- The first monograph on the Strugatskiis to be published in English in nearly twenty-five years.
Connected to a renewal of interest in the Strugatskiis in English translation-witness the recent efforts of Chicago Review Press in retranslating key works.
Useful in university courses on the Strugatskiis; readings can be targeted, as most chapters focus on just one of their books.
Interdisciplinary subject matter: an intersection of literary studies and science studies; of science fiction, astronomy, and cosmology.
Connected to popular interest in astronomy, cosmology; to the tradition of Sagan, deGrasse Tyson, etc.
Grounded in the classics of Russian literature, with particular reference to Pushkin's poetry.
Grounded in the wider context of world science fiction, with particular reference to H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds.
Table of Contents:
- A note on the names of our “author”
- The Strugatskiis’ Pushkinian Cosmology
- Chapter 1: A Biography through Astronomy
- Chapter 2: Minor Planets: the Strugatskiis’ Earlier Experiments in Cosmology
- Chapter 3: The Hell of the Ignorant: The Second Martian Invasion
- Chapter 4: Poincaré’s Starless Hell: The Inhabited Island
- Chapter 5: Exceptions to the Laws of Thermodynamics: Roadside Picnic
- Chapter 6: “Long live darkness!”: A Billion Years Until the End of the World
- Chapter 7: The Island Universe and the Copper Doorknob: The Doomed City
- Chapter 8: Chronic Bewilderment and Astronomical “Fact”: Those Burdened by Evil
- Coda: “Day and night my Man in Black gives me no peace…”: The Yids of the City of Peter
- Afterword
- Bibliography
- Appendix I: The Altitude of Vega
About the Author :
Kevin Reese has been studying the Strugatskii brothers for twenty years. At UNC, he developed a course on Soviet science fiction centered around their works. Currently, he is translating the Strugatskiis' final works-their novel Those Burdened by Evil and their play The Yids of the City of Peter.
Review :
"...Combining biographical insights with wide-ranging literary analysis, Celestial Hellscapes is an outstanding asset to scholars of science fiction. Reese’s book is particularly timely now, as the Strugatskiis’ best novels are finally re-translated and re-issued in English."
—Muireanne Maguire, University of Exeter, Slavonic and East European Review (vol. 99, no. 3, July 2021)
“Such a detailed, extensive study of the Strugatskys’ major works offers both academic and lay readers a window onto the events and ideas that influenced the brothers’ “Pushkinian cosmology…” One of only a few such studies of the Strugatskys’ works, Celestial Hellscapes shows just how integral Russian literature and culture, as well as the field of astronomy in the mid-twentieth century, were to the brothers’ literary imaginations… Reese’s study of the Strugatskys’ sf constitutes an important contribution to the field of Russian speculative fiction in particular and twentieth-century speculative fiction in general. The Strugatskys stand as authors of some of the most distinctive, thought-provoking novels and stories to have come out of the traumas of the twentieth century, and their work should be read and taught more widely in the Anglophone world.”
—Rachel Cordasco, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts
“This engaging study sheds new light on key works by the Strugatskys and provides many useful insights for students and scholars alike… In each chapter, Reese deftly weaves close readings of the particular text with biographical, scientific and cultural context to expand the critical understanding of the Strugatskys’ works, and their place in the science fiction tradition in general. As a result, Celestial Hellscapes serves as valuable, engaging reading for students, scholars and Strugatsky fans alike.”
—Benjamin Jens, University of Arizona, Slavic and East European Journal
“This book is a first-rate contribution to scholarship on the Strugatskys. The brotherly duo of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky combine the best of the sciences and the humanities—what the late Soviet intelligentsia called ‘physicist’ and ‘lyricist.’ As a literary scholar and an amateur astronomer, Kevin Reese is well-positioned to explore their universes. … Reese has written an intelligent and enjoyable study that will speak to scholars, students, and fans of the worlds of the Strugatsky brothers.”
—Sofya Khagi, University of Michigan, Russian Review
“Crowning two decades of research on the nearly 30 science fiction works of 20th-century writers Arkadii Strugatskii and Boris Strugatskii, this book presents detailed analyses of the brothers’ symbolic, subtextual, and literary sources. Reese (also the Strugatskiis’ astute translator) writes that the authors’ experiences (biographical, political, and emotional) under the Soviets were at the heart of their work—be they in disguise or evident; in fact, they were communicating the human trauma Stalin (or any totalitarian ruler) created. … This book is interesting reading. … Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.”
—D. Hutchins, CHOICE Reviews
