Alexander Beliaev
Encyclopedia
Alexander Romanovich Belyayev was a Russia
n and Soviet author
of science fiction
. His body of work from the 1920s and 1930s made him a highly regarded figure in Soviet
science fiction. Belyaev's published works include Professor Dowell's Head, Amphibian Man
, Ariel, and The Star KETs (KETs are the initials of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky
), The Air Seller, and many more.
, at the age of 30 Alexander became ill with tuberculosis
. Treatment was unsuccessful; the infection spread to his spine and resulted in paralysis
of the legs. Belyayev suffered constant pain and was paralysed for six years. In search for the right treatment he moved to Yalta
together with his mother and old nanny. During his convalescence, he read the work of Jules Verne
, H. G. Wells
, and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
, and began to write poetry in his hospital bed.
By 1922 he had overcome the disease and in 1923 returned to Moscow
where he began his serious literary activity as writer of science fiction novels. In 1925 his first novel, Professor Dowell's Head (Голова Профессора Доуэля) was published. From 1931 he lived in Leningrad with his wife and oldest daughter; his youngest daughter died of meningitis in 1930, aged six. In Leningrad he met H. G. Wells, who visited the USSR in 1934.
In the last years of his life Belyaev lived in the Leningrad
suburb of Pushkin
(formerly Tsarskoye Selo
). At the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union during Second World War he refused to evacuate because he was recovering after an operation that he had undergone a few months earlier.
Belyayev died of starvation in the Soviet town of Pushkin in 1942 while it was occupied by the Nazis
. His wife and daughter, who managed to survive, were taken away to Poland
by the Nazis.
The exact location of his grave is unknown. A memorial stone at the Kazanskoe cemetery in the town of Pushkin is placed on the mass grave where his body is assumed to be buried.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and Soviet author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. His body of work from the 1920s and 1930s made him a highly regarded figure in Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
science fiction. Belyaev's published works include Professor Dowell's Head, Amphibian Man
Amphibian Man
Amphibian Man is perhaps the best-known novel by Alexander Beliaev, a Soviet Russian science fiction writer. It was published in 1928.The book tells a story of a young man named Ichtiandr who as a child received a life-saving transplant - a set of shark gills...
, Ariel, and The Star KETs (KETs are the initials of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was an Imperial Russian and Soviet rocket scientist and pioneer of the astronautic theory. Along with his followers the German Hermann Oberth and the American Robert H. Goddard, he is considered to be one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics...
), The Air Seller, and many more.
Biography
Born in SmolenskSmolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, at the age of 30 Alexander became ill with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Treatment was unsuccessful; the infection spread to his spine and resulted in paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
of the legs. Belyayev suffered constant pain and was paralysed for six years. In search for the right treatment he moved to Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
together with his mother and old nanny. During his convalescence, he read the work of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
, H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
, and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was an Imperial Russian and Soviet rocket scientist and pioneer of the astronautic theory. Along with his followers the German Hermann Oberth and the American Robert H. Goddard, he is considered to be one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics...
, and began to write poetry in his hospital bed.
By 1922 he had overcome the disease and in 1923 returned to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
where he began his serious literary activity as writer of science fiction novels. In 1925 his first novel, Professor Dowell's Head (Голова Профессора Доуэля) was published. From 1931 he lived in Leningrad with his wife and oldest daughter; his youngest daughter died of meningitis in 1930, aged six. In Leningrad he met H. G. Wells, who visited the USSR in 1934.
In the last years of his life Belyaev lived in the Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
suburb of Pushkin
Pushkin (town)
Pushkin is a municipal town in Pushkinsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located south from the center of St. Petersburg proper, and its train station, Detskoye Selo, is directly connected by railway to the Vitebsky Rail Terminal of the city...
(formerly Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo is the town containing a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.-History:In...
). At the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union during Second World War he refused to evacuate because he was recovering after an operation that he had undergone a few months earlier.
Belyayev died of starvation in the Soviet town of Pushkin in 1942 while it was occupied by the Nazis
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. His wife and daughter, who managed to survive, were taken away to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by the Nazis.
The exact location of his grave is unknown. A memorial stone at the Kazanskoe cemetery in the town of Pushkin is placed on the mass grave where his body is assumed to be buried.
Selected novels
- Professor Dowell's head (Голова Профессора Доуэля, 1925)(1979), New York, Macmillan, 1980. ISBN 0-02-508370-8
- The Lord of the World (Властелин мира, 1926)
- The Island of Crushed Ships (Остров Погибших Кораблей,1926)
- The Amphibian ManAmphibian ManAmphibian Man is perhaps the best-known novel by Alexander Beliaev, a Soviet Russian science fiction writer. It was published in 1928.The book tells a story of a young man named Ichtiandr who as a child received a life-saving transplant - a set of shark gills...
(Человек-Амфибия, 1928), Moscow, Raduga Publisher, 1986. ISBN 5-05-000659-7 - The Last Man from Atlantis (Последний Человек из Атлантиды, 1926)
- Battle in the Ether (Борьба в Эфире, 1928)
- Eternal Bread (Вечный Хлеб, 1928)
- The Man Who Lost His Face (Человек, Потерявший Своё Лицо, 1929)
- Air Trader (Продавец Воздуха, 1929)
- Jump into the Void (Прыжок в Ничто, 1933)
- KEZ Star (Звезда КЭЦKonstantin TsiolkovskyKonstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was an Imperial Russian and Soviet rocket scientist and pioneer of the astronautic theory. Along with his followers the German Hermann Oberth and the American Robert H. Goddard, he is considered to be one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics...
, 1936) - The W Lab (Лаборатория Дубльвэ, 1938)
- Ariel (Ариэль, 1941)