Janusz Andrzej Zajdel (15 August 1938 – 19 July 1985) was a Polishscience fiction author, second in popularity in Poland to Stanisław Lem.[1][2] His major genres were social science fiction and dystopia. His main recurring theme involved the gloomy prospects for a space environment into which mankind carried totalitarian ideas and habits: Red Space Republics, or Space Labor Camps, or both. His heroes desperately try to find meaning in the world around them.
In his spare time, he popularized science by writing science fiction.[2] With his brother, he started a column in a Polish magazine for young people interested in science and engineering, Młody Technik [pl] (Young Technician), in which they proposed various futuristic gadgets.[2] In 1961 Młody Technik published Zajdel's science-fiction debut, the short story "Tau Ceti" (Polish: Tau Wieloryba).[2] Other stories by him soon appeared in several other Polish magazines.[2]
His first book was published in 1965, a short-story anthology, Jad mantezji (The Venom of Mantesia), which included stories from Młody Technik and some others that had already appeared a year earlier in another anthology.[1][2] By 1982 he had published four more collections: Przejście przez lustro (Through the Mirror, 1975); Iluzyt (1976); Feniks (The Phoenix, 1981); and Ogon diabła (The Devil's Tail, 1982).[4]
On 19 July 1985 he died of lung cancer, after three years' struggle against the disease.[1][2]
Themes
Zajdel's early works, from the 1960s and early 1970s, focuses on scientific inventions and their role in space exploration, alien contact or artificial intelligence.[2][4] As his writing career continued, however, his stories evolved to focus on the social aspects and often negative consequences of those inventions.[2] Over time, a theme became increasingly visible in his works - a concern over dangers inherent in attempts to control the human society.[2] He is also condemning human ignorance, warning against xenophobia, and asking philosophical questions about the nature of the universe, happiness and human destiny.[2] Zajdel's works from his second period - late 1970s and 1980s - and represent the genres of social and dystopian fiction.[2] In his works, he envisions totalitarian states and societies living under extreme forms of mass surveillance.[2]
His works are also recognized as being a critique of the totalitarian, communist state, a reality of his life in People's Republic of Poland. Science fiction genre, with its outer-worldly, clearly fictional, and often allegorical setting and invented jargon was able to debate fundamentals of such systems with frankness that more mainstream literature would not be allowed to.[2]
Importance
Zajdel has been described as the second science fiction writer in popularity in Poland after Stanisław Lem.[5] He has also been described as the writer who replaced Lem as the "top Polish SF writer", after "Lem vacated [this position] earlier of his own volition".[6]
He is recognized as an originator of the social science fiction genre in Polish science fiction, known in Poland as the sociological speculative fiction (fantastyka socjologiczna).[2][4][7] He has been an inspiration to a number of younger Polish science fiction authors such as Maciej Parowski and Marek Oramus.[2]
His works have been translated into Belarusian, Bulgarian, Czech, Esperanto, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Russian and Slovenian.[4] As of August 2015[update], the only work translated into English is the short story Wyjątkowo trudny teren ("Particularly Difficult Territory") that Zajdel wrote for the English language Tales from the Planet Earth anthology edited by Frederik Pohl and Elizabeth Anne Hull.[4]
Recognition
In 1973 Zajdel received an honorary award Magnum Trophaeum from the Młody Technik (Young Technician) magazine for long-term cooperation.[8] In 1980 Zajdel received the Polish Ministry of Culture and Arts Best SF Book of the Year Award for Van Troff's Cylinder.[9] Zajdel also received the Golden Sepulka Award two times: for Limes Inferior (1982 novel; 1983 award) and Wyjście z cienia ("Out of the Shadow") (1983 novel; 1984 award).[2] He was awarded the Medal of Merit for National Defence for his educational film scripts. Winner of Śląkfa for 1984.[3]
In 1984 Polish fantasy and science fiction fandom (associated with the Polish SF convention Polcon) decided to establish an annual award, initially named Sfinks ("Sphynx"). Janusz A. Zajdel became the first winner of this award, for his 1984 novel Paradyzja. He won the award posthumously in 1985, shortly after his death, at which time it was decided to rename the award after him, and it became known as the Janusz A. Zajdel Award.[2][10]
In addition to the solo-authored works listed below, Zajdel's stories have also appeared in many anthologies of science-fiction stories, together with works by other authors.[2]
^ abcMaria Kotowska-Katel (2004). "Zajdel Janusz Andrzej". Współcześni polscy pisarze i badacze literatury. Słownik biobiliograficzny (in Polish). Vol. 9. Warszawa: Instytut Badań Literackich PAN. pp. 360–361. ISBN83-02-05444-5.
^"Janusz Andrzej Zajdel". Culture.pl. Retrieved 8 October 2014. Uważany za czołowego, obok Stanisława Lema, twórcę polskiej literatury fantastycznonaukowej [Considered a leading, next to Stanisław Lem, creator of Polish science fiction literature]
^Elżbieta Gepfert; Grzegorz Kozubski; Piotr W. Cholewa (2000). Anthology: chosen by fate : Zajdel award winners. Śląski Klub Fantastyki. p. 8. ISBN978-83-7054-142-2. Over the next years came a series of Zajdel novels which elevated him to the top place among Polish SF writers, a position Stanislaw Lem had vacated earlier of his own volition
^"Janusz A. Zajdel" (in Polish). Nagroda im. Janusza A. Zajdla. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
^Janusz A. Zajdel, List Pożegnalny, 1989, ISBN8370011896, p. 6.
^Robert Klementowski, "Modelowe boksowanie ze światem: polska literatura fantastyczna na przełomie lat 70. i 80", 2003, ISBN8373226087, p. 124