Zaziemskie światy. Pierwszy lot międzyplanetarny (Extraterrestrial Worlds. The First Interplanetary Flight) is a Polish science fiction novel by Władysław Umiński, completed in 1948 but published only in 1956. It is the last book published by Umiński and by the Gebethner and Wolff publishing house. The plot centers around a journey from Earth to Venus.[1][2]
| Author | Władysław Umiński |
|---|---|
| Language | Polish |
| Genre | science fiction |
| Publisher | Gebethner and Wolff |
Publication date | 1956 |
| Publication place | Poland |
History of creation and publication
editThe book was originally titled Wyprawa na Wenus (Expedition to Venus) and was written on commission from the underground publishing house Wisła.[3]
Kamila Budrowska notes that the author completed the novel during the occupation of Poland. The manuscript was sent for printing in 1948 but was subsequently held back by censorship in January 1949. It was not released until 1956, becoming the last book published by the Gebethner and Wolff publishing house. It was registered in documents on 11 August 1956, published with a retroactive publication date of 1948 in a print run of 7,000 copies by Gebethner and Wolff, which had officially closed in 1950.[3][4][5]
Plot
editThe novel describes the first interplanetary flight in history – to Venus, where Earthlings encounter an advanced civilization of humans who settled there after leaving Atlantis.[4][6] The inhabitants of Venus, ruled by the "Great Magician", consider themselves more advanced than Earthlings, having abandoned a civilization or culture focused on excessive material needs, and living "in harmony with nature" (they are, among other things, advocates of vegetarianism). In return, they have developed psychic powers (telepathy, telekinesis; the latter is also used as an energy source for their machines).[7][8]
The novel is set in the same universe as Umiński's earlier work, Na drugą planetę (To the Second Planet).[9]
Reception
editThe book has been described as not very popular.[10]
Analysis
editSoon after its publication, in 1959, Krystyna Kuliczkowska criticized the book, stating that it reflects the decline of the valuable insights that were most precious in Umiński's earlier work. The meaning of the pseudo-philosophical musings spread throughout the work boils down to a primitive condemnation of material civilization and the glorification of passive contemplation, which is supposed to represent the ideal of human aspirations at the highest level of spiritual development.[11]
Antoni Smuszkiewicz notes that the novel does not fundamentally differ from the best works of the author from the late 19th century, and even represents a certain regression compared to them. Over 80-year-old Umiński cannot view new discoveries and inventions through the eyes of his former positivist enthusiasm for knowledge and progress. He reluctantly views the development of material civilization and instead focuses on the internal, spiritual development of man.[12] Although the author incorporates the latest technological advances, such as radar and atomic energy, the structure of the plot and the use of fantastic elements more likely align the work with the era of Verne.[6]
Andrzej Niewiadowski and Smuszkiewicz assess that the experiences of World War II were a severe blow to the positivist worldview of the aged writer and led him to an "ideological turn" and "revolutionary change", abandoning the vision of progress brought about by scientific and technical civilization in favor of an apologia for the spiritual transformation of man.[13]
Another significant message of the novel is the vision that life permeates the Universe.[8]
Niewiadowski writes that the author refrained from publishing the novel in the 1940s due to the necessity of re-editing it in accordance with the demands of socialist realism.[14] The critic also posits that the author was strongly inspired by Antoni Lange's work, Miranda.[15]
Kamila Budrowska cites the opinions of censoring reviewers, who attributed to the novel an inappropriate ideological basis and completely obscure social ideas with modest popular-scientific values.[4] They criticized that the proposed social system might cause confusion in the mind of a young reader and suggest that the solution to humanity's problems may not come through the fight for social justice, but through some mystical improvement of souls, and an undesirable direction of youthful fantasies towards senseless dreams completely contrary to the direction in which we want to educate the youth.[4] Additionally, censors criticized the author's fascination with the United States: The book, written in an atmosphere of admiration for America, millionaires, and margraves, seems harmful and should not be published and the implication to the reader of the extraordinarily favorable conditions for the development of science and technology in a capitalist system, which has a particular significance in the current period of the march towards socialism.[4]
The book was also described as deeply critical of earthly conditions,[16] a testimony to the failure of life ideals [and] the collapse of faith in the moral perfection of man,[17] one of the sharpest dystopias of the 1950s,[18] the primacy of spirituality over materialism,[8] and viewed as a condemnation of material civilization and a promotion of passive contemplation[19] and asceticism.[7]
Smuszkiewicz assesses that the novel closes the early stage of development of Polish science fiction.[20]
References
edit- ^ Smuszkiewicz (1982, p. 219)
- ^ Niewiadowski & Smuszkiewicz (1990, p. 205)
- ^ a b Czachowska, Jadwiga; Szałagan, Alicja, eds. (2003). Współcześni polscy pisarze i badacze literatury. Słownik biobibliograficzny [Contemporary Polish Writers and Literary Scholars: A Biobibliographic Dictionary] (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne. p. 438.
- ^ a b c d e Budrowska, Kamila (2015). "Autsajderzy literatury: Kornel Makuszyński i Władysław Umiński" [Outsiders of Literature: Kornel Makuszyński and Władysław Umiński] (PDF). Wschodni Rocznik Humanistyczny (in Polish). 12. Białystok: Uniwersytet w Białymstoku: 308. ISSN 1731-982X.
- ^ Budrowska, Kamila (2014). "Nieznane archiwum wydawnictwa "Gebethner i Wolff", czyli o pożytkach z przeglądania "Przewodnika polonisty"" [The Unknown Archive of the Gebethner and Wolff Publishing House: On the Benefits of Reviewing the 'Przewodnik Polonisty']. Pamiętnik Literacki (in Polish). 4: 151–167. ISSN 0031-0514.
- ^ a b Smuszkiewicz (1982, pp. 219–220)
- ^ a b Studia filologiczne [Philological Studies] (in Polish). Bydgoszcz: Wyższa Szkoła Pedagogiczna w Bydgoszczy. 1983. pp. 83–84.
- ^ a b c Jasińska-Wojtkowska, Maria; Dybciak, Krzysztof (1993). Proza polska w kręgu religijnych inspiracji [Polish Prose within the Sphere of Religious Inspirations] (in Polish). Lublin: Towarzystwo Naukowe Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego. p. 279. ISBN 978-83-85291-48-0.
- ^ Wróblewski, Maciej (2005). "„Na drugą planetę" Władysława Umińskiego, czyli o radości uprawiania nauki" [Władysław Umiński's 'To the Second Planet', or On the Joy of Doing Science]. In Stoff, A.; Brzostek, D. (eds.). Polska literatura fantastyczna: interpretacje [Polish Science Fiction Literature: Interpretations] (in Polish). Wyd. Uniwersytetu Mikołaka Kopernika. p. 203. ISBN 978-83-231-1907-4.
- ^ Krawczyk, Stanisław (2022). Gust i prestiż: o przemianach polskiego świata fantastyki [Taste and Prestige: On the Transformations of the Polish Science Fiction World] (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar. p. 64. ISBN 978-83-66849-57-0.
- ^ Kuliczkowska, Krystyna (1981). Literatura dla dzieci i młodzieży w latach 1864 - 1918: zarys monograficzny; materiały [Children's and Young Adult Literature from 1864 to 1918: A Monographic Outline; Materials] (in Polish). Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne. p. 49.
- ^ Smuszkiewicz (1982, p. 67)
- ^ Niewiadowski & Smuszkiewicz (1990, pp. 206–207)
- ^ Niewiadowski, Andrzej (1989). "Świadectwa prognoz społecznych w polskiej fantastyce naukowej (1945–1985)" [Testimonies of Social Forecasts in Polish Science Fiction (1945–1985)]. In Handke, Ryszard; Jęczmyk, Lech; Okólska, Barbara (eds.). Spór o SF: antologia szkiców i esejów o science fiction [The Dispute over SF: An Anthology of Sketches and Essays on Science Fiction] (in Polish). Poznań: Wydaw. Poznańskie. pp. 388–389. ISBN 978-83-210-0815-8.
- ^ Niewiadomski, Andrzej (1987). "W kręgu fantazji Antoniego Langego" [In the Realm of Antoni Lange's Fantasy]. In Lange, A. (ed.). Miranda i inne opowiadania [Miranda and other stories] (in Polish). p. 228.
- ^ Wójcik, Andrzej (1979). Okno Kosmosu: (wybrane zagadnienia topiki polskiej prozy fantastyczno-naukowej) [The Window to the Cosmos: (Selected Issues of Topic in Polish Science Fiction Prose)] (in Polish). Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza. p. 36.
- ^ Niewiadowski, Andrzej, ed. (1987). Polska fantastyka naukowa: Przewodnik 1945-1985 [Polish Science Fiction: A Guide 1945-1985] (in Polish). Warsaw: Iskry. p. 9. ISBN 978-83-207-0999-5.
- ^ Pismo literacko-artystyczne [Literary and Artistic Journal] (in Polish). Prasa-Książka-Ruch. 1984. p. 87.
- ^ Słońska, Irena; Kuliczkowska, Krystyna (1964). Mały słownik literatury dla dzieci i młodzieży [Little Dictionary of Children's and Youth Literature] (in Polish). Wiedza Powszechna. p. 328.
- ^ Smuszkiewicz (1982, p. 220)
Bibliography
edit- Smuszkiewicz, Antoni (1982). Zaczarowana gra: Zarys dziejów polskiej fantastyki naukowej [The Enchanted Game: An Outline of the History of Polish Science Fiction] (in Polish). Poznań: Wydawn. poznańskie. ISBN 978-83-210-0303-0.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Niewiadowski, Andrzej; Smuszkiewicz, Antoni (1990). Leksykon polskiej literatury fantastycznonaukowej [Lexicon of Polish Science Fiction Literature] (in Polish). Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie. ISBN 83-210-0892-5.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)