| Arkady and Boris Strugatsky | |
| Birth Date: | Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky: 28 August 1925 Batumi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union Boris Natanovich Strugatsky: 14 April 1933 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Death Date: | Arkady: Moscow, Russia Boris: Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Occupation: | Writers |
The brothers Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky (Russian: Аркадий Натанович Стругацкий; 28 August 1925 – 12 October 1991) and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky (Russian: Борис Натанович Стругацкий; 14 April 1933 – 19 November 2012) were Soviet-Russian science-fiction authors who collaborated through most of their careers.
The Strugatsky brothers (Russian: братья Стругацкие or simply Russian: Стругацкие) were born to Natan Strugatsky, an art critic, and his wife, a teacher. Their father was Jewish and their mother was Russian Orthodox. Their early work was influenced by Ivan Yefremov and Stanisław Lem. Later they went on to develop their own, unique style of science fiction writing that emerged from the period of Soviet rationalism in Soviet literature and evolved into novels interpreted as works of social criticism.[1]
Their best-known novel, Piknik na obochine, has been translated into English as Roadside Picnic. Andrei Tarkovsky adapted the novel for the screen as Stalker (1979).
Algis Budrys compared their "An Emergency Case" and Arkady's "Wanderers and Travellers" to the work of Eando Binder.[2] Several other of their fiction works were translated into English, German, French, and Italian, but did not receive the same magnitude of critical acclaim as that granted by their Russian audiences. The Strugatsky brothers, however, were and still are popular in many countries, including Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, the former republics of Yugoslavia, and Germany, where most of their works were available in both East and West Germany. They are well-known Russian science fiction writers with a well-developed fan base.
The Strugatsky brothers were Guests of Honour at Conspiracy '87, the 1987 World Science Fiction Convention, held in Brighton, England.
In 1991, Text Publishers brought out the collected works by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.[3] [4]
Arkady Strugatsky was born 25 August 1925 in Batumi; the family later moved to Leningrad. In January 1942, Arkady and his father were evacuated from the Siege of Leningrad, but Arkady was the only survivor in his train car; his father died upon reaching Vologda. Arkady was drafted into the Soviet army in 1943. He trained first at the artillery school in Aktyubinsk and later at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1949 as an interpreter of English and Japanese. He worked as a teacher and interpreter for the military until 1955. In 1955, he began working as an editor and writer. In 1958, he began collaborating with his brother Boris, a collaboration that lasted until Arkady's death on .[5] Arkady Strugatsky became a member of the Union of Soviet Writers in 1964. In addition to his own writing, he translated Japanese short stories and novels, as well as some English works with his brother.
Born 14 April 1933, Boris Strugatsky remained in Leningrad with his mother during the siege of the city during World War II. He graduated from high school in 1950 and applied to the physics department at Leningrad State University, but studied astronomy instead. After graduating in 1955, he worked as an astronomer and computer engineer at the Pulkovo Observatory. In 1960 he participated in a geodetic and astronomical expedition in the Caucasus. Boris Strugatsky became a member of the writers' union of the USSR in 1964. In 1966, he became a full-time writer.[6] From 1972 he acted as the head of the Leningrad seminar of young speculative fiction writers, which subsequently became known as the "Boris Strugatsky Seminar". He established the "Bronze Snail" literary prize. He was an agnostic.[7] After the death of his brother, he published two more novels under a pseudonym. Boris Strugatsky died in Saint Petersburg on .[8] [9]
Several of the Strugatsky brothers' books take place in the World of Noon, also known unofficially as the Wanderers Universe. The name is derived from the title of one of their texts, . The Noon Universe started as a "socialist utopia" in which the conflict is between "the good and the better" while the later books set in the same universe took on darker tones.[10]
The main characteristics of the Noon Universe are: a very high level of social, scientific, and technological development; creativity of the general population; and the very significant level of societal maturity compared to the modern world. For instance, this world knows no monetary stimulation (indeed, money does not exist), and every person is engaged in a profession that interests him or her. The Earth of the Noon Universe is governed by a global meritocratic council composed of the world's leading scientists and philosophers.
The Noon Universe was described by the authors as the world in which they would like to live and work. It became highly influential for at least a generation of Soviet people, e.g., a person could quote the Strugatsky books and be sure of being understood. At first the authors thought the Noon Universe would become reality "by itself", but then they realized that the only way to achieve it was by inventing the High Theory of Upbringing, making the upbringing of each person a unique deed.
One of the important story arcs of those books addresses how the advanced human civilization covertly steers the development of those considered less advanced. Agents of humans are known as Progressors. At the same time, some humans suspect that a very advanced spacefaring race called Wanderers exists and is "progressing" humanity itself.
| English title | Russian title | Published in Russian | Published in English | Type of work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Beyond | Извне | 1958 | 1982 | novella |
| The Land of Crimson Clouds | Страна багровых туч | 1959 | N/A | novel |
| The Way to Amalthea (also known as Destination: Amaltheia) | Путь на Амальтею | 1960 | 1963 | novella |
| Полдень, XXII век | 1962 | 1978 | novel / collection of linked stories | |
| Space Apprentice (also known as Probationers, includes "The Gigantic Fluctuation" short story) | Стажеры | 1962 | 1981 | novel |
| Escape Attempt | Попытка к бегству | 1962 | 1982 | novella |
| Far Rainbow | Далёкая Радуга | 1963 | 1979 | novella |
| Hard to Be a God | Трудно быть богом | 1964 | 1973; 2014 | novel |
| Monday Begins on Saturday | Понедельник начинается в субботу | 1965 | 1977; 2017 | novel |
| The Final Circle of Paradise | Хищные вещи века | 1965 | 1976 | novel |
| Disquiet (initial variant of Snail on the Slope) | Беспокойство | 1990 (written 1965) | N/A | novella |
| Snail on the Slope | Улитка на склоне | 1966–68 (written 1965) | 1980; 2018 | novel |
| Ugly Swans (re-translated in English in 2020 and published as a nested novel with Lame Fate) | Гадкие лебеди (also known as Время дождя) | 1972 (written 1966–67) | 1972; 2020 | novel; nested novel |
| The Second Invasion from Mars (also known as The Second Martian Invasion) | Второе нашествие марсиан | 1967 | 1970 | novella |
| Tale of the Troika | Сказка о Тройке | 1968 | 1977 | novella |
| Prisoners of Power (also known as The Inhabited Island) | Обитаемый остров | 1969 | 1977; 2020 | novel |
| Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (also known as Inspector Glebsky's Puzzle) | Отель «У Погибшего Альпиниста» | 1970 | 1982, 2015 | novel |
| Space Mowgli | Малыш | 1971 | 1982 | novel |
| Roadside Picnic | Пикник на обочине | 1972 | 1977; 2012 | novel |
| The Kid from Hell | Парень из преисподней | 1974 | 1982 | novella |
| The Doomed City | Град обреченный | 1988–89 (written 1970–75) | 2016 | novel |
| One Billion Years to the End of the World (originally published in English under the title Definitely Maybe) | За миллиард лет до конца света | 1977 | 1978; 2014; 2020 | novella |
| Tale of Friendship and Non-friendship | Повесть о дружбе и недружбе | 1980 | 1988 | novelette |
| Beetle in the Anthill | Жук в муравейнике | 1980 | 1980 | novel |
| Lame Fate (translated into English in 2020 and published as a nested novel with Ugly Swans) | Хромая судьба | 1986 | 2020 | novel; nested novel |
| The Time Wanderers (also translated into English in 2023 and published under the title The Waves Extinguish The Wind) | Волны гасят ветер | 1986 | 1987 | novel |
| Overburdened with Evil | Отягощённые злом | 1988 | N/A | novel |
| English title | Russian title | Published in Russian | Published in English | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The White Cone of the Alaid | Белый конус Алаида | 1959 | 1968 | included in the novel as "Defeat" | |
| A Man from Pacifides | Человек из Пасифиды | 1962 | N/A | ||
| The Gigantic Fluctuation | Гигантская флуктуация | 1962 | 1973 | included in the novel Space Apprentice | |
| Wanderers and Travelers | О странствующих и путешествующих | 1963 | 1966 | included in the novel as Pilgrims and Wayfarers |
Short stories originally published in Six Matches:
| English title | Russian title | Published in Russian | Published in English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six Matches | Шесть спичек | 1958 | 1961 | |
| Spontaneous Reflex (also known as Initiative) | Спонтанный рефлекс | 1958 | 1959 | |
| Forgotten Experiment | Забытый эксперимент | 1959 | N/A | |
| The Examination of SCYBER | Испытание СКИБР | 1959 | N/A | |
| Special Assumptions | Частные предположения | 1959 | N/A | |
| An Emergency Case | Чрезвычайное происшествие | 1960 | 1966 |
Short stories originally published as part of the novel :
| English title | Russian title | Published in Russian | Published in English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night on Mars | Ночь в пустыне | 1960 | 1978 | |
| Almost the Same | Почти такие же | 1960 | 1978 | |
| Old-timer | Перестарок | 1961 | 1978 | |
| The Conspirators (short story) | Злоумышленники | 1962 | 1978 | |
| Chronicle | Хроника | 1961 | 1978 | |
| Two from the Taimyr | Двое с «Таймыра» | 1961 | 1978 | |
| The Moving Roads | Самодвижущиеся дороги | 1961 | 1978 | |
| Cornucopia | Скатерть-самобранка | 1961 | 1978 | |
| Homecoming | Возвращение (also known as Известные люди and Пациенты доктора Протоса) | 1962 | 1978 | |
| Langour of the Spirit | Томление духа | 1962 | 1978 | |
| The Assaultmen | Десантники | 1961 | 1978 | |
| Deep Search | Глубокий поиск | 1960 | 1978 | |
| Pilgrims and Wayfarers (also known as Wanderers and Travelers) | О странствующих и путешествующих | 1963 | 1978 | |
| The Planet with all the Conveniences | Благоустроенная планета | 1961 | 1978 | |
| The Mystery of the Hind Leg | Загадка задней ноги (a.k.a. Великий КРИ) | 1961 | 1978 | |
| Natural Science in the Spirit World | Естествознание в мире духов | 1962 | 1978 | |
| Candles Before the Control Board | Свечи перед пультом | 1961 | 1978 | |
| The Meeting | Свидание (a.k.a. Люди, люди...) | 1961 | 1978 | |
| What You Will Be Like | Какими вы будете | 1961 | 1978 |
| English title | Russian title | Published in Russian | Published in English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five Spoonfuls of Elixir: A Film Script | Пять ложек эликсира | 1983 | 1986 | |
| Without Weapons | Без оружия | 1989 | N/A | |
| Zhyds of St. Petersburg, or Melancholy Talks by Candlelight | Жиды города Питера, или Невесёлые беседы при свечах | 1990 | N/A |
The following titles were published by Arkady Strugatsky under the pseudonym S. Yaroslavtsev (C. Ярославцев):
| English title | Russian title | Published in Russian | Published in English | Type of work | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Expedition into Inferno | Экспедиция в преисподнюю | 1974 | N/A | novel | |
| The Details of Nikita Vorontsov's Life | Подробности жизни Никиты Воронцова | 1984 | 1989 | short story | |
| Devil Amongst People | Дьявол среди людей | 1991 | N/A | novella |
The following titles were published by Boris Strugatsky under the pseudonym S. Vititsky (С. Витицкий):
| English title | Russian title | Published in Russian | Published in English | Type of work | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search for Destiny or the Twenty Seventh Theorem of Ethics | Поиск предназначения, или Двадцать седьмая теорема этики | 1994 | N/A | novel | |
| The Powerless that be | Бессильные мира сего | 2003 | N/A | novel |
The Strugatsky's books were often adapted for screen, stage, comics, and video games. Some of the adaptations are very loose, like Tarkovsky's Stalker, some are not adaptations but rather new scripts written by the Brothers themselves, like The Sorcerers.
Several writers have to a varying degree paid their tribute to the works of Strugatsky brothers: