CEU eTD Collection
In partialInthetheof requirements fulfillment for S CIENCE E NGINEERING NGINEERING THE Supervisor: Professor Marsha Siefert Siefert Marsha Professor Supervisor: F ICTION ICTION IN Central European UniversityCentralEuropean History Department Budapest, Hungary Budapest, 1955-1989 1955-1989 Eugen Stancu Eugen Submitted to Submitted 2010 2010 C By i
OMMUNIST
H degree of DoctordegreePhilosophy of of UMAN S R OUL OMANIA
CEU eTD Collection anynotfor contain that itmaterialsaccepted does own, my entirely is work this that declare hereby I
other degrees in any other institutions.otherdegrees in any other except where otherwise indicated, and and indicated, otherwise where except Eugen Stancu Stancu Eugen
CEU eTD Collection all.themI my amgrateful to work. Lucian Bucharest professor Universityfrom for Boia allthe vari to myKiossev and colleaguesfor Sofia fo grateful am I thesis. the in presented ideas the year one for fellow a I was where Studiesin Sofia difficulties and stages many throughgoing me kept remaine that discussions in openness and enthusiasm during me supervised who Kelly, Catriona professor Col Lincoln at year academic an spend to me enabled the to all, of First research. my facilitated ways all for heprovided. inspiration A Sorin thank to like would I writing. and research w encouragement and suggestions stimulating her for A CKNOWLEDGMENTS Family and friends, often unwillingly perhaps, have perhaps, unwillingly often friends, and Family Heller Leonid professor thank to like also would I insti and persons of number a to indebted also am I super my to indebted deeply am I foremost and First
ous types of support andsupport types friendship. of ous was an excellent place to develop some of develop to place excellent was an after the visit. The Center for Advanced for Center The visit. the after ntohi, with whom I started this project, project, this started I whom with ntohi, their suggestions. inspiring OSI/FCO Chevening Scholarship that that Scholarship Chevening OSI/FCO r this to Diana Mishkova, Alexander Alexander Mishkova, Diana to this r d an inspiration to me ever since and and since ever me to inspiration an d my stay in Oxford, for her guidance, her for Oxford, in stay my lege in Oxford. I would like to thank to like would I Oxford. in lege hich helped me in all the time of of time the all in me helped hich made me reassess and improve improve and reassess me made from Lausanne University and and University Lausanne from visor professor Marsha Siefert Siefert Marsha professor visor tutions that in many different different many in that tutions CEU eTD Collection rils ulse i te esaes n i te lit the in and newspapers the in published articles l on works Moreover, investigation. the for sources novel fanzines, Magazines, socialization. of spaces ‘cata a into readers its among knowledge scientific didacti a from evolved it communism during However, me instrument propagandistic and pedagogical active a without youth and children for genre literary followi A developed fiction science communism, before theFourth, itsscience fiction community readers. ty the uncover may they since valuable nevertheless cr literary mainstream by blamed much so structures science of functions social the assessing in aspect ap without yet - discourse literary fiction science wa censorship, through distribution, and run, print of system the readers, the and writers the between M thesis. this in addressed were that questions the t of consequence a as mainly general, in literature ge the of development the how and involved, persons i the were what Romania, in emerged fiction science o dynamic literary the in placed is fiction science wh against background necessary the represent state sc of ideological place and social political, the First layers. the investigate I dissertation this com during In role social its and literature communist A BSTRACT
transformations of the Romanian communist communist theRomanian of transformations is also investigated. isalso investigated. lig etei rtra i a important an is - criteria aesthetic plying f the Romanian communist period. How period. communist Romanian the f he political transformations, are some of of some are transformations, political he s also tackled. Third, an analysis of the the of analysis an Third, tackled. also s publications from financing, circulation, financing, from publications munism. My analysis comprises several several comprises analysis My munism. pe of message delivered by the genre to to genre the by delivered message of pe rr junl, eor, n historical and memoirs, journals, erary s, and almanacs constitute the primary primary the constitute almanacs and s, ich science fiction is analyzed. Second, analyzed. is fiction science ich itics for their lack of literary merit are merit literary of lack their for itics link essential an are they as oreover, fiction. The narrative elements and and elements narrative The fiction. yt fr atraie n rte free’ rather and ‘alternative for lyst’ man. communist new the build to ant of development the with related is nre trr ciiim sca ad political and social criticism, iterary ng the Soviet model especially as an an as especially model Soviet the ng siuinl tutrs wo ee the were who structures, nstitutional c medium meant to disseminate disseminate to meant medium c significant tradition in Romania Romania in tradition significant ience fiction within Romanian Romanian within fiction ience CEU eTD Collection youthtocontributingperiod thec analysisalso of intel the into insights important offers community, of analysis the thesis, my in demonstrate I as Yet, cont historical its it genre the placing considered deser not do and value Lit thisneglectedtopic. hasaesthetic Existingscholarship meagre a having as sour the of investigation. economy the in place important most the inf background for upon drawn extensively are works
ulture during communism.ulture communism. of history the for relevant ext lectual, political and social history of this this of history social and political lectual, science fiction, both its literature and and literature its both fiction, science eatnin hl hsoin hv not have historians while attention ve ormation. Last but not least, perhaps perhaps least, not but Last ormation. erary critics considers science fiction fiction considersscience critics erary ces is granted to oral history history oral to granted is ces CEU eTD Collection cec ito tpaadcmuimi h 90 1 87 communism and fictionScience inthe1960s utopia RomaniacultureStalin’s and death: politicsafter architecturalKhrushchev’sutopia AND THELATEINTHE NORMS 1950S 1960S OFUTOPIA:CHALLENGING THEAGE CHAPTER SOCIALIST 3 Conclusion Science PoliticsFiction and novel science fiction newliteraryLegitimation a Mihailgenre. for Sadov UNIVERSE ROMANIANTHECHAPTER1950S: IN SF LEGITIMATION2 AN Conclusion youthchildren fiction,Science agenrefor and for YouthChildren Literature and newinstitutional A landscape- ideolo literary and GENRENEWSCIENCE ACHAPTER FICTION:ROMANIANIN1 methodologyandSources theResearch State Current of Analytical Framework INTRODUCTION LIST OFABBREVIATIONS CONTENTS Conclusion science responseReaders’ fiction to Romanian Science Fiction WritersRomanian FictionScience Soviet Thesciencefiction of Model Romanian science fiction in the 1960s. Features ofFeaturesRomanian inthe science1960s. fiction synthetic Thegold American Two Stories WhotheownsMoon Spies History and story newAnold meaning with a sciencea past The ofnovel fiction theemergence and science CPSF in fictionof Romani scienceand Fictionalization technology of in Education CommunistRomania Socialist realism Writers’Union Utopian hidden facetUtopianhidden i gical context in the 1950s 22 22 gical inthe1950s context eanu’s case – archaeology fakecase a of eanu’s – science fiction communist utopia 107 107 sciencefiction communist utopia a 43 43 a D THEMATIC D LITERATURE REALIST iii 124 124 119 115 III 49 49 47 03 03 97 90 85 81 78 74 69 67 64 59 56 55 53 43 38 34 31 28 24 20 17 11 3 3 1
CEU eTD Collection Secondary Sources SecondarySources Primary Sources PrimarySources BIBLIOGRAPHY CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS Conclusion Warningsciencefiction controlled Romaniana The – sciencefiction fandom “Anticipa CPSF aftermath – beginning of Romanian Fandom 156 156 FICTION FANDOM THECHAPTER 5 1980S–ANTICIPA Conclusion Romanianaftermathbeginning CPSF Fandom of– Suppression theCPSF ofmagazine themutationsofThe1970s Romanian Thesciencefiction and nationalturn literaryJuly 1971 The Theses and space APPENDIX THE1970S SCIENCECHAPTER ANDFICTIONNATIONALCOM 4 ROMANIAN Romanian Communist Party Romanian documents Periodicals Oral interviewsOral history Archives ConsultedArchives Science fiction ROMCONs – formal and informal 185 185 newwriters A generationof accessresources tofiction Science fandom – formal informal fictionScienceand – ROMCONs Anticipa “Fandomis life”wayFiawol – a of Science and technology Science and Systemsscience Convergence of fiction and tofuturethe From past ţ ia” the re-branded Romanian science fiction 169 169 Romanian re-branded ia”sciencefiction the ţ ia : A history of Romanian science fiction 1955-1989, Romanianhistoryscience fictionofA : 1955-1989, Almanac
Ţ IA AND THEROMANIAN SCIENCE AND IA ii community 182 182 community in images 2276 2276 inimages MUNISM INMUNISM 216 216 216 216 216 216 215 215 215 215 215 215 215 207 205 199 179 195 195 190 169 165 163 153 151 148 143 142 136 128 126 226 226
CEU eTD Collection Students’ Associa Students’ Român communist theRomanianthereafter Par 1965; called Communist UTC July and 1948 between February 1965) W UASCR Romanian the (Called Party Communist RomanianConvention FictionScience National Romanian RWP ROMCON RCP Collection) German Repub GDRDemocratic Communist S CPSU theParty of Central Committee CPSF Council for EconomCMEA Mutual CC L IST OFIST ABBREVIATIONS Uniunea Tineretului Comunist Tineretului Uniunea AsociaUniunea RomânMuncitoresc Partidul Colec ţ ia Povestiri ia
ţ iilor Studen ţ ) ) ions) ions) tii n ţ ifico-Fantastice iii oviet Unionoviet lic ţ ic Assistance ic e RomanianParty (PMR) Workers’ (1948- (CommunistUnion) Youth ti a Comunistti Tineretului a (Science Fiction Stories (Science Stories Fiction
ty- Uino (Union , of Partidul Partidul res Party orkers’ CEU eTD Collection hadconsequencesnatur transformations major theon that to imaginaries social alternative created also maintaine only not fiction science past, the toward legitimiz official the communism national of advent especiall Later, regime. communist the by advocated ‘scientific the of dissemination and legitimation, science 1960s and 1950s the in Thus, socialization. 1 ‘ for ‘catalyst’ a into readers its among knowledge hypothesis preliminary the framework, this Within didactica from evolved sciencefiction communism, its more important, and social functionliterature, science of place the are investigate will I what up Therefore undertaken. been has campaign’ propaganda t and reasons the of analysis no now until However, chil for genre a ostensibly and originally fiction, bui to meant process propagandistic and pedagogical litera their Accordingly, significance. ideological technol and science regime, communist the of advent pas significant favorite a not was was stories that fiction taste science a Reading Romania, communist I closelyandsupervised, controlled, therefore byth theinwhich1980s, althoughseemed atotally free Iuse expressionthe ‘alternative free’and rather NTRODUCTION
to refer totherefer sciencetofiction community especial einstitutions. state 1 1 space in fact it wasfactfinancedinit space bystateand the sduring communism. supported by the Communist Party. These Party. Communist the by supported rn n yuh ws pr o ti effort. this of part a was youth, and dren fiction within the Romanian communist communist Romanian the within fiction ry treatment became part of an active active an of part became treatment ry te oiatpltclmsae u it but message political dominant the d medium meant to disseminate scientific scientific disseminatemeant to medium e e genrebyitsescapismof offered the to ing vision of the state became directed directed became state the of vision ing lentv ad ahr free’ rather and alternative opnn’ f h sca imaginary social the of component’ he effects behind this ‘science fiction fiction ‘science this behind effects he y after the mid 1970s, when with the the with when 1970s, mid the after y d h nw omns mn Science man. communist new the ld ito cnrbtd o h creation, the to contributed fiction , the questions that most broadly sum sum broadly most that questions the , ly developed before that. With the the With that. before developed ly g wr gatd considerable a granted were ogy ie o mn yug epe in people young many for time of this study is that during during that is study this of 1 pcs of spaces ly CEU eTD Collection 90 udr dfeet name, different a under 1980s However genre. the to dedicated publication regular Th in number. thatincreased literary clubs fiction 1974 In time. that at as to hereinafter referred - Stories Fiction magazine bimonthly label the under year first its in and model Soviet the of emulation lit Romanian the in tradition substantial a without b from Far Romania. communist covered this(1955-1989 by dissertation period The in fiction science of thegenre’s of literary publications. Romania inof dynamic itscontext,place the social achieveIgoalToinvestigate this Romani research. t of sociali analysis the and reconstruction The community. of mode the on importantly more and readers The small number of studies on Romanian science fi whic Romanianstudiesscience of on number small The criticism, literary of methods the using genre thedevelopment theto ofgenre and West. in the the was which fiction, science Soviet to both refer stu this for sources main the are Romania in issues refl documents Party Communist as well as fans, and sci of testimonies with along publications, fiction annual laa Anticipa Almanah literatur Colec CPSF ă
ţ ia ţ tii n a Povestiri ia a sprse ad h gne usse ol within only subsisted genre the and suppressed was Atcpto Amnc satd ulcto. These publication. started Almanac) (Anticipation ţ ifico-fantastic literatur ă CPSF e anticipa de tiintifico-Fantastice 2 2 ă sinii-atsi ltrtr) apae the appeared literature), (scientific-fantastic ), the only regular science fiction publication publication fiction science theonly regular ), ere were a few books published but not anynot but few published a erebooks were ence fiction writers, literary critics, editors editors critics, literary writers, fiction ence s was related to socialist realism. In 1955, 1955, In realism. socialist to related was s n literature, as wellas thethroughcontent literature, nas and its fictionthroughpolitical an science h explore the field and its dynamic from from dynamic its and field the explore h initial model for the Romanian writers, Romanian the for model initial his dynamic are the main objects of this of objects main the are dynamic his dy. However, when appropriate, I shall shall I appropriate, when However, dy. , science fiction was resuscitated in the the in resuscitated was fiction science , an as emerged fiction science erature, ecting communist policies on cultural cultural on policies communist ecting ţ eing an autochthonous initiative and and initiative autochthonous an eing ie ie zation inside the science fiction fiction science the inside zation ) encompassesexistence the entire (anticipation literature) when the the when literature) (anticipation ction has tended to scrutinize the hasction tended Te olcin f Science of Collection (The science science science science CEU eTD Collection People's RepublicPeople's 2 would it Therefore, campaign. same the of part are as such children to especially as books such from magazines, publications, of range new the Moreover, t towards it orienting by system schooling th Romanian education of reform 1948 the was process this of thepromised to lead would that atheism’ scientific explaine further be will that concept a imaginary,’ b population, the among science of knowledge spread of supply the increase to only not was action this re communist the by launched technology and science the of context the within explained are popularity emer The analyzed. is fiction science which against communi Romanian the of ficti transformations ideological science of cons functions I that areas main socialfour on focuses research My the understanding Framework Analytical analyzing for documentaryvaluablesource Romanian litera a simultaneously fiction, science that argue to indebted dissertation this in However, context. rath values, aesthetic of search in usually within, For a very good survey on this transformation,see this ongoodsurveyvery a For (Washington Government U.S. DC: PrintingOffice, 1 tiin ţă