Optron #38 18 августа 2000

Opinion - the views of experts on the genre of fantasy.

  From the Editor


  Here we give you the views of experts on the genre of fantasy.


  Boris Strugatsky:

  - Fantasy is part of the literature, this
artistic technique that is used to make the visual narrative, 
reinforcing the act of empathy, which allows to consider

problems that are not available, "home" literature.

  Sci-Fi stands on the three elephants: MIRACLE -
MYSTERY - CREDIBILITY. MIRACLE - is actually a fantastic 
element, introduced in narrative. THE SECRET - a way of 
presenting information, is the carrot that leads the reader 
from page to page and does not allow him postpone the book. 
INTEGRITY - the main one elephants, it's real life INSIDE THE 
BOOKS something without which the novel turns into escapist 
talk. 


  Kir Bulychev:

  - The principal difference between fiction and English is our
very approach. For us, everything that relates
by tomorrow, otherwise the planets and galaxies, worlds, 
parallel, perpendicular and diagonal, every miracle and every 
tall tale is a continuation and development of our present day. 

  Americans perceive fiction
primarily as escapist literature, and for this they are 
building an alternate reality. Neither the author nor the 
reader does not perceive it as a variant of the current events. 

  We have a dragon - it's definitely building manager,
General Doe, and then take it higher ...

  Dragon in them - just imagine living on a planet X or in the 
distant past and is engaged in dragon ugliness. And no one sees 
in it a hint of the President. 

  American novel sends the reader into
COMPLETELY fictional exotic world, with
this necessarily leading him up to date and
explaining the rules of another game: why,
For example, the Blue Dragon can not tolerate
White Princess, etc.

  And ours - full of analogies with our
damn reality, requiring
understanding of our reality, history and geography: The 
authors respect the reader and do not chew it then, how he 
should get his mind.



  Vyacheslav Rybakov:

  - It does not matter how the author constructs the world. Or 
with the assistance of scientific, technological and social 
progress, or description of the world, branch out from our in

a key moment, transferring
action on another planet or in a parallel world. It's just a 
selection of the author, which is easier - to create a world 
where he intends to pursue its strategic operations. A reader 
with even more still, as there was peace, because it is 
important people inhabit this world, even if these people

are the three heads and seven legs.

  The alternative - an attractive or repulsive - the world was 
now extremely easy to use, precisely because the coming of any 
bright future through the ongoing development of our present 
nobody believes. Alternative world as it flatly rejects the 
existing reality, our disgusting "today."



  Andrei Stolyarov:

  - Basic principles of commercial fiction - lightweight story, 
ignoring the reality and the pursuit of pure logical, rather 
than artistic originality ... 

  If the SF fantastic assumption is introduced to describe the 
world outside the will of the author, that in fantasy magic is 
not introduced, and already exists: not "see what happens

if ...", and "... the world is so built." Good
the author draws from fantasy is the same as Strugatskie do 
with SF: they were writing fiction, realistic, accurate both in 
domestic detail, and psychologically. 


  Roger Zelazny:

  - If the plot contains a "supernatural", it should be 
regarded as fantasy. If there is an indication that the

improbable can be explained in
terms of modern knowledge (or some extension), then this is SF. 
And in SF, and in fantasy, we use curved mirror,

but despite this, it somehow reflects the fact that before it 
is placed. A special advantage of curved mirrors - in fact, 
that it emphasizes those aspects fact that the author wants to 
emphasize - the fact that most closely to the satire in the 
classic sense - and it turns fantasy into a special way of 
expression about the modern world.


  Fantasy takes its assumptions in
unknown, but then it is processed
the author is quite rational. I am quite
I can not imagine a really good story, where there is either 
only to pure fantasy, or just SF. When I

I write, I mix them. The result is some sort illegitimate 
"science fantasy "...


  In 30th years in the U.S. dominated "adventure" fiction. In 
the 50th - "solid" SF. Then interest shifted from the technical 
to the sociological and political areas. And with the 70th we 
see the large tree fantasy, which describes in detail the case 
of gods, warriors, wizards, and, as in the case of Tolkien 
takes the form of a substitute for the Bible. We worked hard 
science fiction and kontsekontsov got her back to the 
mythological beginning. 


  Andrzej Sapkowski:

  - Between SF and fantasy there is no difference
- It all depends on what kind of associative
has developed a number of the writer. But in the fantasy is
very dangerous moment. It begs and visualization - the dragon 
blood, naked woman: nude woman - it's beautiful! But since you 
can not write this blunder. Literature - not video, it can not 
be taken eyes. You can not write, you see, it is necessary

write how you feel.


  Greg Bear:

  - Science Fiction - this whole movement, with
its own philosophy, its own
approach. Since its inception,
it was part of our community ...

  On the fantasy is sometimes referred to as the "quest
fiction ", but this is absolutely untrue. Fantasy picks up 
themes that have existed since ancient times and will never 
disappear ... 

  Fantasy can be just as informative and glamorous, like any 
other view of literature. But she was not able to investigate 
the specifics of the modern world. She talks about the 
so-called "Universal concepts" ... Maturation of personality - 
that's what I Like a fantasy. This is the artistry and 
craftsmanship - reliably describe character development in the 
world does not seem to our own ...


  "The Hobbit" - the perfect book, but at the same
while the old-fashioned, but something even harmful. First, it 
creates some "evil" People who just wants to destroy

Is not the whole universe, and then, of course,
the triumph of good. All this - a direct legacy of Wagner. 
Wagner's approach - the "good" and "evil" people and creatures 
- has led to One of the biggest disasters in the XX century.

Never before was not aimed to destroy entire nations just 
because they not like someone we would like. On the conscience, 
for example, Stalin more lives than Hitler killed, but this was 
the approach namely Hitler - create an entire infrastructure of 
an entire branch of the economy, tied for murder.


  Tolkien wrote about good and evil, as if
is someone raised and forever immutable
concepts. A long, long ago and thought,
In my opinion, quite a izzhivshaya. Yes,
a range of concepts, which are normal
modern man can say that here
it - bad, it's - not bad, but it's - well. But the approach, 
forcing considered bad whole groups of people, we should 
discard, forget, bury! 


  Vladimir Vysotsky:

  - Try it, having captured

  Still warm with the sword

  And putting on his armor,

  What is how much that how much!

  If the path cutting through his father's sword,

  You salty tears into their heads wound,

  If in a hot battle tested, how much that -

  Hence, the necessary books you read as a child!