Bertil Mårtensson
Encyclopedia
Bertil Mårtensson is a Swedish author of science fiction
, crime fiction and fantasy
and also an academic philosopher. In this capacity he has been assistant professor in Umeå university
, where he was also Chair of the department 1988-93, and in Lund
.
Since his youth, Mårtensson has written mainly science fiction
short stories
and novel
s, and a lengthy fantasy
work in three volumes published in 1979–83 and in a revised edition in 1997.
His work has in style and themes been compared by Swedish critics to those of Clifford D. Simak
, Theodore Sturgeon
, Arabian Nights and J. R. R. Tolkien
. The Scandinavian flavour has also been emphasized. Those familiar with the Scandinavian type of troll as in Ibsen & Grieg's Peer Gynt
with In the Hall of the Mountain King
or the trolls of John Bauer will feel at home in his fantasy series, it has been said.
He began his career as a highly active science fiction
fan
, co-editing Science Fiction Forum with John-Henri Holmberg
and Mats Linder in the sixties, and later himself in the nineties. He has also contributed many short stories and articles to Swedish science fiction fanzine
s, and been Guest of Honor at several national science fiction conventions.
His first novel, Detta är verkligheten ("This is reality"), was awarded at the Paneuropean convention in Trieste in 1972, and has been translated into Danish and Czech (in the previous Czechoslovakia). He has since published a series of science fiction, science fantasy and fantasy novels, and also published science fiction stories in English, German, French, Danish, Spanish, Italian, and perhaps more (see below for some references). Mårtensson also wrote four police procedural crime novels in the late 1970s, the second of which was awarded the Sherlock Award for best Swedish crime novel of 1977.
As a philosopher, he has published a textbook of formal logic
and an introduction to the philosophy of science
and is working on an epistemological essay. His main interests lie in cognition
, concept-formation, and the growth of knowledge
as in the sciences. He is Associate Professor (now retired) at Lund University
.
He is still writing fiction, having published essays about science fiction recently and some short stories, but new novels have been mentioned to be in the make.
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...
, crime fiction and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and also an academic philosopher. In this capacity he has been assistant professor in Umeå university
Umeå University
Umeå University is a university in Umeå in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present borders....
, where he was also Chair of the department 1988-93, and in Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
.
Since his youth, Mårtensson has written mainly 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...
short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
and novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, and a lengthy fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
work in three volumes published in 1979–83 and in a revised edition in 1997.
His work has in style and themes been compared by Swedish critics to those of Clifford D. Simak
Clifford D. Simak
Clifford Donald Simak was an American science fiction writer. He was honored by fans with three Hugo awards and by colleagues with one Nebula award and was named the third Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1977.-Biography:Clifford Donald Simak was born in...
, Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...
, Arabian Nights and J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
. The Scandinavian flavour has also been emphasized. Those familiar with the Scandinavian type of troll as in Ibsen & Grieg's Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
with In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876....
or the trolls of John Bauer will feel at home in his fantasy series, it has been said.
He began his career as a highly active 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...
fan
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
, co-editing Science Fiction Forum with John-Henri Holmberg
John-Henri Holmberg
John-Henri Bertilson Holmberg is a Swedish author, critic, publisher and translator, and a well-known science fiction fan. In the early 1960s he edited Science fiction Forum with Bertil Mårtensson and Mats Linder and published over 200 science fiction fanzines of his own, in addition to his...
and Mats Linder in the sixties, and later himself in the nineties. He has also contributed many short stories and articles to Swedish science fiction fanzine
Science fiction fanzine
A science fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of science fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day...
s, and been Guest of Honor at several national science fiction conventions.
His first novel, Detta är verkligheten ("This is reality"), was awarded at the Paneuropean convention in Trieste in 1972, and has been translated into Danish and Czech (in the previous Czechoslovakia). He has since published a series of science fiction, science fantasy and fantasy novels, and also published science fiction stories in English, German, French, Danish, Spanish, Italian, and perhaps more (see below for some references). Mårtensson also wrote four police procedural crime novels in the late 1970s, the second of which was awarded the Sherlock Award for best Swedish crime novel of 1977.
As a philosopher, he has published a textbook of formal logic
Formal logic
Classical or traditional system of determining the validity or invalidity of a conclusion deduced from two or more statements...
and an introduction to the philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
and is working on an epistemological essay. His main interests lie in cognition
Cognition
In science, cognition refers to mental processes. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. Cognition is studied in various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science...
, concept-formation, and the growth of knowledge
The growth of knowledge
A term coined by Karl Popper in his famous work The Logic of Scientific Discovery to denote what he regarded as the main problem of methodology and the philosophy of science, i.e. to explain and promote the further growth of scientific knowledge. To this purpose, Popper advocated his theory of...
as in the sciences. He is Associate Professor (now retired) at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
.
He is still writing fiction, having published essays about science fiction recently and some short stories, but new novels have been mentioned to be in the make.
Books
- Detta är verkligheten, Bonniers Sept 1968.
- Skeppet i Kambrium, AoK 1974.
- Samarkand 5617, Bokád 1975.
- Adolf och javamännens gåta, Bokád 1976.
- Mah-jongmorden, Bokad 1976.
- Jungfrulig Planet, Bokád 1977.
- Växande hot, Bokad 1977 (Sherlock-award 1977).
- Mordet på dr Faust, Bokád 1978.
- Sadisterna, Bokád 1979.
- Deral Bågskytt, SFSF 1979.
- Vakthundarna (poetry), SFSF 1979.
- Vilse (short stories, with Steve Sem-Sandberg), SFSF 1979.
- Maktens Vägar: Vägen Bort, Bokád 1979. Revised 1997, Replik.
- Maktens Vägar: Vägen tillbaka, Bokád 1980. Revised 1997, Replik.
- Maktens Vägar: Vägen ut, Anmans 1983. Revised 1997, Replik.
- Kontrakt med döden, Settern 1985.
- Förvandlas (short stories), Ellerströms 1986.
- Det gyllene språnget, Nyströms 1987.
- Vingmästarens dotter, Wiken, 1992.
Electronic publications for those who read Swedish/Scandinavian languages
- Maktens Vägar (the complete fantasy trilogy, in Swedish) published through http://www.elib.se
- Samarkand 5617 (read in Swedish by Cecilia Wetterström) Wela Förlag, mp3-book, http://www.elib.se
- Växande Hot (Crime/police novel, also in Swedish) published through http://www.elib.se
Publications in English
- A Modest Proposal (Hilary Bailey & Charles Platt (eds): New Worlds 7, Sphere Books 1974)
- In orbit, poem, Riverside Quarterly vol 2 no 2 June 1966)
- Myxomatosis Forte (in Brian Aldiss and Sam J. Lundwall (eds): The Penguin World Omnibus of Science Fiction, Penguin Books 1986.)
- The Fifth Time Out (in Richard D. Nolane (ed): Terra SF, The Year's Best European SF, Daw Books 1981.)
Some non-English publications
- Verdener Uden Graense (Danish tr. by Jannick Storm), Hasselbalchs May 1968. (The first novel)
- Světy bez hranic, tr. Ivo Zelezny, Albatros Praha 1982 (2 printings) (The first novel)
- Androiden denken nicht (Herbert W. Franke (ed): Kontinuum 2, Ullstein Buch April 1986)
- Danse de mort (Antares 24)
- Il vecchio e la tempesta (I Romanzi del Cosmo Fantascienza, N. 195, Settem 1966.)
- L'arche des ombres (Antares 26)
- La mort du Grangorn le Terrible (Antares 3)
- La Tempête (Fiction No 296, Décembre 1978)
- Le Cinquième Voyage (Fiction No. 303, Juillet-août 1979)
- Les androides ne pensent pas (Antares 11)
- Les cathédrales volantes (Nouvelles du Nord Numero 8, also in Antares vol 6
- Otázka (Světová literatura 1981 1)
- Rock 'n Roll et Martiens (Antares 16)