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Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

The two brothers Arkady (Арка́дий, ; August 28, 1925 – October 12, 1991) and Boris (Бори́с, ; born April 14, 1933) Strugatsky (Струга́цкий, ; alternate spelling: Strugatski, also Strugatskii) are Soviet Russian science fiction authors who collaborated on their fiction.

Life and work

The Strugatsky brothers (Бра́тья Струга́цкие), as they are usually called, became the best-known Soviet science fiction writers with a well developed fan base. Their early work was influenced by Ivan Yefremov. Their most famous novel Piknik na obochine has been translated into English as Roadside Picnic in 1977 and was filmed by Andrei Tarkovsky under the title Stalker.

Several other works have been translated into English, but did not receive even a fraction of the critical acclaim of Russian audiences. There are three chief factors responsible: first, that failings inevitably arise when an attempt is made to translate colloquial Russian into a language that does not very well support its grammatical structure; second, that a basic understanding of the rigid mindset promoted by the Stalinist regime is a prerequisite to being able to see the contrast and rejection of uniformity that is evident in every one of the Strugatskys' works; and finally, that much of the humor of works such as Monday Begins on Saturday comes from hundreds of years' worth of cultural and literary allusions.

It should be noted, however, that the Strugatsky brothers were and still are popular in many countries, including Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Germany, where most of their works were available in both East and West Germany.

The brothers were Guests of Honour at the 1987 World Science Fiction Convention, held in Brighton, England.

Noon Universe

Several of the books written by the Strugatskys take part in the same universe, known as The World of Noon; another unofficial and perhaps less-known title is the Wanderers Universe. The name derives from the title of one of their texts, Noon: 22nd Century. Among the main characteristics of Noon Universe are a very high level of social, scientific, and technological development, high creativity of the general population, and very significant increases in the level of societal maturity compared to either the modern world or any of those known to exist. For instance, this world knows no monetary stimulation (indeed, money does not exist), and every person is engaged in a profession that interests him or her. The Earth of Noon Universe is governed by a global technocratic council composed of the world's leading scientists and philosophers.

Noon Universe was described by the authors as the world in which they would like to live and work. It became highly influential for at least a generation of Soviet people, e.g. a person could speak with quotes from Strugatsky books sure of being understood. At first the authors thought of the Noon Universe to come into reality "by itself", then they realized that the only way to achieve it is inventing the High Theory of Upbringing, making upbringing of each person a unique deed.

One of the important story arcs of those books is how the advanced human civilization covertly steers the development of those considered less advanced. Agents of humans are known as Progressors. At the same time, some humans suspect that a very advanced spacefaring race called Wanderers exists and is 'progressing' humanity itself.

Works

Novels

English title	Russian title	Published in Russian	Published in English	Type of work
From Beyond	Извне	1958	1982	novella
The Land of Crimson Clouds	Страна багровых туч	1959	N/A	novel
The Way to Amalthea (aka Destination: Amalthea)	Путь на Амальтею	1960	1963	short novel
Noon: 22nd Century	Полдень, XXII век	1962	1978	novel / short story collection
Space Apprentice (aka Probationers, includes The Gigantic Fluctuation short story)	Стажеры	1962	1981	novel
Escape Attempt	Попытка к бегству	1962	1982	short novel
Far Rainbow	Далёкая Радуга	1963	1979	novel
Hard to Be a God	Трудно быть богом	1964	1973	novel
Monday Begins on Saturday	Понедельник начинается в субботу	1965	1977	novel
The Final Circle of Paradise	Хищные вещи века	1965	1976	novel
Disquiet (initial variant of Snail on the Slope)	Беспокойство	1990 (written 1965)	N/A	novel
Snail on the Slope	Улитка на склоне	1966-68 (written 1965)	1980	novel
The Ugly Swans	Гадкие лебеди (aka Время дождя)	1972 (written 1966-67)	1972	novel
The Second Invasion from Mars (aka The Second Martian Invasion)	Второе нашествие марсиан	1967	1970	novel
Tale of the Troika	Сказка о Тройке	1968	1977	novel
Prisoners of Power (aka The Inhabited Island)	Обитаемый остров	1969	1977	novel
Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (aka Inspector Glebsky's Puzzle)	Отель «У Погибшего Альпиниста»	1970	1982	novel
Space Mowgli	Малыш	1971	1982	novel
Roadside Picnic	Пикник на обочине	1972	1977	novel
The Kid from Hell	Парень из преисподней	1974	1982	novel
Definitely Maybe	За миллиард лет до конца света	1977	1978	novel
The Doomed City	Град обреченный	1988-89 (written 1970-75)	N/A	novel
Tale of Friendship and Non-friendship	Повесть о дружбе и недружбе	1980	N/A	novel
Beetle in the Anthill	Жук в муравейнике	1980	1980	novel
Limping Fate	Хромая судьба	1986	N/A	novel
The Time Wanderers	Волны гасят ветер	1986	1987	novel
Overburdened with Evil	Отягощённые злом	1988	N/A	novel

Short stories

English title	Russian title	Published in Russian	Published in English	Comments
The White Cone of the Alaid	Белый конус Алаида	1959	1968
The Mu Man	Человек из Пасифиды	1962	N/A
The Gigantic Fluctuation	Гигантская флюктуация	1962	1973	included in the novel Space Apprentice
Wanderers and Travelers	О странствующих и путешествующих	1963	1966	included in the novel Noon: 22nd Century as Pilgrims and Wayfarers

Short story collections

Short stories originally published in Six Matches:

English title	Russian title	Published in Russian	Published in English
Six Matches	Шесть спичек	1958	1961
Spontaneous Reflex (also known as Initiative)	Спонтанный рефлекс	1958	1959
Forgotten Experiment	Забытый эксперимент	1959	N/A
The Ordeal of SKIBR	Испытание СКИБР	1959	N/A
Special Assumptions	Частные предположения	1959	N/A
An Emergency Case	Чрезвычайное происшествие	1960	1966

Short stories originally published as part of the novel Noon: 22nd Century:

English title	Russian title	Published in Russian	Published in English
Night on Mars	Ночь в пустыне	1960	1978
Almost the Same	Почти такие же	1960	1978
Old-timer	Перестарок	1961	1978
The Conspirators	Злоумышленники	1962	1978
Chronicle	Хроника	1961	1978
Two from the Taimyr	Двое с «Таймыра»	1961	1978
The Moving Roads	Самодвижущиеся дороги	1961	1978
Cornucopia	Скатерть-самобранка	1961	1978
Homecoming	Возвращение (also known as Известные люди and Пациенты доктора Протоса	1962	1978
Langour of the Spirit	Томление духа	1962	1978
The Assaultmen	Десантники	1961	1978
Deep Search	Глубокий поиск (a.k.a. Моби Дик)	1960	1978
Pilgrims and Wayfarers (also known as Wanderers and Travelers)	О странствующих и путешествующих	1963	1978
The Planet with all the Conveniences	Благоустроенная планета	1961	1978
The Mystery of the Hind Leg	Загадка задней ноги (a.k.a. Великий КРИ)	1961	1978
Natural Science in the Spirit World	Естествознание в мире духов	1962	1978
Candles Before the Control Board	Свечи перед пультом	1961	1978
Defeat	Поражение	1960	1978
The Meeting	Свидание (a.k.a. Люди, люди...)	1961	1978
What You Will Be Like	Какими вы будете	1961	1978

Solo works

Following titles have been published by Arkady Strugatsky under the pseudonym S. Yaroslavtsev (C. Ярославцев):

English title	Russian title	Published in Russian	Published in English	Type of work
The Expedition in Purgatory	Экспедиция в преисподнюю	1974	N/A	novel
The Details of Nikita Vorontsov's Life	Подробности жизни Никиты Воронцова	1984	1989	novella
Devil Amongst People	Дьявол среди людей	1991	N/A	novel

Following titles have been published by Boris Strugatsky under the pseudonym S. Vititsky (С. Витицкий):

English title	Russian title	Published in Russian	Published in English	Type of work
Search for Designation or Twenty Seventh Theorem of Ethics	Поиск предназначения, или Двадцать седьмая теорема этики	1994	N/A	novel
The Powerless Ones of this World	Бессильные мира сего	2003	N/A	novel

Legacy

Several writers have to a varying degree paid their tribute to the works of Strugatsky brothers:

Sergey Lukyanenko in his duology The Stars Are Cold Toys has the main character visit a world that is in many aspects strikingly similar to Earth from Noon Universe but in truth is revealed to be fundamentally different and oppressive. On his website, Lukyanenko commented that he disagreed with Strugatsky's view on education and upbringing and conceived his duology partly as a polemic criticism of it.
The plot of Kir Bulychev's novella about Alice's adventures Vacations in Space, or the Planet Five-Four is based on finding a secret base of mysterious "Wanderers" (Странники), an extinct highly advanced civilization. He also depicted his own Zone in the story Save Galya!
In late 1990s, a three-volume collection of fiction by notable contemporary Russian science fiction authors, titled The Time of the Apprentices (Время учеников), was published with an endorsement of Boris Strugatsky. Each piece in the collection was a sequel to one of Strugatskys' books.

The asteroid 3054 Strugatskia, discovered in 1977 was named after the Strugatsky brothers.

Soviet film Charodey (1982) is loosely based on the novel Monday Begins on Saturday.