Social science fiction in Poland

traces the roots of this phenomenon to the popularity of Latin American literature in Poland during the 1970s, which began with the publication of Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar in 1968. This unique cult made it possible to talk about politics without falling into journalism. According to , the Polish reader received a literary statement that commented on their non-textual experience – somewhat substitutive, as it did not fit specifically into Polish realities, although it universalized the totalitarian experience, enabling Polish audiences to see parallels to their native reality. The ambitious prose presented there had a strong influence on the writers publishing at that time. Mazurkiewicz cites Rafał Ziemkiewicz's opinion that ''the introduction of the concept of fantasy, identified with metaphor and a means of artistic expression, to the Polish reader in the pages of 'Steps into the Unknown' had a strong impact on the writers publishing at that time, which resulted in the search for a new concept of social fantasy that metaphorically described the present. However, these actions had the opposite effect: the young writers, whose debuts were thus made easier, began to create on their own account, ignoring the enlightened advice of their mentors''. The first signal of changes in Polish fantasy was the publication of the anthology Wołanie na Mlecznej Drodze ('') in 1976, where it turned out that the debutants had a critical attitude towards convention, old themes, were distrustful of technology, and contested optimistic visions of the world [...] and scientific motivation clearly loosened. Previously, a significant event in Polish fantasy of the early 1970s was the debut of Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg with (1973), in which the author focused on the issue of the essence of humanity in a technicized world''. as well as older generation creators known until then for writing hard science fiction: Adam Hollanek, Konrad Fiałkowski, and Krzysztof Boruń. == Issues ==

At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, there was a quantitative and qualitative boom in Polish science fiction. Andrzej Niewiadowski writes that essentially, after 1976, almost all Polish SF became prose of a sociological nature. thereby drawing attention to phenomena that troubled readers while pretending to depict a distant future, thus staying on the fringes of censorship interest. Ziemkiewicz assessed that Polish SF creators did not focus on creating models of new social solutions (as in Western science fiction) but on formulating warnings against the degeneration of existing models. Janusz Zajdel said: == Selected works of Polish social science fiction ==

• Edmund Wnuk-Lipiński: Apostezjon Trilogy – Wir pamięci ('', 1979), Rozpad połowiczny (, 1988), Mord założycielski ('', 1989); • , : Obszar nieciągłości ('''', 1979); • Janusz Zajdel: ''Van Troff's Cylinder (1980), Limes inferior (1982), Wyjście z cienia (, 1983), Cała prawda o planecie Ksi (The Complete Truth About Planet Xi, 1983), Paradyzja'' (1984); • Marek Oramus: Senni zwycięzcy ('', 1982), Dzień drogi do Meorii ('', 1990); • Wiktor Żwikiewicz: Druga jesień ('''', 1982); • Maciej Parowski: Twarzą ku ziemi ('''', 1982); • : Miliardy białych płatków ('''', 1983); • Andrzej Ziemiański: Daimonion (short stories, 1985), Wojny urojone (Imaginary Wars, 1987), Bramy strachu (Gates of Fear, 1990); • Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz: Władca szczurów (Lord of the Rats, short stories, 1987). The first published work in this subgenre of science fiction is considered to be Edmund Wnuk-Lipiński's Wir pamięci, released in 1979. However, the novels by Janusz Zajdel gained the most recognition and popularity. Critics believe that Marek Oramus' novel Dzień drogi do Meorii from 1990 marks the symbolic closure of this trend in Polish science fiction. Almost all of these novels were published long after their creation. This delay was partly due to the cultural policies of the authorities following the declaration of martial law in Poland. In 1982, to alleviate public discontent, the government decided to release many previously withheld works (including mainstream literature like Jerzy Andrzejewski's Miazga ('') and, after years of efforts, allowed the publication of the magazine Fantastyka. Druga jesień, a novel completed in 1977, was published five years later. Senni zwycięscy, written between 1976 and 1978, was released four years later. Twarzą ku ziemi'', completed in 1979, was published after three years. == See also ==