku (“Vampire from the block of flats”) openly mocks the latest trends in urban fantasy and paranormal romances as opposed to the subtle satire in Pratchett’s Discworld that is used more as an underlying tone permeating the whole series.  Urban Fantasy has two definitions that gradually took shape. First interpretation considers the city itself as a participant in the story. One of the famous examples is London in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Recently, with the increasing popularity of the fantasy genre, it has gained a second definition, when “magic and fantasy enter the concrete jungle of our cities. (…) Elves, demons and other magical creatures play in rock bands, ride the subway and take night strolls from McDonald’s to the Central Park.” (Sapkowski 2001 In Ikarie 12). However, the novel series still tend to be situated in a particular area. Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series take place in Tri-Cities, Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels has claimed Atlanta as her

5 http://www.starwars.com/news/the-legendary-star-wars-expanded-universe-turns-a-new-page 13

own and the Czech writer Petra Neomillnerová depicts the life of vampires in Prague in several Tina Salo novels.  The Paranormal Romance shares many traits with the urban fantasy subgenre, but instead of focusing on the peculiarities of supernatural creatures like angels, werewolves or vampires, the narrative emphasises the romantic storyline.  Dark Fantasy combines elements of fantasy and horror genre.

2.2 Fans

The fan is a term surrounded by various stereotypes. To quote Henry Jenkins (2013: 12):

“Fan” is an abbreviated form of the word “fanatic,” which has its roots in the Latin word “fanaticus.” In its most literal sense, “fanaticus” simply meant “Of or belonging to the temple, a temple servant, a devotee” but it quickly assumed more negative connotations, “Of persons inspired by orgiastic rites and enthusiastic frenzy” (Oxford Latin Dictionary). As it evolved, the term “fanatic” moved from a reference to certain excessive forms of religious belief and worship to any “excessive and mistaken enthusiasm,” often evoked in criticism.

According to Jenkins (2013), the shortened form was initially used in the late 19th century as a description of enthusiasts adoring the professional sports teams, at first invoked in a playful fashion, but it was never free of the earlier negative connotations. Jenkins also mentions the negative public image strengthened by the representations in media during the 1970s and 1980s; the psychopathic “fan in the attic” stereotype was a favourite murder suspect in detective stories. However, more recent study by Milan Pohl (2008), carried out by analysing the Czech periodicals, indicates that while some media are still trying to enforce the negative image of fans by focusing on the most eccentric representatives of a generally accepted trope, their attitude is often caused by an adoption of the popular negative stereotype without any detailed research into the topic. His research also mentions the fact that “once mass media focus on individual fans, the clear-cut image of fans being a

14 group of ‘lunatics’ gains serious cracks” (Pohl 2008: 108). He also confirms numerous positive representations in media (for example, fans in costumes attending various charity events or visiting children in hospitals to cheer them up). The fans-researchers do admit certain stigmatisation of fans and their community (Macek 2006: 14), and there is certainly truth in Adamovič’s statement that “the SF community is exceptionally well educated and extraordinarily tolerant (…) SF fans are so unconventional that some eccentricity disappears easily in such community. (…)” (Adamovič 2003: 43). However, Adamovič’s comparison of fandom to a social ghetto seems to be too harsh. The perceived isolation is not just a result of fans’ unconventionality, but also stems from the cultural and academic tendencies to label fans’ primary texts, especially the fantastic literature, as less serious and designated for a limited circle of target readers. Dědinová (2015: 61) presents several examples of the fantastic literature works that were critically acclaimed, but have been presented to the general audience with minimal connections to their original genre. For example, Flowers for Algernon (1966) by Daniel Keyes or, more recently, Cloud Atlas (2004) by David Mitchell and Susanna Clark’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell (2004). The sociological research performed by Kudláč (2016) also confirms that the significant number of fans are intelligent, well-educated people (there is an astonishing number of fan-translators, who have doctor’s degrees). The sociological profile of the fans in the Czech fandom would be analysed further in the later chapters of this thesis. As for the term itself: in this thesis, the word fan will be used in its neutral meaning “an enthusiast or a devotee”. Below are listed several terms that can be encountered in connection with fans and their subculture:  Fandom is an organised subculture of fans, more on its description later. There are two different terms used in this thesis. The word fandom describes the subculture in general, while Fandom with the capital F refers to the shortened designation of the official organisation Československý SF fandom (established in 1990) that should protect the interests of individual SF clubs.  Sci-fi club is an organisation that gathers the fans from a certain area. The abbreviation SFK that stands for Czech expression “sci-fi klub” will be used for the SF clubs in the Czech Republic as they often use the acronym as a part of their name: SFK Leonardo, SFK Radegast, and so forth.

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 Aca-fans are academics that are fans themselves. The most famous is the American media scholar Henry Jenkins, to whom is attributed the coinage of the term itself. As for the Czech scholars, we can name for example Mgr. Tereza Dědinová, PhD., whose book Po divné krajině (2015) presents an innovative perception of the fantastic literature, and PhDr. Antonín Kudláč, Ph.D., who wrote the exhaustive study of the Czech popular fantastic arts in 1990-2012, The Anatomy of the Sense of Wonder (2016).  Fanzines are magazines created, printed and distributed by fans. Non- periodical anthologies are called fanbooks. Nowadays, their role is mostly substituted by websites dedicated to the specific fan communities, such as Star Wars fans or SF TV series like Firefly or Doctor Who.  Fan fiction is the fiction created by fans, who are using motives, characters or the environment of fictional worlds of already existing texts to create new stories.  Cosplay is a contraction of words costume and play, referring to the specific branch of performance art and at the same time to the practices of a certain fan subculture that originated in Japan. The fans make replicas of the costumes worn by their favourite characters and then “play” the character during conventions, at events and competitions.  Con is a name for a specialised event, “a convention” organised by fans. The first one, , had been held on over the July 4th 1939 in New York (Coppa 2006).

3. Fandom

As mentioned earlier, fandom is an organised subculture of fans, regardless of the focus of their admiration. The term was derived from the reader’s letters column “Fan Domain” published in Hugo Gernsback’s science fiction magazine Amazing Stories in the late 1920s (Olša, 1995). Macek (2006) states that the fandom has become a topic of studies thanks to the shift in social sciences in the late 1960s when the linguistics have become an integral part of sociology and anthropology. Apart from structuralism and post-structuralism, this change resulted in a tendency to view the culture as a system of sign and symbols, a

16 system of texts. The “texts”, or cultural artefacts, are not limited to books, but they also include other media, such as films, TV series or comics. The fandom is considered to be primarily a “subculture of text” (Macek 2006), “a collaborative network” that has an intimate relationship with the texts (Taalas and Hirsjärvi 2013), including their consumption, creation, and distribution. Similarly to the classification of the popular fantastic literature, the definition of the fandom is not homogenous, as the researchers diverge in the matter of whom to include in the fandom. Jenkins (2005) favours the active approach and almost entirely omits the passive consumers. His conception of fans “refuses the media fostered stereotypes of fans as cultural dupes, social misfits and mindless consumers” and instead he perceives them as “active producers and manipulators of meaning”. He proposes an alternative conception of fans, inspired by the ideas presented in Michel de Certeau’s book The Practice of Everyday Life (1984). The fans are considered to be “textual poachers”, readers appropriating popular texts, rereading them in a fashion that serves different interests, and actively participating in the construction and circulation of textual meanings through various means, for example, ongoing discussions with other readers. Jenkins has also popularized and developed further De Certeau’s second concept of “textual nomads” that perceives readers as agents not constrained by a particular set of reader-text relationships, for example, adoration of series, but moving freely from one text to another, appropriating the texts in a larger cultural context and delighting in making intertextual connections6. Jenkin’s orientation on the active audience is criticised by Matt Hills, who refuses the division on “good active fans and bad passive audience”. He claims that the fan experience is inherently contradictory, as “fans are both commodity-completists and they express anti-commercial beliefs or ‘ideologies’.” (Hills 2002: 44). In other words, while some of them are active and they create their own textual meanings, they are all still dependent on primary texts. Interestingly, he also points out the similarities between fandom and academic community: they both have “cult” texts, intellectual leaders and regularly scheduled

6 Pohl (2008: 26) adds several examples, such as the popularity of lectures and debates during the conventions that contextualize the elements from different primary works like “spaceships in the SF TV series” or “Star Trek vs Doctor Who”. 17 meetings. Hills (2002: 4) even goes as far as quoting philosopher Stanley Cavell, who claims that Wittgenstein and Heidegger were, in fact, the object of an academic cult. The whole matter was complicated further by the emergence of Internet and subsequently the formation of so-called “new media” that have contributed to the creation of “participatory culture”, where consumers act to some extent as prosumers, contributors and producers (Hutchins and Tindall 2016: 19). The internet has facilitated easier contact not only among fans themselves, but also between fans and the textual producers. The changes were reflected in the character of fandom as well. Hills also points out the shift in opinions regarding the fan-consumers, who are “no longer viewed as eccentric irritants, but rather as loyal consumers to be created (…) or (…) courted through scheduling practices” (Hills 2002: 36). The study by Kudláč was created recently, and therefore it reflects the shifts in fandom perceptions and chooses a different approach. Instead of attempts to describe the fandom by profiling the character of individual participants, he elaborates on a thesis that “fandom creates distinctive cultural production (popular fantastic arts)” (Kudláč 2016: 15). Such approach encompasses both active participants, who create their own texts, and more passive fans, who provide feedback that might influence both original and fan texts. He also comments on the fact that during the 1980s, there was a differentiation of fandoms according to the media preferences of fans: literary fiction fandom, media fandom (focused on TV series and movies) and gamer fandom (gathering the fans of computer games). However, all three branches of fandom are closely interconnected due to the transmedia nature of their “primary texts”. For example, the Star Wars franchise consists not only of films, but there are numerous novels set in that fictional world as well as computer games. There are also successful computer games that inspired the series of novels, and some were remade into films, to name a few: Warcraft or Assassin’s Creed franchises.

3.1 History of the Anglo-American SF Fandom

As mentioned earlier, the origin of American Fandom can be traced to the letter columns in the pulp magazine Amazing Stories that provided means for the fans to communicate with each other and with the writers. Gernsback and other editors included the addresses for all correspondents, thus facilitating the formation of small but

18 dedicated community (Jenkins 2005). The first sci-fi clubs formed in 1929, and they started publishing their fanzines a year later. These fanzines presented a training ground for several famous sci-fi writers, where they “honed” their skills: Ray Bradbury, A. C. Clarke, or Frederik Pohl. Others writers “trained” in the genre pulp magazines: John W. Campbell, the editor of Astounding Science Fiction, groomed Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein (Neff and Olša 1995). Jenkins (2005, originally Bradley 1985) also mentions the importance of fandom in development of female science fiction writers. Fanzines represented a safe environment within which women writers could establish and polish their skills at a time when professional science fiction was still male-dominated and male-oriented. The end of the 1940s was accompanied by a wave of commercialization of the SF literature production and fandom. This movement was met with resistance from some fans; however, professionals have become an integral part of the fandom. The literary SF fandom has been expanded with the media community in the late 1960s, following the success of Star Trek television series. The media branch of fandom is further strengthened by cult film series, such as Star Wars franchise. The fandom is considered Anglo-American due to many British authors publishing their works in the Unites States since the 1930s and vice versa. British publishing market has become a significant part of the American one.

3.2 History of the Fandom in the Czech Republic

As Pohl (2008) points out, “the formation of fandom is only possible after a successful establishment and implementation of the genre in the respective culture”. The first isolated attempts to write science fiction stories in the Czech environment can be traced all the way back to 1881 when a teacher named Karel Pleskač published a novel called Život na Měsíci. Unfortunately, the environment then wasn’t very nurturing for establishing any SF communities and attempts to publish science fiction novels were rather solitary in nature (Neff 1985). The first anthology of short stories translated mostly from English, Labyrint, was published in 1962 by Adolf Hoffmeister. Due to the two World Wars and the two waves of prosecution of science fiction literature by the totalitarian regime after 1948 (Neff in Adamovič 1995) and later after 1968, the formation of the Czech fandom was delayed by 50 years as opposed to the Anglo-American culture. 19

As Neff (in Langer 2006: 252-253) states, the SF literature was not explicitly banned by the Communist government, only strictly regulated, and there were other aspects that impeded the expansion of SF literature, unrelated to the regime. To name a few, the unwillingness of Czech publishers to print science fiction stories as they were viewed as a low-quality literature and the resources were limited, and, more importantly, the personal antipathies of the head of the 3rd department of Ministry of Culture regarding the genre. This department had the main say in the number of copies of each book and the formation and approval of editorial plans for publishing houses. The formation of the Czech fandom was a gradual process that started in 1976 when an active group of editors and publishers began a slow restoration of interest in the SF literature. Neff (Fencl: 131) describes them as “the brave few” that liked the SF genre and managed to push through some of the books to be published, even though the repercussions followed and sometimes it halted their career advancement. The names mentioned are Zdeněk Volný, editor in chief of the periodical Světová literatura, and as for the publishing houses, there were Vojtěch Kantor in Mladá fronta, Ivo Železný in Svoboda and later in Odeon, and Hana Krubnerová and Milena Karlová in Albatros. These people prepared the fertile ground for the revival of the genre, and some of them later participated in the fandom itself. In June 1978, shortly before his death, Ludvík Souček published the essay “Přímluva za budoucnost” (“The Intercession for the Future”) in Literární měsíčník, where he examined the rich tradition and the history of Czech SF literature and mentioned Karel Čapek, Jan Neruda and Jakub Arbes. He also described the situation abroad, not just the Anglo-American market, but the situation in other socialist countries, such as Poland or the Soviet Union, where the conditions were more agreeable to SF literature publishing. Even though the essay was later quoted by numerous researchers, Neff (in Langer: 251) states the essay itself did not attract much attention as the periodical it was published in was not well-liked, and most of the print run was transported directly to the scrapyard. However, the essay caught the eye of the journalist and writer Jaroslav Veis, who reacted to Souček’s ideas in the article “Čekání na roboty” (Waiting for robots) published in the weekly magazine Mladý svět (52/1978) that was very popular at the time. In this article, he also indirectly articulated the prompt to form the “first clubs of friends of science fiction”.

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3.2.1 1979 - 1989

The partial liberalisation of the political situation, growing number of readers along with the need to exchange opinions about the literary works had led to the establishment of the first sci-fi club in the Czech Republic. SFK Villoidus was set up by the students of Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University on 31st April 1979 (Macek 2006: 36). The first Czech SF convention, Parcon, was held in Pardubice in 1982, and it launched a rapid development and expansion of fandom. By the end of 1984, 34 SF clubs were registered, and a considerable number of them started to publish their own fanzines. The structure of the Czech fandom then was significantly different from the Anglo- American fandom. The Communist regime and its regulations hindered the possibility of a professionalised branch of the fandom. The professionals were represented only by several authors (Josef Nesvatba, Ondřej Neff, Jaroslav Veis), who were tolerated by the regime, and the SF-oriented editors working in otherwise mainstream magazines and publishing houses (Macek 2006: 38). Perhaps most interesting is the oddly symbiotic relationship with the Communist regime in the 1980s. Apart from isolated incidents, when a SFK was banned by the government, and when the whole print run of a book by Ludmila Freiová was scrapped, fans and socialist organisations helped each other in an unofficial way. Quoting Ondřej Neff (1999): “Cops did know about us, naturally. And they warned us when the police were planning a raid.” Active fans often found patronage within the socialist organisations, especially the Socialist Youth Union (SYU). The people at the Union could prove that they are active and SF fans were able to “work in peace” (Adamovič 2010). According to Ríša (2016), the fans joined the SYU also due to the lack of means to spread their fanzines: Communist party kept the records of all the mimeograph machines and stencils used in them, however, they were available to the members of socialist organisations, such as SYU. Adamovič provides several more examples of the “closet fandom activities”:  In 1985, Pavel Weigel and Petr Bedrna organised a massive reader survey to select the best Czech writer and a book. Officially, it was called “the Survey on the Occasion of the 40 Years Anniversary of Liberation.”

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 SF club Ada oriented on the screening of SF films was established as a SYU hi-fi club.

3.2.2 1990 – 2003

The fall of Iron Curtain meant a significant change for the fandom. Without the constraints of the oppressive regime, many of the fanzine authors professionalised and started their own publishing houses, often named after the fanzine they published unofficially before 1989: Jiří Pilch (Leonardo), Tomáš Jirkovský (Laser), Karel Soukup (AF 167), Vlado Ríša (Golem Ríša) and Klub Julese Verna (Poutník). The Czech authors had to adapt to the flood of now freely accessible foreign literature, especially from English and American writers. The first issue of a professional periodical focused purely on the fantastic literature and the culture that surrounds it, Ikarie, was published in June 1990. The character of the fandom became closer to the Anglo-American one, while still maintaining some of its core qualities from before 1989, especially the high involvement of its members in the fandom activities. This era was also marked by a generation exchange, several prominent figures have withdrawn from the fandom or significantly lowered their activity, while new names emerged, for example, Ivan Adamovič, Vilma Kadlečková or Michael Bronec. This era also has well-documented theoretical essays regarding the fantastic literature and the critical reviews of the fantastic literature translations. They were often published in magazine Ikarie and semiprozine Interkom7. During 1993-2003, professional translators involved in fandom activities (Richard Podaný, Viktor Janiš) and translation critic Jan Vaněk Jr. organised the anti-award Koniáš with the aim to attract attention to the low-quality translations of fantastic literature in hopes of improving the overall quality of the translated SF literature published in the Czech Republic (Podaný, 2005). The increasing accessibility of the internet has facilitated the birth of communities gathered around the specific web pages, such as CSWU (Czech Star Wars Universe) or Badlands (aimed at the Star Trek community).

7 Most of them are accessible through the semiprozine webpage: http://interkom.vecnost.cz/@preklad.htm 22

3.2.3 2004 – 2016

Ivan Adamovič lamented about the state of the Czech fandom in his essay ‘Bída a lesk fanouškovství’ in Ikarie (11/2003) and the shift of fandom from the “infotainment” to the “pure entertainment”. During the last decade, this trend has been reversed in some ways. The fandom is still a source of entertainment, and it has expanded and in turn fragmented to multiple smaller communities, but the research of popular fantastic arts has been renewed, and the fandom has become a target of many studies. These studies span from cultural, media and literary to the public relations and even marketing strategies. The researchers are educated professionals and often also university students, who are no longer bound by the image of the “fandom as a social ghetto” as the current mainstream popular arts have to some extent blended with the popular fantastic arts.

4. Czech Translators of Fantastic Literature

As pointed out by Kudláč (2016, p. 141), the “translationality” is inherently present in the fantastic literature in the Czech Republic. The context clearly indicates that he did not mean the translationality in the traditional sense proposed by Popovič (1975) as he was probably unaware that the term already exists in the translation studies. He was referring to the fact that the significant part of the primary texts appropriated by fandom was and still is translated from different languages and some of the concepts and trends present in the source texts were imported into the Czech fantastic literature along with the translated works. As the translated fiction represents 80% of all fiction published in the Czech Republic (Fock et al. 2008), the contribution of translators to the development of the genre and the fandom in the Czech Republic is invaluable. The translations of fantastic literature are traditionally very strictly judged by the fandom and the discussions about qualities of translations are a stable topic recurring in the subculture media (Kudláč 2016). Both Neff (1995) and Kudláč (2016) note that there are many “writers of one book” in the Czech environment, i.e. they wrote a book, managed to get it published and then stopped writing. If we check the Fantasya list of fantastic literature translators and the number of books that each translated, it suggests the same trend in the case of translators too. For that reason, the following overview will list the long-term translators

23 or the translators that were in some way relevant to the fandom, for example, Ondřej Neff.

4.1 Translators before 1989

The regulations of the book publishing, the aversion of the regime to the English- language literature8 and the emergence of fandom-produced printed materials have led to a peculiar situation. There were several translators, whose works were published even during the Communist era, thanks to the support of the few editors, who liked the fantastic literature. Apart from the officially published SF literature, there was a vast “grey area” of fanzine publishing, where the borders between professional and amateur translators became rather blurry (Rampas 2016). Some translators-professionals have provided their works to fanzines free of charge, as they could not be published officially at the time due to the ideological reasons. Several translators, who graduated the Translation Studies major, have continued in their profession only after the Fall of Iron Curtain, but they had translated numerous short stories for fanzines in the meantime. There were amateur translators, who stopped translating after the Velvet Revolution, but there were also several amateur translators, who have proven to be so talented they were employed as professionals later. The situation is complicated further by the political environment during the Communist era. The knowledge about the unofficial publications or translations was kept among the selected few to minimalize the risk of possible prosecution (Rampas 2016). However, the efforts to translate the fiction were to some extent coordinated as a small organisational group called R.U.R., colloquially known as “Roura”, situated at Vinohradská třída in Prague, was mediating the work of individual sci-fi clubs (Kantůrek 2016). After 1989, the databases created by fans (Kdo je kdo v české SF, Legie. info) have mapped the basic outline of the situation, but a significant portion of the information needed to systematise the translators more accurately has been lost.

8 Ironically, the short stories written by Isaac Asimov translated from Russian were sometimes published in the magazines focused solely on the socialist authors. The editors apparently mistook him for a Russian because of his name. (Adamovič 2010) 24

Due to the ambiguity of the translator’s situation, accentuated by the fact that there are minimal records about their activities, they are sorted for the most part according to their relations to the fandom, instead of the division on the scale from amateurs to professionals. As a side-note, translators were actively searching for their source texts either abroad – Jan Pavlík “hoarded” the books during his visits to Vienna, where his mother lived at the time (Bouška 2016) – or through secondhand bookshops as those were not under a strict surveillance of the government (Kantůrek 2016).

4.1.1 Assorted Fanzines

This section will bring several examples of translators publishing their works primarily in fanzines.

Jan Haberle (*1953) The science fiction and fantasy enthusiast Ing. Jan Haberle, CSc. studied at the University of Agriculture and worked as an agronomist. Haberle started reading science fiction as a first grader, but the lack of translated works in the communist Czechoslovakia forced him to move onto reading untranslated science fiction stories and novels in English and Russian language. He was introduced to the fantasy and science fiction community in the early 1980s by Zdeněk Rampas. Besides science publications, he also wrote several short stories published in anthologies Kočas and Lovci černých mloků III. After 1990, he translated several short stories for Ikarie magazine.

Dittmar Chmelař (*1955) RNDr. Dittmar Chmelař was introduced to the fantasy and science fiction community in 1982 through reading Polish fantasy literature. During the Communist era, he was under investigation by the StB for publishing Focus, a fanzine anthology of fantasy, science fiction and prognostics, which was regarded by the government as “organising a dissident cell”. Chmelař wrote several scientific materials on microbiology, as well as multiple short stories, essays and science-related articles. He is one of the co-founders of fanzine Leonardo.

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Unfortunately, his translation of Zelazny’s book Mé jméno je Legie (My Name is Legion) took a second place of Koniáš award in 1996.

Translations from Polish: Lech, P. W. (1996) Jezdci ve vánici (Jeźdźcy w zamieci). In: Maladie, Ostrava: Leonardo Sapkowski, A. (1994): V kráteru po bombě (W leju po bombie). In Tandaradei!, Ostrava: Leonardo

Translations from English: Zelazny, R. (1990) Brány jeho tváře, lampy jeho úst (The Doors Of His Face, The Lamps Of His Mouth). In Povídky, Plzeň: Laser Zelazny, Roger (1995) Mé jméno je Legie (My Name is Legion). Ostrava: Aradan

Pavel Aganov (*1959) Ing. Pavel Aganov is a science worker and a co-author of several scientific articles. He studied at the Institute of Chemical Technology and currently works as the staff lead in the laboratory for workplace hygiene and safety environment analysis. When he was fourteen, he discovered books by J. M. Troska and became an avid reader of science fiction. Since 1985, Aganov attended several Parcon conventions. Around the same time, he translated several short stories for the Laser fanzine.

Translations from English: Martin, G. R. R. (1990) Píseň pro Lyu (A Song for Lya) in Povídky Plzeň: Laser Martin, G. R. R. (1992) Písečníci (Sandkings). Plzeň: Laser Zelazny, R. (1994) Alej prokletí (Damnation Alley). Plzeň: Laser Dick, P. K. (1999) Sluneční loterie (Solar Lottery) Plzeň: Laser

Translations from Russian: Asimov, I. (1986) Nečekané vítězství. In Laser č. 03. Čelákovice: Laser

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4.1.2 Klub Julese Vernea (1969-1970,1984-)

“Jules Verne Club” was first established in 1969. However, its existence was short- lived as it was banned by the government a year later. It was reborn in a more semi- legal form in 1984, and the club sessions were held in their members’ apartments, where they “organised lectures or readings of the newly translated short stories” (Adamovič 2010). According to Kantůrek (2016), the club was primarily focused on translating the short stories that were not previously published in the Czech Republic. However, no further linguistic analysis of the translations occurred afterwards, as the main aim was to read the short stories in Czech to other members. The number of members was limited to ten due to technical reasons: translated stories were rewritten on a typewriter, and only a limited number of copies could be made using carbon papers before the text became illegible. Here, Jan Kantůrek started his vocation after he presented two stories about Conan the Barbarian by R.E. Howard to his fellow club mates. He has translated them previously or his personal purposes, and after the club reading he was encouraged to translate more. Other club members were Egon Čierny, Miroslav Martan, Carola Biedermannová, Jan Pavlík, Leonid Křížek, Pavel Nosek, Ivan Adamovič and Mr and Mrs Holub. The club published fanzine Poutník from 1986 to 1989 and each issue included translated short stories. The club members also professionalised after 1990, as they founded the United Fans publishing company.

Miroslav Martan (1919-2003) Ing. Miroslav Martan graduated as an economist and worked as one from 1948 to 1980. While he was interested in SF genre since 1935, he was introduced to fandom by Miroslav Švahoušek years later. Martan’s brother, who was living in Australia, was supplying him with the English SF literature. He spoke several languages: German, English, French, Spanish and Russian. However, he translated mostly from English: numerous short stories for various fanzines and magazines like 100+1 or Zápisník, and later for Ikarie magazine. He helped with publishing of two issues of Poutník in English.

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Translations from English: Brown, F. (1993) Ten bláznivý vesmír (What Mad Universe) Praha: AFSF Kornbluth, C. M. (1987) Pochod imbecilů (The Marching Morons) in Poutník č. 15: Zpravodaj Klubu Julese Verna. Praha Niven, L. (1996) Svět Ptavvů (The World of Ptavvs) Praha: United Fans Niven, L. (1996) Protektor (Protector) Praha: United Fans Stephenson, A. M. (1988) Velký ničitel (The Giant Killers) in Poutník č. 03: Zpravodaj Klubu Julese Verna. Praha

Jan Kantůrek (*1948) Jan Kantůrek is an epitome of professionalised fandom translator. Formerly a technical editor for Artia publishing house (1975-1990) and a sales director for the Aventinum publishing house (1990-1992), he switched to the career of the full-time freelance translator after 1992. An avid reader since childhood, he read both classical literature and adventure novels. Thanks to Egon Čierny, he gained a steady supply of English fantastic literature after 1970 (Kantůrek, 2011). Since 1984, he translated short stories the SF club purposes. His translations of stories about Conan the Barbarian were published in 1991 in the Poutník magazine; the covers for the first two issues were drawn by Kája Saudek. In 1991, he was approached by Vlastimír Talaš, initially for the translation of westerns. In 1993 he started translating ’s Discworld series for which he achieved great renown9. He has translated over 40 books from the Discworld universe and narrated five of his Discworld translations in audiobooks for Headpublishing company. Kantůrek is co-operating with Michael Bronec on the translations of the new edition of The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. When he is not translating the fantastic literature, he translates comics for the Comics Centrum publishing company, most recently the Mouse Guard by David Petersen.

Translation from English: Anderson, P. (1993) Zlomený meč (The Broken Sword) Praha: Klub Julese Vernea Burroughs, E. R. (2000) Mistři meče na Marsu (Swords of Mars) Praha: Paseka

9 Even Mocná et al. (2004: 189) mention “often superb translations by Jan Kantůrek”. 28

Pratchett, T. (1993) Barva kouzel (The Colour of Magic) Praha: Talpress Pratchett, T. (1996) Čarodějky na cestách (Witches Abroad) Praha: Talpress Pratchett, T. (2011) Obléknu si půlnoc (I Shall Wear Midnight) Praha: Talpress

Jan Pavlík (*1958) JUDr. Jan Pavlík was born in Geneva in 1958. While he graduated the law studies at Charles University, he also passed the state language proficiency exams for English and French. He currently works as a lawyer for the General Directorate of České Dráhy company. His first contact with fandom happened in 1982 in Ponrepo cinema during the screening of SF films. Since then he became a member of several SFK, Klub Julese Vernea, external member of SFK Villoidus and the founding member of Spectra club. In 1987 he first saw the Star Trek TV Series, and in 1990 he founded the first Star Trek club in the Czech Republic. He remains to some extent active even today and He translated short stories for fanzines Villoidus, Poutník and Laser, and after 1991, his translations were published in Ikarie magazine. He also translated several Star Trek short stories anthologies and SF novels.

Translations from English: Allen, R. M. (2000) Charonův prstenec (The Ring of Charon). Brno: AF 167 Blish, James (1998) Nepravý McCoy (Unreal McCoy) in Star Trek – Klasické příběhy 01/1 Praha: Netopejr Hugh, Dafydd Ab (2009) Padlí hrdinové (Fallen Heroes). Plzeň: Laser Simmons, Dan (1996) Hyperion (Hyperion). Plzeň: Laser

4.1.3 Villoidus (SFK MFF UK) (1979-)

Jan Hlavička (*1951) Jan Hlavička, PhDr., graduated the translation and interpreting studies at the Charles University in 1975. However, he works as a professional translator only since 2000. In the meantime, he was employed at the international division of the Czech Academy of Sciences (1975-1991) and later as an editor at Ivo Železný publishing company (1992- 2000). He translated fiction from English, French and German. For the fans of Czech fantastic literature, he is most renowned as a writer of SF short stories that are referred 29 to as “typical Czech SF” (Langer 2006: 110). Hlavička also compiled six anthologies of SF stories and published them as fanbooks.

Translations from English: Ackerman, F. J. (1985) Němá otázka (Mute Question) in SF Villoidus 1985/2: Vědecko fantastický zpravodaj a informátor. Praha: SFK Villoidus

Translations from French: Walther, D. (1979) Slunovrat (Solstice) in Science Fiction 1. Walther, D. (1979) Nokturno v modrém (Nocturne en bleu) in Science Fiction 1.

Translations from German: Amery, C. (1997) Královský projekt (Das Königsprojekt) Praha: Ivo Železný Jeschke, W. (1989) Poslední den stvoření (Der letze Tag der Schőpfung) Praha: Svoboda

Petr “Pagi” Holan (*1956) Petr Holan, RnDr., works as a financial analyst. A founding member of SFK MFF UK and a regular contributor to Interkom fanzine and webzine Neviditelný pes, he also frequently translated short stories for fanzines until 1989. After the fall of Iron Curtain, he shifted his efforts to different matters in the fandom, as he felt his help with translations was no longer needed (Holan 2016).

Translations from English: Dick, P. K. (1985) To je Wub, kapitáne! (Beyond Lies the Wub). In: SF Villoidus 1985/2: Vědecko fantastický zpravodaj a informátor

4.1.4 Klub Literární Fantastiky (1982)

Jiří Pilch (1953-2009) Originally a lathe operator by trade, he founded a publishing company and a book store Geralt in Ostrava in 1992. His publishing company Leonardo is most renowned

30 for the translations of works by Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski, especially his Witcher and Ciri saga.

Translations from Polish: Korbluth, C. M. (1988) Přítel člověka (Friend to Men). In Leonardo 1988/1: Časopis klubu přátel literární fantastiky při PKG v Ostravě. Ostrava: SFK Leonardo

Translations from English: Dick, P. K. (1989) Muž z Vysokého zámku (The Man in the High Castle). Plzeň: Laser

Aleš Koval (*1953)

MUDr. Aleš Koval was drawn to the science fiction fandom as soon as in 1960 (at the age of seven) by the radio drama Mlhovina v Andromedě (adapted from the book Туманность Андромеды by I. A. Yefremov). His tranlations are mostly limited to the short stories published in various fanzines like Leonardo and Laser. Later in life, he cooperated with the Ostrava radio on a science fiction series aimed at children. In 1982, Koval helped to found the KLF club in Ostrava. He now works as a dentist.

4.1.5 AF 167 (1984-1990)

AF 167 stands for “Anno Frankensteini”, as the members founded the club 167 years after Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was first published. This club united the fantastic literature fans in Brno and, more importantly, translators; Jindřich Smékal started a school of translation within the club. Unfortunately, no further details about the teaching methods or the evaluation of translations survived to these days. Only the mentions of first-rate fanzine and high-quality translations remain.

Jindřich Smékal (1936-1995) Ing. Jindřich Smékal was a translator, publisher and science fiction enthusiast who lived and worked in Brno. He published translated science fiction texts from the early 1970s and in 1985, he became one of the founders of Brno's AF 167 science fiction club and one of the stable contributors to its fanzine.

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In 1989, Smékal published his own translation of Isaac Asimov's novel Foundation as a samizdat. His translated version has been considered significantly better than the first official edition of the book published by AG kult in 1991.

Translations from English: Silverberg, R. (1980) Mouchy (Flies). In Světová literatura 5/1980. Praha: Odeon, nakladatelství krásné literatury a umění Anderson, P. W. (1981) Sam Hall. In Světová literatura 4/1981. Praha: Odeon, nakladatelství krásné literatury a umění Asimov, I. (1989) Základna (Foundation) Brno: AF 167 Asimov, I. (1992) Mluvící kámen. Brno: AF 167 Herbert, F. (1988) Duna (). Praha: Svoboda; translated together with Karel Blažek

Karel Blažek (*1948) Karel Blažek, PhDr., was born in Přerov and studied Czech language and history at the Faculty of Philosophy on the University of J. E. Purkyně, where he defended successfully his thesis regarding the Czech science fiction. Blažek is mostly a writer and editor, but his translations include Duna (Dune) by Frank Herbert, which he translated together with Jindřich Smékal, as well as other works from English, French, German, Polish and Slovak. His first novel, Přistání (“The Landing”) was published in 1979 and thanks to it he got closer to the local science fiction community, including Jindřich Smékal and Pavel Kosatík. In 1991, he started his own book company Černá planeta (and the related publishing house Návrat) and published renowned works of fantasy and science fiction such as Dragonlance, Farseer or classic stories by Karl May or Jules Verne.

Václav Kříž (*1953) Václav Kříž is a translator from Brno. He participated in AF 167 and SFK Nyx science fiction groups, but has become a member of several international science fiction societies including the British SF Association or Philip K. Dick Society based in the United States.

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Kříž's work spans from novels to short stories, and newspaper and magazine articles. He translated stories for various science fiction anthologies, such as Roboti a androidi (1988) or H. P. Lovercraft’s stories compiled in book Měsíční močál (2011).

Translations from English: Wolfe, G. R. (1995) Mučitelův stín (The Shadow of the Torturer). Praha: Baronet Harrison, H. (1996) Galaktický hrdina Bill (Bill, the Galactic Hero). Brno: AF 167 Powers, T. (1996) Brány Anubisovy (The Anubis Gates) Praha: Najáda

4.1.6 Klub Stanisłava Lema (1990)

Translator Pavel Weigel founded this club, and it attracted the attention of several tens of people (Weigel in Interkom 2010). Despite the date of its foundation, its members were already well-established translators, who translated Lem’s works before 1989: Jaroslav Simonides (1915-1996), František Jungwirth (1920-1997) and Helena Stachová (1931). Most of the translations were done from Polish to Czech.

Pavel Weigel (1942-2015) Renowned translator Ing. Pavel Weigel started translating from Polish to Czech in the early 1960s. His initial motivation was to translate the memoirs of physicist Leopold Infeld, a colleague of Einstein. Polish piqued his interest, and when Lem’s Summa technologiae, the book of essays concerning the future development, was published, Weigel also discovered Lem’s science fiction novels. Mladá Fronta published his first translation of Lem's novel Nepřemožitelný (Invincible) in 1976. Since then he translated books of Polish and Russian authors, and from 1983 he had also been participating in fandom activities until his death in 2015. Fans of humorous fantasy enjoy his superb translations of books by Andrzej Pilipiuk, especially the Jakub Vandrovec series. Apart from Polish fantastic literature, he also translated books and comics for children.

Translations from Polish: Pilipiuk, A. (2004) Záhada Kuby Rozparovače (Zagadka Kuby Rozpruwacza) Plzeň: Laser-books Pilipiuk, A. (2012) Upír z činžáku (Wampir z M-3). Plzeň: Laser-books 2012 33

Lem, S. (2002) Bajky robotů (Bajki robotów) Plzeň: Laser-books. In collaboration with František Jungwirth. Lem, S. (2000) Kyberiáda (Cyberiada) Praha: Baronet. In collaboration with František Jungwirth

Translations from Russian: Bulyčov, Kir (1985) Alenka z planety Země (Děvočka s Zemlji) Praha: Svoboda Bulyčov, Kir (2002) Mimozemšťané v Guslaru (Prišelcy v Gusljare) Praha: Triton

4.1.7 Ikarie (XB-1) (1990-2010, 2011-)

Ikarie was the first professional magazine aimed exclusively at popular fantastic arts. Thanks to the efforts of Ondřej Neff, it was published under the patronage of Mladá Fronta. Most of the initial editorial staff already got together during the publishing run of fanzine Ikarie XB (1987-1988) and it consisted of rather prominent persons in the Czech fandom of that time.

4.1.7.1 Encyclopedists The following three men have mapped the development of the fantastic literature both foreign and in the Czech Republic in several publications.

Ondřej Neff (*1950) Czech science fiction writer and journalist was one of the “movers and shakers” in the fandom of the 1980s. He wrote numerous essays, several books regarding the fantastic literature (Něco je jinak 1981, Tři eseje o české sci-fi 1985, Všechno je jinak 1987 with Alexandr Kramer, and Encyklopedie literatury science fiction 1995 with Jaroslav Olša). Moreover, he was possibly one of the first Czech fans to engage in the audiovisual translation, “the fandubs”, when he provided dubbing for the films screened at the SF Club Ada (Adamovič 2010). Even though he considers his translating activities as temporary, he translated the legendary cyberpunk novel Neuromancer and the short story called Johny Mnemonic that precedes it. The translations of H. P. Lovecraft’s Call of Cthulhu (1991) and Rats in

34 the walls (1991) and William Gibson’s Neuromancer (1992) were done primarily for fandom purposes. He also translated Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1991) due to his fondness of Star Wars films, but states in the interview (Fencl 2010) that the book is a “lamentable occurrence” and it was unfortunately too late to decline the project, so he had to translate it.

Translations from English: Gibson, W. (1991) Johny Mnemonic (Johnny Mnemonic) in Ikarie 11/1991. Praha: Mladá fronta Gibson, W. (1992) Neuromancer (Neuromancer) Plzeň: Laser 1992 Landis, G. A.: Hra na schovávanou (Now You See It...) In Ikarie 4/1992. Praha: Mladá fronta Lovecraft, H. P (1991) Volání Cthulhu a jiné horrory. Praha: Zlatý Kůň. In collaboration with Věra Frydrychová, Zdeněk Lyčka, and Václav Kajdoš. Lucas, George (Walton Jr.): (1991) Hvězdné války (Star Wars) Praha: Premiéra

Ivan Adamovič (*1967) Ivan Adamovič is the first “theoretician” of the fandom, author of Slovník české literární fantastiky a science fiction and countless articles for the Ikarie magazine, where he worked as an editor from 1990 to 2007. Hroch (2014) calls Adamovič “one of the main figures of Czech sci-fi” and it truly fits. Adamovič could be considered a chronicler of fandom before 2000. He entered the fandom as teenager and participated in numerous sci-fi clubs (Spectra, ADA, Klub Julese Verna, RUR) over time. He wrote and translated short stories for fanzines and later for Ikarie. He recollects his memories of this time in a series of articles in Ikarie called Život s pocitem úžasu (“Life with a sense of wonder”).

Translations from English: Bradbury, R. (1995): Já, Mars (I, Mars) In Ikarie 2/1995. Praha: Mladá fronta Dick, P. K. (1996) V okovech tohoto světa (Upon the Dull Earth) In Ikarie 7/. Praha: Mladá fronta Howard, R. E. (1996) Holubi z pekel (Pigeons from Hell) In Hlas krve, Praha: Najáda 1996

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Silverberg, R. (1986) Když nás mýty opustily (After the Myths Went Home) In: Lety zakázanou rychlostí II. Slaný: SFK Slaný 1986 Spinrad, Norman (Richard) (1991) Do neznáma (Outward Bound) In Ikarie 11. Praha: Mladá fronta

Jaroslav Olša Jr. (*1964) Orientalist, diplomat and translator Jaroslav Olša, currently the Czech Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Philippines, was one of the founding members of the Ikarie magazine in the 1990s. He also co-authored the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1995) with Ondřej Neff. His interest in science fiction was spurred early in his childhood by reading the SF literature and in 1982, he entered Czech fandom. He has become a “hard-working and dedicated translator and editor” (Kanoy 2015) and even though he left Ikarie as he changed his career from editor and translator to diplomat, he was instrumental in translating and publishing anthologies of Czech fantastic literature in Korean and the African language Ndebele.

Translations from English: Sucharitkul, S. (1985) Den v Mallworld (A Day in Mallworld). In AF 167 č. 03: Zpravodaj zájmového kroužku vědecké fantastiky AF 167. Brno: SFK AF 167 Brown, F. (1989) Velitel (Expedition). Zápisník

4.1.7.2 Editorial staff Vlado Ríša (*1949) Writer, translator and a long-term editor in chief of Ikarie (now renamed XB1) magazine was introduced to SF through the translations from Russian. Initially, he graduated the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, but after the Revolution, he also entered the postgradual studies of Psychology and Pedagogy at Charles’ University. In 1990 he founded his own publishing company, but he is more renown as the editor in chief of Ikarie: in 1993, he replaced Ondřej Neff, who no longer had time to run the magazine.

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Eva Hauserová (*1954) Famous writer of feminist SF stories was active in fandom from 1985 – 1993 and She left fandom around the year 1993. Around the same time, she left the Ikarie editorial team to work at the Harlequin publishing company.

Ikarie has provided a place to publish the translated stories for numerous translators, most notably Miroslav Valina (* 1963) and the translator of Stephen King’s dark fantasy series Temná věž, Ludmila Bartošková (*1962).

4.1.8 Translators

4.1.9 Non-affiliated Translators

Stanislava Pošustová-Menšíková (*1948) Stanislava Pošustová is the legendary translator responsible for translating the Lord of the Rings trilogy into the Czech language. She is a graduate of Czech and English Language Studies at Charles University, however, due to the ideological reasons, she was working as a librarian for the English Department of Charles University. She started translating Lord of the Rings during 1979-1980 for her own personal purposes. She was briefly in contact with fandom when she was offered the samizdat publication of her translation of Silmarillion.

4.1.10 Non-affiliated translators active in fandom Václav Kajdoš (1922-1990) Václav Kajdoš was a surgeon, translator and writer of the communist era Czechoslovakia. After the World War II., he went on to study at the Faculty of Medicine on Charles University, Prague and spent most of his life as a medical practicioner. Kajdoš posessed vast knowledge of various languages that led to him becoming a translator. He would translate books and short stories from English, German, French, Spanish and Russian, but his main field of expertise in science fiction were English and American writers. In 1967, he published one of the very first educational articles on western science fiction in post-war Czechoslovakia.

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Translations from English: Anderson, P. W. (1970) Strážci času (Guardians of Time). Horizont Simak, C. D (1992) Město (City) Praha: Odeon)

Other notable translators are Richard Podaný (*1962), translator and editor renowned for his translations from French and English, and Petr Kotrle (*1967), who translated most of Robert Holdstock’s novels to Czech.

4.1.11 Writers

Ludmila Freiová (1926-2014) Ludmila Freiová graduated from Philosophy, Czech and Italian language studies at Charles University and she worked as a secondary school teacher until 1986. She started writing early, fiction since 1935 and her first book was published in 1960. After 1977, she focused exclusively on writing science fiction with emphasis on educational elements. Her pedagogical inclinations were reflected also in her fandom activities. From 1992 to 1994, she wrote a series of educational articles called Jazyk naší fantastiky for Interkom fanzine, where she analysed the most common mistakes in fantastic literature texts, both translated and originally written in the Czech language. Freiová was an important translator from Italian. She compiled and translated anthology of Italian sci-fi stories Doporučeno Velkým bratrem that was published by Laser-books in 1999.

Jaroslav Veis (1946) The writer, translator and journalist Jaroslav Veis graduated the Faculty of Social Sciences and Journalism in 1970, and later became a commentator and editor in chief of Lidové noviny. His science fiction works include many science fiction books, short stories and editorial work for several antologies, Hledání budoucího času (1985) or Navštivte planetu Zemi! (1987). The book Moře času ("Tides of Time") received the Ludvík award on Parcon in 1987.

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Together with writer and editor Vladimír Petřík, they sometimes worked under the common alias of Jaroslav Petr. In the late 1990. Veis worked as an aide to the senator (and later president of the senate) Petr Pithart. He has now retired.

Translated from English: Asimov, Isaac: Slova vědy: co se za nimi skrývá (Words of Science and History Behind Them; ???, Panorama, 1978), with Vladimír Petřík Aldiss, B. W. (1984) Druhý ostrov doktora Moreaua (Moreau's Other Island). Praha: Naše vojsko

4.2 Translators after 1990

Even though plenty of older translators had a chance to professionalize after 1989, years between 1990 and 2000 have seen emergence of several new translators. Most notably Viktor Janiš (*1974), who started translating professionally in 1995, Michael Bronec (*1969), translator and owner of the Straky na Vrbě publishing company, who supports aspiring young Czech writers, and Robert Pilch (*1976), owner of the Brokilon publishing company.

4.2.1.1 Jana Rečková (1956) MUDR. Jana Rečková is a qualified neurologist and has been a long-term writer and a regular contributor to fanzines such as Základna, Zbraně Avalonu or Trosky. She started writing in 1989, but her first novel was published in 1996. She began translating the fantastic literature in 1999. She is most renowned for her translation of Patrick Rothfuss’ Name of the Wind.

4.2.1.2 Dana Krejčová MVDr. Dana Krejčová does not officially belong to any club or fandom related organisations; she maintains friendly relations with fans in Brno. If you wish to read her translations, reach out for Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series or novels by Dan Simmons.

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4.3 Translators after 2000

The amateur fan translations of novels or short stories as seen before 1989 have virtually disappeared due to plenty of fantastic literature books on the market. Some exceptions occur, but those are caused by the impatience of individual groups of fans rather than by coordinated efforts from within the fandom. Prime example is the case of the fan translation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007 when Czech fans were unable to wait for the official translation, so they decided to do one themselves. There are no indicators that the group “Fénix team” was related to the Czech Harry Potter fandom in any way. A rare case of a novel fan translations to English occurred in 2015, caused by the immense popularity of the Witcher computer games inspired by the fantasy novel series of the same name. Reddit user with nickname Captain_Jerkington posted a fan translation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Lady of the Lake, the fifth instalment of the Witcher series, on the website. The official English translation will be published in March 201710. This too seems like an isolated case, caused by long gaps between publishing of official translations. Apart from the cases described above, the fan translations are usually limited to the excerpts published on author’s web pages or fan fictions, and the quality of their translation varies considerably. The professionalisation of the fandom translators is very common for this period. While not all members of a certain community are destined to become translators, they are often given a chance to revise texts to ensure the correctness of the facts in the books. Due to the easier mutual communication between fans and publishers, the recruitment of translators goes both ways as can be demonstrated in the case of Czech Star Wars Universe. The publishing house Egmont reached out to Jana Jirásková and Milan Pavlíček for help with translations of Star Wars novels. Roughly at the same time, Milan Pohl contacted Egmont regarding the mistakes in a Star Wars publication that were caused by a translator, who was not familiar with the lore. Pohl sent them a sample of text he translated and was subsequently hired (Pohl 2016). Except for Czech Star Wars Universe, the research did not find any further websites that would initiate such gathering of professionalized fan translators.

10 https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781409166290 40

Apart from Milan Pohl, there are more literary translators associated with the website, or at least with the old version existing until 2015. In no special order: Jana Jirásková, Milan Pavlíček and Jana Zejmanová.

5. Criticising the Fantastic Literature Translations: Genre specifics

Translating fantastic literature ca be hard, but providing a skilled criticism can be even harded as the person must have both specific set of skills needed to evaluate the qualities of translations, but also has to possess a knowledge ranging from classical literature to the unforeseen nooks and crannies of some very specific trivia. Before any kind of fan feedback will be addressed, several typical specifics have to be introduced. The illustrative examples of such specifics were picked from the vast number of possibilities to reflect the diverse varieties of the translated fantastic literature. Translating a novel inspired by a computer can be in some ways as tricky as translating a novel set in a dystopian world full of nanotechnology. Translator’s work is often complicated by the tendency of fantastic literature writers to create long series of books that are published gradually. Such trend means that the information by which the translator determines the expressions used in the text can change substantially over time.

5.1.1 Fictional worlds and their rules

The transmedia culture causes specific complications for the fantastic literature translators. The story of the game-inspired book might seem easy to translate as if often offers no complex philosophical concepts or complicated allusions because the writers focus on the entertainment value rather than the intellectual one. The dangerous aspect of such stories is the extensive game lore and rules that are obvious to the players, but without a reliable source or a gamer adviser, translator can get lost easily. One of those examples could be the Czech translations of novels from the world of Guild Wars.

„Po Sežehnutí si někteří charrové uvědomili, že nás šamani Ohňové legie – kteří už dlouho zneužívali svoji moc – oklamali. K povstání proti Ohňové legie nás vyzval válečník jménem Žeh Prudký úder, ale

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triumfovali jsme až pod velením jeho vnučky, Kally Žhavé břitvy, která v čele rebelů dosadila charrské ženy zpátky na jejich právoplatné místo.“

(Duchové Ascalonu: 97)

“After the Searing, some charr realized that the shamans of the Flame Legion – who had long abused their powers – had tricked us. A warrior named Pyre Fierceshot helped spur the rest of us to stand up to the Flame Legion, but we did not triumph until his granddaughter, Kalla Scorchrazor, led a rebellion that restored female charr to their rightful place.”

(Ghosts of Ascalon: 135)

Aby tuto námitku vyvrátila, hodila Žhavá břitva odpadlíkům rukavici. Nejdůležitější z nich, Kovář Železný úder, imperátor Železné legie, souhlasil, že se jí postaví v souboji. Prohlásil, že když ho porazí, uzná, že charrské ženy se hodí pro boj stejně jako muži.

(Duchové Ascalonu: 98)

To counter this argument, Scorchrazor threw down a challenge before her detractors. The most important of these was Forge Ironstrike, imperator of the Iron Legion, and he agreed to meet her in single combat. If she could defeat him, he would acknowledge that female charr were just as qualified to become soldiers as the males.

(Ghosts of Ascalon: 136)

Charrs are a furry feline race of the world of Tyria. While within the context of the excerpt the translation of the phrase “charr females” as “charrské ženy” might seem acceptable, players of the game would object (Changer the Elder 2016). Charr characters show distinctly feline behaviour in the game, such as running on all fours and

42 sleeping curled into a ball on an elevated ground, that would suggest, along with the dampening of human-like secondary sex characteristics11, the term “samice” would be more accurate. Another important rule that might not be immediately obvious are the naming practices among the Charrs. Their names are not family-based but created according to a tradition. The first name they get from their parents or a Primus in fahrar (char equivalent of school). The surname consists of two parts: the name of the warband they serve in and the second part they choose for themselves (Changer 2016). By translating Pyre Fierceshot as “Žeh Prudký úder” and Forge Ironstrike as “Kovář Železný úder”, the translator unknowingly implied an incorrect relation between the two characters even though they belonged into two completely different warbands. These novel series have been chosen as an example also due to a concerning trend interconnected with the fan feedback. Most of the target audience of this book plays the games in English without Czech localisation, so a part of them insists that the names should be kept in English. The translation of the names of characters and places that occur in the game into Czech raised a strong negative feedback. However, the desire of fans to “get an ‘unadulterated’ original message” (O’Hagan 2009) has led to an executive decision of the publishing house not to translate the names at all, rendering the target text difficult to read:

„Víš, kdo jsme?“ křikla Eir. „Jsme Destiny's Edge, Přemožitelé Dragonspawna, Ničitelé Morguse Lethe a Zkáza Destroyera of Life. Ochromili jsme Jormaga, Zhaitana a Primorda v jejich brlozích a nebudeme jen tak nečinně stát, až ty vzbudíš dalšího starodávného draka, aby mohl pustošit svět!“

(Ostří osudu: 212)

5.1.2 Neologisms

Science fiction and fantasy writers often use neologisms or introduce new words that might be already known in the source culture, but the target culture has yet to create the

11 The Character Artist Katy Hargrove insisted on downplaying the breasts or “go full-on realistic” with six mammary glands. (Campbell, 2011) 43 proper taxonomy. As an illustrative example, we can use the complementary notes12 of Richard Podaný, regarding his translation of postcyberpunk novel The Diamond Age: or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson. Not only he had to continue in the terminology established by Tomáš Hrách in the translation of previous Stephenson’s novel Snow Crash, but he had to invent the Czech variants for the English nanotechnology terms occurring in the professional journals and popularizing literature, after “an unnamed university professor refused to help him as he felt he is not up to the task”. He also states that “one of the hardest nuts to crack in SF is to distinguish between the real neologisms and the expressions that are incredibly exclusive and rarely occur but they exist” (Podaný 2002). He immediately supplies an example from Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: the expression cenobite was considered a neologism by some, while in fact, it is a less common term for a member of the monastic community.

5.1.3 Intertextuality

The intentional intertextuality was always present to some extent in the older fantastic literature works, but the (post)modern literature is teeming with hidden references. The modern works of fantastic literature tend to incorporate references to the pop culture and current events as well as the classical works of SF&F, often in a tongue- in-cheek manner. For example, the excerpt from Andrzej Sapkowski’s Lady of the Lake is a nod to the Battle of Morrannon in Tolkien’s Return of the King.

“(…) Then he lifted up his hands and cried in a loud voice ringing above the din: The Eagles are coming! (…)” (Tolkien 2013: 927 )

„Ani ne. Změť koní, lidí, zbraní. Lidé se vraždí a řvou. Někdo z toho všeho asi zešílel a křičí: ,Orli! Orli!‘“ (Sapkowski 2000: 34)

„Hurááá!“ zaryčel a zamával palcátem. „Redanie! Redanie přichází! Orli! Orli!“ (Sapkowski 2000: 288)

12 Available in Interkom 11-12/2002. 44

However, in Tolkien’s story, the forces of good are aided by the actual winged birds, while the eagles in Sapkowski’s tale are painted on the coat of arms of the incoming reinforcements. A special example could be an excerpt from Ilona Andrews’ Magic Shifts:

“One does not simply ring Roland."

Oh boy. I supposed I would get a lecture on the dangers of wandering into Mordor next.”

Here the authors – Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym of author duo Ilona and Andrew Gordon – used a pun based on an internet meme13 based on a line “One does not simply walk into Mordor.” uttered by a character in a film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

5.2 Feedback from fans

Section “Knihomorna” in the Ikarie magazine could be considered as a fan feedback as its editor, Jaroslav Jiran, encouraged readers to point out humorous mistakes in the published books. It consisted of the excerpts from the Czech translations, usually a sentence or two long, without any context or English source text, accompanied by a commentary from a fan. The section was very popular among the readers, but it caused a stir among the fandom and the fantastic literature translators as the selected “errors” were quite often correct translations14, and the typesetters could cause the typographical mistakes, not translators. Since then, most of the feedback has moved to internet, where it is fragmented among the specialised websites and designated Facebook groups.

5.3 Professional feedback

The Czech fandom has its devices to provide the professional feedback for the fantastic literature translators.

13 For more context see: ("One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor", n.d.) 14 More context is offered in Jan Kantůrek’s article “Nemačkejte ten kohoutek, mohli byste vystřelit!” Available from: http://interkom.vecnost.cz/1998/19980611.htm 45

5.3.1 Koniáš

The fandom itself has been acutely aware of the low-quality translations of SF&F being published in the Czech Republic. Richard Podaný gave the impulse to create anti- award Koniáš15 in Interkom fanzine in 1993. Koniáš was awarded yearly from 1993 to 2003. During this time, the award committee wrote and published numerous erudite reviews of the fantastic literature translations. It inspired The Literary Translators' Guild to create the anti-award Skřipec that was first awarded in 1995. While the Skřipec is still awarded, the Koniáš ended after ten years because “everything was clear, everyone in the fandom knew who was who and it was pointless to award the Koniáš over and over again to the same publishing companies that didn’t care.” (Podaný 2015) (One publisher was awarded six times during the ten-year duration of the award.)

5.3.2 Ceny Akademie Science Fiction, Fantasy a Hororu

Akademie science fiction, fantasy a hororu (The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror, from now on as ASFFH) is an association of experts on fantastic arts. It was established in 1995, and since then, the association votes every year to decide the best feats in various categories. From 1995 to 2010, they assessed the Best Translator of the year. From 2011, the award has changed to the Best Translation.

6. Translators of Fantastic Literature – Who Are They?

6.1 Initial hypotheses

The initial research indicated that the majority of the translators would have a university degree in Humanities. The second hypothesis was that there would be a moderate increase of woman translating the popular fantastic literature in comparison with the fandom demographics due to the shifts in the genres of literature that are currently published. This hypothesis was based on the demographic profiles of fandom done by Pohl (2008) and Kudláč (2016) and the percentages of male vs. female writers ratio released by TOR UK publishing company (Crispin 2013). TOR UK has an open submission policy, which

15 The award is named after the 18th century Jesuit preacher and a censor, who burned books. 46 means that they accept manuscripts to evaluate them. The numbers were based on 500 submissions to their inbox from the end of January 2013 to July 10th 2013.

Genre Women Men

Historical/epic/high fantasy 33% 67% Urban fantasy/paranormal romance 57% 43% Horror 17% 83% Science-fiction 22% 78% Young Adult 68% 32% Other (difficult to categorise) 27% 73%

Total 32% 68%

Pohl (2008) analysed the gender of fans who visited the biggest fantastic arts convention Festival Fantazie held yearly in Chotěboř. His research produced similar numbers:

Number of Convention Women Men participants Festival Fantazie 2006 1460 32,8% 67,2% Festival Fantazie 2007 2030 32,4% 67,6%

Kudláč carried out two surveys that included the gender of respondents. The first was conducted in two waves in 1993 and 1994 (Kudláč 2016: 180). The results were 31% of women, 65% men, and the remaining 4% did not specify their gender. The second was an overview of reflective articles written by fans for Interkom and the website Fantasyplanet; the time span was from 1999 to 2011. From 42 respondents in total, 30 respondents were men (71,4%) and 12 respondents (28,6%) were women. While some minor distortion of data could occur and the only cohesive element of the analysed groups is the interest in popular fantastic arts, the statistical data seem to indicate that the percentages of men and women in the analysed groups remain quite steady.

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6.2 Questionnaire Analysis

The research was conducted between May 2016 and December 2016, with the total number of 32 respondents. Considering the age profile of the translators that participated in the following survey, it secured the answers from translators from all the time periods mentioned earlier in the thesis. The comparison of the translator’s overview and the questionnaire was therefore scrapped in favour of focusing on the survey analysis. This survey examines certain delicate information, such as rates. Due to this, it is trying to keep the translator’s anonymity, describing the characteristics in more general sense rather than profiling each translator. As much information as possible was translated into English, but the translators tended to elaborate on their situation in the answer, so the answers were kept in the original language to minimise the distortions or loss of information. They will be summarised in the short overview in English before or after the answers themselves.

6.2.1 Demographic Data

From the total of 32 respondents, the 18 (56,25%) were male, and 14 (43,75%) were female. The average age of fantastic literature translator is 40,5 years; the youngest respondent is 21 and the oldest one is 67. Most of them started translating between the age of 18-30 years, regardless of their current age; average age of a professional career start is 25,3 years. Perhaps most surprising were the results of age groups and their gender profile. The preliminary hypothesis indicated that there would be more young females as opposed to males due to contemporary increased popularity of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. The following numbers below disproved this theory. The age range 21-30 years was dominated by men, with seven men (21,8%) and one woman (3,1%). In the age range 31-40 year, eight ladies prevailed (25%) against one man (3,1%). There were 6 men (18,7%) and 1 woman (3,1%) in the age category 41-50 and finally, the numbers in the 56 and more (there were no respondents in the 51-55 category), the numbers were almost even with 3 men (9,4%) and 4 women (12,5%).

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6.2.2 Education

Most respondents had undergone university studies (83,9%), with only 5 (16,1%) respondents not participating in the tertiary education. Only five respondents (16,1%) have stated Translation Studies as their major. However, there were seven respondents (21,9%), who chose English Literature or Teaching English Language. The rest answered as follows:  Žurnalistika a mediální studia  Studoval jsem angličtinu na ÚTRL FF UK a politologii na FSV UK.  geodézie a kartografie  ekonomika  Pedagogika - učitelství českého jazyka  Norský jazyk a literatura, Historie  mezinárodní obchod na VŠE (kromě překladatelství na FF UK - viz výše)  VŠE  Podniková ekonomika  Vystudovala jsem českou filologii a pokračovala na doktorátu v teorii komunikace, podílela jsem se na výuce scifi a fantastiky na katedře…  studovala AJ, ale nedokončila  přírodovědnou fakultu UK  Bohemistika, nedostudováno  právnická fakulta UK  Právní administrativa  lékařská fakulta

The list above confirms the initial hypothesis about the translators preferring the Humanities majors, with several exceptions of geodetics and cartography, and medical or natural sciences.

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6.3 Translating 6.3.1 Languages Most translators translate from English (84,4%), with 5 (15,6%) translating from different languages. The option “Other” yielded results with more language than one. From the five respondents one translates from Norwegian and Danish, one respondent translates from three languages (Russian, French and Polish), one has a language pair of Polish and English, the fourth does primarily Russian with a little bit of English, and the last one translates from German. The follow up question about the language of translated fantastic literature yielded very similar results: English (84,4%) and the five respondents (15,6%) translate fiction from Norwegian, German, Polish, English, and Russian.

6.3.2 Experience

Again, the amount of text translated by each respondent differs so wildly, it would be almost impossible to classify. However, it illustrates the diversity among the translators of Fantastic Literature.

 4 knihy  Asi 40 knih (z toho cca 33 beletristických titulů, zbytek obrazové encyklopedie a podobné publikace), povídky jenom 4, cca 30 komiksových sešitů.  8 epizod televizního seriálu pro český dabing (Firefly).  Cca 100 knih (z toho 55 grafických románů a 13 SF&F). Přesný počet knih lze jen těžko určit - počítají se i antologie, kde má člověk tři čtyři povídky?  68 povídek, z toho 50 fantastických  Knih cca 20, povídek kolem čtyřiceti.  50 knih, 50 povídek (odhadem)  94 knih, 5 komiksů, řádově 100 povídek  cca 10  1 beletrie (2 dvě právě překládám), 3 naučné (1 další překládám), 2 povídky, 3 básně + mnoho kratších překladů beletrie v rámci posudkové činnosti pro nakladatelství (žánrová i nežánrová) 50

 21 knih celkem, z toho SFF 10.  Cca. 8 KNIH  22 knih, 29 kratších prací.  6 knih fantasy, 2 sci-fi, 2 paranormální romace.  2 knihy  spoustu, nemám sečteno, nelze specifikovat  2 knihy žánru dystopie (doufám, že to spadá pod SF a F)  1 kniha 2 povidky  4,5 knihy (překládala se po částech a různých překladatelích)  přibližně 10 knih a 10 povídek  2 knihy  Dvě knihy. Orientačně tak na padesát povídek. Poslední tři roky překládám pravidelně, předtím jsem měla i půlroční prodlevy, hodně redigování, život v cizině, jiné potřebné práce a životní režimy, kdy jsem se nechtěla na překládání soustředit, věnovala se naplno jiným věcem...  10 knih fantasy  Cca. 30 knih  3 knihy a asi 10 - 15 povídek  cca 20 knih, cca 10 komiksových knih.  15 knih, cca 30 pocídek  34 knih, 1 povídkovou sbírku a 1 samostatnou povídku pro Pevnost.  30 knih  75 knih, 80 povídek  přes 20-25 knih, povídek více  cca 14 knih  80 knih, 10 povídek

6.4 Payments 6.4.1 Rates The translators were asked about their rates per standard page (1800 characters, including space character) and if they think this rate is adequate for their work. Three of the answers were not applicable.

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Rate per standard page Rather Not Rather not Sufficient sufficient sufficient sufficient 80-100 CZK 3 2 2 100-120 CZK 1 1 2 120-150 CZK 3 3 1 150-180 CZK 1 4 4 180 CZK or more 1 1

Answers of translators differed regardless of the individual years of experience. However, it seems that the education was the deciding factor for charging more. The 6 respondents, who answered “Not sufficient” or “Rather not sufficient” for 150Kč and more, did study English language or English-language translation as their major. The rest seems to be in accordance with the CEATL’s survey Comparative income of literary translators in Europe (2007/2008). The Czech Republic has the lowest minimum rates along with Slovakia. Hopefully, this thesis might show them that they can and should ask for more.

6.4.2 Due dates for payments Regarding the due dates for payments for the work done. The answers greatly vary, suggesting that the terms of delivery are dictacted by the publishing houses, rather than translators.  Záloha do 30 dnů od vydání knihy, zbytek do 90 dnů od vydání  Podle nakladatele - překládám v zásadě pro tři a ti pokrývají celou škálu od "záloha po odevzdání, zbytek po vydání" přes "spolehlivě po odevzdání překladu do sazby" až po "možná někdy v budoucnosti po splátkách".  různě u různých vydavatelství, někdy celá částka do 60 dnů od přijetí překladu, někdy záloha po přijetí a zbytek po vydání  Různě: někdy ve formě částečné zálohy už při zadání/podepsání smlouvy, jindy do týdne až 14 dní od editorovy korektury  pokaždé otázka smlouvy

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 celá částka po odevzdání překladu  polovina honoráře do 30 dní od odevzdání, zbytek do 30 dnů po vydání  U jednoho nakladatele celá částka do 14 dnů po odevzdání. U jiných ani nevím, nesleduji to.  Bylo to různé a už se nepamatuju.  Dlouze se sebou jako nakladatel smlouvám a honorář si vyplácím až na základě úspěšnosti díla; jsem na sebe přísný!  Paušálně za měsíc  Jak u kterého nakladatelství  jak to vyjde  Paušálně určitá částka s vyúčtováním a dorovnáním na konci roku

6.4.3 Employment There are only 3 full-time literary translators (9,4%) and 4 full-time translators (12,5%) that supplement fantastic literature with additional kinds of texts. As for part- time translators, 4 respondents (12,5%) translate only fiction and 6 respondents (18,6%) supplement fiction with other types of texts. More than one third of respondents (40,6%) translate fiction for an occasional extra income. One respondent (3,2%) regards translating as a hobby and one (3,2%) gave the elaborate reply below:

„Překládám pravidelně, ale neživím se tím. Preferuji u překladu kvalitu a překládám pravidelně jen jednu povídku měsíčně, jen příležitostně vezmu nějakou navíc, pokud se mi hodně líbí. Nepřekračuji cca 15 krátkých povídkových textů ročně, přitom mám neustále nějaký text rozpřekládaný.“

Since most of the translators need to complement their income with other earnings, they were encouraged to elaborate on their employment. The answers are so varied that they rendered any classification extremely difficult, so they were left as is.

 Psaní herních recenzí a publicistika všeobecně, jsem ale také ještě student.  Primárně se živím překládáním SF/F, prokládám to jazykovými korekturami a redigováním, také primárně textů v žánru SF/F.

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 Překlad komiksů, náročné umělecké literatury, komerční překlady (PR, bankovnictví, pojišťovnictví)  Momentálně se živím téměř výhradně beletristickými překlady, z nichž SF/F tvoří zhruba polovinu až dvě třetiny. Příležitostně přijímám menší "komerční" překlady, které ke mně doputují přes známé, a do budoucna bych podíl menších neliterárních zakázek rád zvýšil.  Irvine Welsh, detektivky  geodézie  práce v administrativě  Účty a OSVČ zálohy mi platí výuka angličtiny v jazykové škole, dále překládám beletrii pro děti a mládež a také naučné knihy pro stejnou věkovou kategorii.  Překládám i středoškolské a vysokoškolské romance, živím se i redakcí a korekturou překladů.  Na půl úvazku pracuji jako účetní.  Jsem zaměstnanec.  Živí mě učitelství (poloviční úvazek), zbytek času věnuju překladu.  Kromě SF a F překládám nově i detektivky a špionážní romány.  Překlad: obecné texty, odborné texty, literatura faktu, populárně-naučná literatura; korektury.  překlady - dětská literatura, filmové titulky  redakční a ediční práce a korektury  organizace kulturních akcí  výuka norštiny v jazykové škole  korektury textů  pracuju v centru sdílených služeb (na účtárně)  Software  Student doktorského studia.  Supply Chain Specialist  Jsem prodavač SF a F knih.  překlady webu, analýz, projektových zpráv a jiné dokumentace; sociálněvědný výzkum (mé druhé studium jsou sociální vědy)

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6.4.4 Encountering the fantastic literature

Earliest contact of the future translators with the fantastic literature took place during their childhood (53,1%) or adolescence (37,5%). Only three respondents first read the fantastic literature during their adulthood (9%). It is unclear, whether such tendency is common for translators or it is just a peculiarity of fantastic literature fans, but most translators explored their first fantastic worlds through books (48,3%), the films are second (20%) and friends (10%) and family (10%) share the third place. Some translators (10%) took the opportunity to elaborate again:

• Zdůraznil bych, že NIKOLI díky někomu v rodině - rodiče se na SF/F původně dívali jako na něco "divného", rozhodně tomu žánru neholdovali (i když mámu jsem postupně naučil např. na filmy Star Wars). Také bych poznamenal, že u počátků mého zájmu o SF/F byly také právě Star Wars (filmové i knižní), nikdy nezapomenu na ten pocit úžasu, když jsem jako kluk poprvé viděl úvodní scénu SW IV. Pocit úžasu, který je pro mě jedním z definujících aspektů SF/F. • Díky hrám na hrdiny. • Film Pán prstenů - Společenstvo prstenu. • Díky redaktorce v nakladatelstvi. • Díky blízkým přátelům na univerzitě, filosofická scifi a spekulativní literatura nám pomáhaly samostatně a bez hranic přemýšlet, extrapolovat, napříč obory a se vztahem k žité realitě. • Oslovilo mě nakladatelství Triton, abych pro ně přeložila několik děl fantasy.

6.4.4.1 Translating the fantastic literature

The professional translators of fantastic literature show an active approach as 25% of them reached out directly to the publishing company. The next possibility is to be recommended by someone employed in the publishing company (25%) or by someone, who already translates for the publisher (12,5%). Only 2 respondents got to translate fantastic literature by answering an advertisement (3,1%) or through an offer made to SFK (3,1%). The rest (33,3%) decided to share their story in detail as it doesn’t fit into any category. They are interesting nevertheless.

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 Něco mezi možností "z vlastní iniciativy jsem kontaktoval/a nakladatelství" a tím, že nakladatelství kontaktovalo mě... Psal jsem recenze a občasnou publicistiku do časopisu Ikarie (nyní XB-1) a nakladatelství vydávající Star Wars mě na základě těchto textů oslovilo, jestli bych se nechtěl podílet na české verzi románů Star Wars. Možná zamýšleli korektury a redakční práce (které jsem také začal dělat), ale z vlastní iniciativy jsem jim nabídl i ukázkový překlad... a tak jsem se poprvé stal překladatelem.  Na Bohemiaconu jsem tlumočil Terryho Pratchetta - a následně se mi ozvalo nakladatelství Talpress.  Dělala jsem korektury a přešla k překladu.  Náhodou, první kniha, kterou mi nabídli, byla dystopie.  Kamarádil jsem s vydavatelem SF knih.  Už je to moc dávno, prostě mě zaujala možnost pracovat s textem.  Nakladatel na svých stránkách špatně pochopil můj dotaz ohledně překladatelů jako zájem o místo, nabídl mi zkušební text a já se to rozhodl zkusit.  náhodný kontakt se SF klubem, který se později v 90. letech přetransformoval na nakladatelství  přes nakladatele  Náhodou jsem narazila v knihkupectví na samotného nakladatele a dali jsme se do řeči.

6.4.4.2 Specialization

Each sub-genre of the fantastic literature has its specifics. The translator of military sci- fi would use different vocabulary and style as opposed to the paranormal romance. However, there is a group of translators, who don’t specialize (22,2%), then there were 2 respondents (7,4%) who prefer to make a decision based on the style of the writer instead of the sub-genre. However, most of the translators elaborated further:

 SF a F v rámci knih ke hrám  Space opera (knihy Star Wars), v poslední době také fantasy středověkého typu (Flanagan) a městská fantasy (Bennett)

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 Jsem jeden z předních překladatelů komiksu, přičemž v rámci tohoto média jsem přeložil řadu knih se SF a F motivy (Moorovi Strážci vyhráli Huga, jedna povídka ze Sandmana zase World fantasy award). Vybírám si takové knihy, které uspokojují mé nároky na stylistickou kvalitu textu - a pak už je jedno, zda jde o fantasy ("Jonathan Strange a pan Norrell" nebo SF, např. román "Líc a rub” Iaina Bankse).  Dávám přednost pestrosti, většinou beru, co přijde.  Žádný subžánr, rozhoduje spíš styl.  hard SF, spekulativní fikce  Vyloženě jsem se nespecializovala na žádný subžánr. Záleželo na tom, jakou práci pro mě zrovna nakladatelství mělo.  fantasy pro mládež, postapo sci-fi pro mládež  Více či méně humorná fantasy.  Nejraději mám klasickou hrdinskou fantasy, ale nemohu říct, že bych jí přeložil tolik, abych se na ni specializoval.  hrdinská fantasy  Fantasy, herní fantasy a sci-fi  fantasy a gamebooky  Paranormální romance

6.5 Connections with Fandom

Those who know that fandom exists are mostly engaged in communication with them on a broader level, with three respondents (11,1%) being a member of a SFK and six respondents (22%) participating actively in fandom. Only five respondents (18,5%) use their fandom connection exclusively for the verification of facts about the texts they translate. The more descriptive answers indicate the relations spanning from full immersion in fandom to keeping one’s careful distance.

 Jezdím pravidelně na cony, občas na nich přednáším, mezi fanoušky mám spoustu kamarádů a známých (mj. starwarsáci, komunita kolem Buffy/Firefly, ale i trekkies, ...)... oficiálně organizovaný nejsem, ale snad to ke "členství" ve fandomu stačí. :-)

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 Jsem členem okruhu lidí kolem Interkomu (Zdeněk Rampas a spol.)

 Na spolkový ruch mě neužije, raději se s osobami napojenými na fandom družím individuálně či po internetu.

 Kamarádi z 90. let

 Fandom dlouhodobě pozoruji zvenčí (např. dlouholeté odebírání časopisu Pevnost), ale až na výjimky se fandomových akcí neúčastním, nejsem aktivní členkou žádného fandomu.

 Mám kontakty

 Znám lidi z fandomu ze sci-fi conů

 Kontakty nevyužívám.

 Byla jsem hodně aktivní počátkem 90. let.

 Býval jsem členem, v jednu chvíli i předsedou Rady Fandomu, odešel jsem kolem roku 2001.

 Moje kontakty jsou sporadické a spíš náhodné. Jakožto těžký introvert (prakticky hikikomori) společenský styk obecně příliš nevyhledávám.

 Znám kdekoho, spolkům se vyhýbám.

 Jsem aktivním členem fandomu a píšu fanfiction.

6.6 Final notes

The translators were given a chance to add any final notes. The responses ranged from agreements for further interviews, critical reflections on the publishing situation in the Czech Republic, to encouragements and additional bits of information about the fandom. Replying to this question was voluntary, so no percentages will be given. Agreements to conduct a further interview were omitted.

„Když o tom tak přemýšlím, žánrová SF nakladatelství vzniklá po roce 89 trestuhodně promrhala šanci, kterou dostala. Jsou to většinou garážové podniky jednoho muže, které se nikam nevyvinuly, kde redakční kvalita přes upřímnou snahu stagnuje (nenajímají překladatele s filologickým vzdělání, redakční práce jsou povýtce bohemistického charakteru), grafická úprava a sazba se většinou

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zasekla v devadesátkách. Argo je jediný podnik, který navázal na odeonská měřítka kvality.“

„Překládat fantasy/sci-fi je poměrně těžké, i když hodně lidí i z překladatelské branže ho bere jako oddechový žánr.“

„Díky kontaktům ve fandomu jsem se dostala ke korekturám a redakcím překladů a následně k překladům.“

„Do fandomu jsem se dostal v roce 1982 a začal jsem překládat nejprve pro neoficiální časopisy, fanzíny. Po revoluci jsem začal překládat i pro nakladatelství, zprvu nejdříve pro Klub Jules Vernea, později i pro další včetně knih o Star Treku.“

„Navzdory překážkám vytrvat, vyplatí se to, ale ne hned.“

7. Results: Average Fantastic Literature Translator?

Upon evaluating the survey, it seems that there are less similarities than expected. The initial hypothesis of women being more frequent among translators of fantastic literature as opposed to the regular fandom community was confirmed, but not in the way that was expected. Most of the translators encountered the fantastic literature during childhood and adolescence, majorly through books, and most of them have some connection to the fandom, but otherwise the answers of respondents in the researched sample vary so greatly, more in-depth research would be needed to determine any other traits with absolute certainty.

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8. Conclusion

The topic of classification of the translators of fantastic literature turned out to be more complex and demanding than imagined. Obtaining the data regarding some of the fanzine translators turned out to be very difficult, despite the helpful feedback from Zdeněk Rampas and interviewed translators and the existence of several online databases concerning fantastic literature and Czech literary translators. While similar theses aimed at translators and fans in different areas yielded more uniform results, the overview of Czech fantastic literature translators has proven to be as colourful and diverse as the fantastic literature fandom itself. The profile of the translators seems to confirm Kudláč’s and Adamovič’s general observation about the fandom, they are, without a doubt, well-educated, intelligent people. Being mostly unnoticed by academic researchers, they have done a tremendous amount of work in the past, often free of charge, and created a distinctive chapter of cultural history by themselves. Moreover, the community of translators in fandom has exhibited tendencies of self- regulation and self-improvement. However, more detailed research would be needed to confirm, if and to what extent fandom truly served as a training environment in the sense proposed by O’Hagan (2009). Unfortunately, it’s not possible to encompass all the information within a scope of one Master’s thesis, but hopefully, this thesis has provided a basic overview of the situation and a foundation for further research that could be aimed at specific aspects of this relatively unexplored topic. As some fantastic literature works were translated several times by different translators, it would be interesting to compare the translation strategies used over time, for example those Jindřich Smékal applied in his samizdat edition of Asimov’s Foundation and the ones used by Viktor Janiš in 2001. The current situation could be also used to carry out a research similar to Minako O’Hagan’s analysis of fan translation networks, working as a translator training environment, comparing the strategies of translators, who have been recruited or in touch with fandom and fantastic literature, and translators, who have been focused on different types of texts.

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It remains to be seen how the situation develops. After the turbulent origins and two periods of adaptation, initially to the change of political and publishing environment, and later to the emergence of new media, the translating of fantastic literature has reached a momentary equilibrium at least until the next exchange of generations. Now it would be a great time for scholars to “boldly go where no one has gone before” and explore this largely uncharted territory before more of its rich history gets irreversibly lost.

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References

Primary materials Questionnaire. Available from: http://www.mojeanketa.cz/res/20909960128881/

Databases: LEGIE - databáze knih Fantasy a Sci-fi. Available from : http://www.legie.info/> Fantasya.cz ~ Překladatel. Fantasya.cz. Retrieved 8 May 2016, from http://www.fantasya.cz/prekladatel Databáze českého uměleckého překladu. Available from: http://www.databaze- prekladu.cz/prekladatel/ Obec překladatelů: Databáze českého uměleckého překladu po roce 1945. Available from: http://databaze.obecprekladatelu.cz/dup02.htm Kdo je kdo v české a slovenské SF. Available from: http://interkom.vecnost.cz/who/index.html Kdo je kdo v SF. Available from: http://interkom.vecnost.cz/whosf/whosf.htm#PA

Excerpts: Andrews, I. (2015). Magic Shifts (1st ed.). New York: Ace. Forbeck, M. & Grubb, J. (2010). Guild Wars (1st ed., pp. 135-136). New York: Pocket Star. Forbeck, M. & Grubb, J. (2012). Guild Wars: Duchové Ascalonu (1st ed., pp. 97-98). Ostrava: Fantom Print. King, J. (2013). Guild Wars: Ostří osudu (1st ed., p. 212). Ostrava: Fantom Print. Sapkowski, A. (2000). Paní jezera (1st ed., pp. 34, 288). Ostrava: Leonardo. Tolkien, J. (2012). The Return of the King (1st ed., p. 927). [S.l.]: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

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Adamovič, Ivan (2010-2011) Život s pocitem úžasu 1-13. In: Ikarie. Praha: Mladá fronta a.s. 63, 61, 57, 59, 56, 58, 58, 59, 63, 67, 63, 63, 67

Adamovič , I. & Neff, O. (1995). Slovník č eské literá rní fantastiky a science fiction (1st ed.). Praha: R3.

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Bouška, P. (2016). Praotec fanoušků Star Treku: Dlouho jsem byl osamělý, než jsem potkal mně podobné. Rozhlas.cz. Retrieved 11 December 2016, from http://www.rozhlas.cz/radiowave/rozhovory/_zprava/praotec-fanousku-star-treku- dlouho-jsem-byl-osamely-nez-jsem-potkal-mne-podobne--1428266

Brossmann, J. (1999). Profil: Jan Kantůrek. Amber.zine.cz. Retrieved 3 December 2016, from http://amber.zine.cz/AZOld/clanky/az_1999_10_28/kanturek.htm

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Summary

Fantastic literature has been enjoying an increasing popularity among the general public. Even though the genre hasn't been able to fully get rid of the label "adventurous literature read for fun", it is finally being recognised by the Czech academic circles as worthy of closer studies. Several quality monographs have been published lately, concerning the fantastic arts themselves or the subculture that has formed around them. However, one important aspect has been side-lined in all the academic publications so far. Translators and their work. In the case of fantastic literature translations, their task is often very demanding. Authors invent vivid fictional worlds, often inspired by the state-of-the-art technologies or by long-forgotten historical events, and it is up to the translator to transfer them in all their glory and complexity into the target language. When the translations of the fantastic literature become a topic of a Master's thesis, the researcher often focuses on a particular text and comments on the translator's strategies and the means used to transfer the contents to the target language. So far none of them tried to introduce the topic in a broader context. This thesis is the first academic work aiming to describe more closely the background of this largely uncharted area of translation studies in the Czech Republic. It strives to introduce the fantastic literature translators in a historical context as well as in the framework of the subculture that is inherently interconnected with the genre. Given that most people know the fantastic genre only from the news in the media and or perhaps from the screens in cinemas, the translator's overview is preceded by a section that offers a brief classification of the fantastic literature sub-genres and a delineation of the term fan and a theoretical description of the concept of fandom. Media tend to portray the fantastic arts fans as eccentric and not in a positive way, while there are in fact many brilliant, creative individuals, who are often very capable translators. Moreover, translators and the fantastic arts fandom are linked relatively strongly to each other, at least in the Czech Republic before 1989. During the Normalization period, many works of the fantastic literature were translated and published, albeit unofficially, thanks to the efforts of fans. Unfortunately, they are practically unknown due to the low number of copies produced.

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This thesis is trying to document the history of the fantastic literature translators, starting around the Normalization period, following the fall of Iron Curtain and the years of transformation until recently. The recent situation is evaluated by the survey that allowed the translators to voice their opinions in this matter.

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Resumé

Fantastika si mezi lidmi začíná v poslední době získávat čím dál větší oblibu. A i když se jí ještě stále plně nepodařilo vymanit ze zajetí stereotypu „oddychové dobrodružné literatury“, tomuto žánru se konečně začíná dostávat zasloužené pozornosti české akademické obce. V nedávné době dokonce vyšlo několik kvalitních monografií, zabývajících se fantastikou nebo subkulturou, která ji obklopuje. Jeden důležitý aspekt byl však ve všech doposud zveřejněných teoretických pracích uváděn pouze okrajově. Práce překladatelů. Práce, která je u tohoto druhu literatury náročnější, než by se mohlo zdát. Spisovatelé si často vymýšlejí barvité fikční světy, inspirované nejnovějšími technologiemi nebo naopak dávnými historickými událostmi, a na překladateli pak je, aby je v celé jejich kráse a složitosti převedl do cílového jazyka. Pokud se již dřív stal překlad fantastické literatury tématem diplomové práce, většinou šlo pouze o rozbor díla a překladatelských strategií bez zasazení do širšího kontextu. Tato práce je prvním akademickým pokusem blíže popsat vnitřní souvislosti této zatím nepříliš dobře zmapované oblasti překladatelství v České republice. Jejím cílem je představit překladatele fantastické literatury jak v kontextu historickém, tak i v kontextu subkultury, která je s fantastikou neodmyslitelně spjata. Vzhledem k tomu, že v dnešní době má mnoho lidí o fantastice jen kusé informace z médií nebo ze sálů kin, samotnému přehledu překladatelů předchází stručný popis žánrů fantastiky a teoretické vymezení toho, co jsou vlastně fanové a jejich fandom zač. I když se média fanoušky fantastiky snaží často zobrazovat jako podivíny, ve skutečnosti se mezi nimi nacházejí v nemalé míře tvůrčí osobnosti a často i výborní překladatelé. Navíc jsou spolu překladatelé a subkultura fanoušků fantastiky poměrně silně provázáni, minimálně do roku 1989. Právě díky snahám fanoušků bylo za dob normalizace, i když často neoficiálně, vydáno mnoho překladů fantastické literatury, ale mnoho se o nich neví, protože vycházely jen ve velmi malém nákladu. Tato práce snaží zdokumentovat historii překladatelů fantastiky právě od dob normalizace, přes období po pádu železné opony a následující roky transformace, až do dnešní doby. Současný stav je pak zkoumán za pomoci dotazníku, ve kterém dostali možnost se k problematice vyjádřit i sami překladatelé. 72

Appendix A

The overview of Czech fanzine translators as provided by Zdeněk Rampas:

Amatér / profesionál Jméno Rok narození do roku 1990 Zesnulí Adamovič, Ivan 1967 a Aganov, Pavel 1959 a Blažek, Karel 1948 p Dvořák, Dominik a Freiová, Ludmila 1926 p z Haberle, Jan 1953 a Hlavička, Jan 1951 a Holan, Petr (Pagi) 1956 a Chmelař, Dittmar 1955 a Jirkovský, Tomáš 1963 a Kajdoš, Václav p z Kantůrek, Jan 1948 a Kašpar, Jaroslav Komárková, V a Kopcová, Jaroslava a Kosatík, Pavel 1962 a Kosatíková (Bartošková), Linda 1962 a Kostiha, Vladimír 1944 a Koval, Aleš 1953 a Kříž, Václav 1953 a Markus, Jiří a/p z Martan, Miroslav (Sláva) a z Moravčík, Pavel a Neff, Ondřej 1945 p Olša, Jaroslav, jr. 1964 a Pavlík, Jan 1958 a Peška, Ladislav 1957 a Pilch, Jiří 1953 a z Pleskač, František 1957 a Podaný, Richard 1962 p Smékal, Jindřich 1936 a z Švachouček, Stanislav 1952 a Veis, Jaroslav 1946 p Weigel, Pavel 1942 p z

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Appendix B

Several examples of fanzine/fanbook publications (from left to right): Sheckley, R. (1988) Povídky. Čelákovice: SFK Laser Martin, G. R. R (1988) Povídky. Čelákovice: SFK Laser Dick, P. K. (1989) Povídky. Čelákovice: SFK Laser Zelazny, R. J. (1990) Povídky. Čelákovice: SFK Laser Howard, R. E. (1990) Svatyně odpornosti a jiné povídky. Plzeň: Laser Howard, R. E (1991) Šarlatová citadel. Praha: Nová vlna Dick, P. K. (1989) Muž z Vysokého zámku (The Man in the High Castle). Plzeň: Laser

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