Writer Belyaev. Belyaev Alexander Romanovich

“Science fiction, if it is truly scientific, does not lose touch with the real world. After all, one of the tasks of our science fiction is to show what does not yet exist as already existing.”

Alexander Romanovich Belyaev

Science fiction writer Alexander Belyaev, on whose books more than one generation of young romantics grew up, painted the distant future with the power of his imagination. But this fantasy was not abstract, it was visionary. Otherwise, how can one explain that out of fifty scientific predictions in his books, only three are considered unviable? What he wrote almost 100 years ago was fantasy, but in our time it is already a reality.

The creative heritage of Belyaev, who began writing fiction at almost 40 years old, comprises more than 70 science fiction and adventure works. Apparently, Alexander Belyaev drew many of his fantastic ideas from the works of Lomonosov, Pavlov, Mendeleev, and Tsiolkovsky. And then, building a fascinating plot around them, and wrapping it in an exciting literary form, created real masterpieces. This idea is suggested by the fact that his literary works contain detailed essays about these great Russian scientists, which means he studied them.

Alexander Belyaev is a science fiction writer and a teenage idol.

IN Soviet time it was difficult to find boys and even girls who would not read the works of Alexander Belyaev. They were retold admiringly, and after reading one book, you were doomed to read them all, because the writer knew how to ignite children's curiosity to the extreme with unusually fascinating plots and unprecedented flights of fantasy. As quickly as Alexander Belyaev himself wrote books - easily and drunkenly, they were read in one breath.

This applies equally to all of his novels. The classics of Soviet science fiction: the geographical adventure novel “The Island of Lost Ships,” the romantic “Amphibian Man” and the creepy “The Head of Professor Dowell” were even appreciated by Belyaev’s idol, the English science fiction writer. When they met in Leningrad in 1934, Wells said that he had enjoyed reading his wonderful novels. They were written in the second half of the 20s, when, having partially overcome the cruel illness that confined him to bed, Belyaev, yearning for a pen, tried his hand at science fiction.

All life is a struggle...

These words, most accurately, refer to Alexander Belyaev. His life cannot be called a holiday, although he always strived for it. He was born with an artistic soul, and it often led him against the tide of life. For this, obviously, life rewarded Alexander with cuffs and slaps.

Was born future writer in the family of a priest on March 16, 1884 in provincial Smolensk, but did not continue his father’s work, although he graduated from theological seminary. From the age of 17, against the will of his father, he went his own way: he studied at the legal lyceum in order to receive higher education, and at the same time plays in the theater, enjoys music and painting, and participates in public life.

Since childhood, fascinated by Jules Verne and Welles, Alexander dreams of adventure and travel. The dream comes true when he begins to work as a sworn attorney, and at the same time engage in journalism and theatrical activities. The fees allow him to finally visit Europe and travel around it for several months. 1913 was the best year in Belyaev’s life: he was young, handsome, healthy, smartly dressed, full of impressions after traveling, dreaming of the future.

There is a whole life ahead and tempting prospects in a theatrical career. But the war of 1914 makes its own adjustments to these prospects. I have to leave the theater and law practice. His second hobby, journalism, helps him out; he works as editor of the Smolensky Vestnik magazine. The next year, 1915, becomes a sad starting point in Belyaev’s life.

Due to medical error, during the puncture of the pleura, a dorsal vertebra was hit. As a result of the infection, bone tuberculosis began to develop. An ambitious young man's life changes forever overnight. His weak back, damaged in his youth by a risky jump with an umbrella, cannot withstand the blow of a new disease. She puts Belyaev to bed for 6 long years.

This is where his troubles begin, and this is where Alexander Belyaev, a science fiction writer, begins. Treatment in the warm climate of Crimea takes place during the turbulent period of revolution and civil war. Yalta is seething and seething, and he lies motionless, in a cast, almost without a livelihood, but with a thirst for life. His legs are paralyzed, and he dreams that he flies.

While fighting the disease, he studies medicine, biology, foreign languages, and history. Provides him with the necessary books future wife Margarita Magnushevskaya, local library employee. If earlier Alexander Belyaev wrote only theatrical articles, essays, reviews for magazines, now, while lying down, he composes stories where main character adventures he himself, and where he has incredible super abilities to fly, swim, and transmit thoughts at a distance.

He overcomes the disease, and leaves Crimea with his young wife in 1923, a different person. Working as a legal consultant in Moscow does not prevent him from writing and publishing science fiction novels and short stories in magazines. After moving to Leningrad in 1928, Belyaev studied literature professionally, but the damp climate was harmful to his health and periodically knocked him out of his working rut.

The short period of life in sunny Kyiv in 1930, where the writer hoped to improve his health, was full of troubles and sorrows. Their eldest 6-year-old daughter dies of meningitis, and their youngest daughter falls ill with severe rickets. Belyaev’s own illness also worsened. He cannot publish his works in Kyiv in Russian; translations are expensive. The return to Leningrad was final, and the city of Pushkin became his last place of residence.

Fate or the rarest paradox?

After getting acquainted with Belyaev’s biography, the feeling of the presence of a series of paradoxes in it does not leave. Judge for yourself.

He grew up in an unusually religious family of a priest, and read Jules Verne and Wells.
He graduated from theological seminary, but served not in the church, but in the theater.
He dreamed of traveling, but from his youth he was bedridden.
During the cruel Stalin years, few famous people escaped from undeserved reprisals for a carelessly spoken word, and the works of Alexander Belyaev, in particular, are harsh critical articles, such as “Cinderella. About science fiction in our literature”, go unnoticed or are perceived favorably.
Alexander Belyaev is a science fiction writer known throughout the world, but no one knows exactly where his grave is. During the war, after the operation, he had to stay with his family in the occupation in Pushkino, and die in January 1942 from hunger and frost. His wife and daughter did not have time to bury him because the Germans hijacked them. Buried in a common grave.

Such is the chain of accidents that has made up an entire life. Even Belyaev’s illness is links in one chain. If not for the illness, perhaps Belyaev would have remained in his native Smolensk, continuing his unloved work as a lawyer, which fed him well, and for his soul he would have played small roles in the local theater and written theater reviews and reviews. If it were not for treatment in Crimea, he would not have met such a faithful wife, who became a support in his difficult life.

His young and healthy man was betrayed by his two previous companions, and all his life Margarita was not only his nurse, but also his secretary, typist, and proofreader. After German captivity and 11 years of exile in Altai, she and her daughter Svetlana finally returned to Pushkino. She outlived her husband by 40 years, but due to a strange coincidence, she was never able to take advantage of the results of his rich creative heritage, to which she was most directly related.

In just 15 years of his writing, almost constantly in a hospital bed, Belyaev penetrated so deeply into the essence of science fiction that he had no equal in this genre. His swan song, the novel Ariel, written in 1941, is proof of this. All his readers unanimously claim that they do not know the best work of Alexander Belyaev. This amazing story about a flying man, talentedly written by a courageous dreamer who had to lie in a cast for a long time and constantly wear an orthopedic corset. But he lived, dreamed and passionately believed that man could fly!

Successful day to you,

* The article was prepared by order for the website “Vykrutasy”, http://site

Belyaev, Alexander Romanovich

(March 4, 1884 - January 6, 1942) - Rus. owls writer, one of the founders and leading authors of Sov. NF, plural prod. which were included in the gold fund children's sf. Genus. in Smolensk, in the family of a priest, he was assigned to the Smolensk Theological Seminary, and emerged from the walls as a staunch atheist. To continue his studies, he signed a contract with the Smolensk Nar Theater. at home, graduated from the Demidov Legal Lyceum in Yaroslavl, at the same time receiving a mus. education. While studying in 1905, he took part in revolutionary uprisings, and later acted as a political lawyer. affairs, was subjected to searches. After graduating from the lyceum, he worked as an assistant to a sworn attorney in Smolensk, was engaged in journalism, and published theater in the Smolensky Vestnik. rec., concert reports; traveled around Europe, visiting Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France. In 1914 he made his debut as a theater director. First artist publication - children play-fairy tale "Grandma Moira" (1914). Having become seriously ill in his youth (osseous tuberculosis of the vertebrae), B. remained semi-invalid for the rest of his life, spending years immobilized in a plaster corset. In 1922 he was able to return to active life, worked as a juvenile affairs inspector in the Yalta Criminal Investigation Department, as a teacher in a children's department. home; in 1923 he moved to Moscow and worked in Nar. Commissariat of Posts and Telegraphs, then as a legal adviser in Nar. Commissariat of Education. Seriously ill, B. died of hunger in the city of Pushkin, Leningrad Region, besieged by the Nazis.

SF TV in B., nervous and uneven (what was the life of the author himself), left a bright mark on the domestic SF literature, its best examples on long years turned into owl classics. NF. They successfully combine original SF hypotheses and ideas, exciting adventure or detective story, romantic pathos. The writer's debut in SF was "The Head of Professor Dowell" (1925), later revised into a novel - "Professor Dowell's Head" (1937; 1938 ); hero - genius scientist-surgeon - discovers a way to continue life brain after the death of the body, he himself becomes the first martyr - “experimental” of his own method; filmed. The value of the novel lies not in specific surgical prescriptions (there simply aren’t any), but in its bold mission science: brain must continue to think independently of the body. idea immortality B. once again expressed the human spirit in the piece “Hoyti-Toyti” (1930) from the cycle “The Inventions of Professor Wagner”; scientific achievements of the hero of the cycle - the eccentric scientist- are always on the verge of the possible, and sometimes frankly fabulous: a complete reconstruction of one’s own body, allowing one to completely forget about fatigue - in the case of “The Man Who Doesn’t Sleep” (1926), transplant brain a deceased colleague in an elephant's skull - in "Hoyti-Toyti", mastering the secret permeability of substances - in "The Guest from the Bookcase" (1926); r-z "Neither life nor death" (1926) is dedicated to the problem suspended animation and the inevitable social consequences of its widespread use.

In plural best books B. the idea of a person overcoming the boundaries assigned to him by biol is carried out. evolution, about the disclosure in it superman(a thought not surprising for the disabled author, who was especially acutely aware of his own helplessness). The hero of the first novel by writer B., "Lord of the world" (1929 ), invents " car suggestions,” hoping to conquer the whole world, but, having instilled in himself a “non-aggressive individuality,” he forgets about the past and about his grandiose plans. In one of B.’s most popular novels, "Amphibian Man" (1928; 1928 ), describes the romantic and tragic story a young man who received (as a result of an operation performed by yet another brilliant surgeon) the ability to live in ocean, but turned out to be completely incapable of “earthly” life; screened (see "Amphibian Man"). What brought popularity to the novel (and the inevitable attacks from critics) was not only its fascinating plot: B. was one of the first in SF to think about the future biol. revolution with its easily predictable moral challenge to humanity (the role of the appropriate genetic engineering in the novel, surgery more familiar to the general reader was successfully performed). The science fiction writer did not bring happiness. honey. experiment (this time the transformation of the great dwarf film comedian into a handsome man) and the hero of the novel "The Man Who Lost Face" (1929; 1958 ); substantially revised, the novel was republished as "The Man Who Found His Face" (1940 ) - in fact, an independent production, in which a change in the plot required a complication of psychol. plan, which the author successfully completed. In B.'s last (and, according to many critics, best) novel - "Ariel" (1941 ) - young hero receives a completely fabulous opportunity: to fly with one effort of thought; Without even trying to somehow scientifically substantiate the miraculous superpower, B., with his novel-testament, created a hymn to a free person, not bound by a physical person. restrictions.

Dr. SF books by B. from the late 1920s. seem less successful. Fantastic. "kinor-z" "Island of Lost Ships" (1926) - a typical combination of melodrama, an adventurous action movie with chases and shooting, as well as rich educational material about life, typical for mass literature of that time ocean; unsuccessfully filmed as a musical in 1987. In the story “The Last Man from Atlantis” (1926), the writer tried to reconstruct the life of a hypothetical civilization (mainly using the pop book by R. Devigne "Atlantis, the Lost Continent"), filling exotic descriptions usual for literature of this kind with “social content”, choosing a slave uprising as the center of the plot; together with “The Island of Lost Ships” is combined into one volume - collection. "Island of Lost Ships. The Last Man from Atlantis" (1927 ). On Sat. "Fight on Air" (1928 ) are included in the same way. an adventure-parody novel and story "Eternal Bread", dedicated to finding a way out of the food crisis, and the idea was expressed about the danger of the uncontrolled use of artificial microorganisms. "Fight on Air" is a kind of science fiction catalogue. inventions and discoveries, plural of which still remain unresolved scientifically. problems; according to some evidence, during the years of the “cold wars"The CIA showed increased interest in the book (one of the few translated into English and which became a bibliographic rarity), as the only description in Soviet SF wars between the USSR and the USA. Two unsuccessful stories - " Golden Mountain" (1929 ) and "The Air Salesman" (1929) are also dedicated to inventions and discoveries: the hero is the first to promise to release and use nuclear energy, and the second hero creates a “meteorological bomb” (a vessel filled with “super-dense” air) and tries to trade earthly air with the inhabitants Mars, threatening to call global catastrophe ; filmed for television in 1967. In the latest production. The motive of a “worldwide conspiracy of capitalists against humanity”, dictated by a well-known political scientist, is already clearly heard. situation in the country.

Late SF productions. B., except "Ariel", do not compare with his earlier books. Both constantly deteriorating health and increasingly aggressive criticism, which took up arms against “baseless fantasies that distract from the urgent tasks of socialist construction,” played a role; the latter circumstance led to an increasing isolation of the “classic of Soviet science fiction” from its reader (traces of external and internal censorship are especially noticeable in the reprints of early novels). IN "Underwater Farmers" (1930; 1958 ) the idea of the need to use wealth is continued ocean, first expressed in "Amphibian Man": the heroes are building an underwater house in which they can live and work for a long time, collecting a bountiful harvest from underwater plantations. About the clouds gathering over B. and the entire owl. SF, as evidenced by the writer’s most unsuccessful books - "Laboratory Dublve" (1938; 1964 ), "Under the Arctic Sky"(1936-37 - "Prisoners of Fire", " underground city"; 1938-39), "Wonderful Eye"(ukr. 1936 ; rus. 1956 ); all ed. the latest novel in Russian. language were actually a translation from Ukrainian. (the manuscripts were lost during the war). Utopian pictures of socialist near future in these productions frankly boring, technology dominates everything, and people can only press buttons on smart devices and act as tour guides. The stories "The Earth is Burning" (1931) and "The Witch's Castle" (1939) represent a politically "current" response to the "great transformations in the Soviet countryside."

B.’s novels dedicated to development. space. This was facilitated by the writer’s personal friendship with K. Tsiolkovsky, to whom B. dedicated the essay “Citizen of the Ethereal Island” (1930). Novel "Leap into Nothing"(fragment 1933 - "Stormer City"; 1933 ) tells about the flight on Venus and meeting with a local extraterrestrial life; sharply criticized by the famous popularizer of astronautics Ya.I. Perelman, the novel, however, received an approving review from himself K. Tsiolkovsky. The founder of astronautics also highly appreciated B.'s other novels, which were weak in fiction. respect, but scientifically based, - "Airship" (1934-35; 1964 ), "KEC Star" (1936; 1940 ); both are based on ideas K. Tsiolkovsky- all-metal airship and orbital spacecraft. station, respectively. In the novel "Heavenly Guest"(1937-38) was given one of the first in the Soviet Union. Non-fiction description of interstellar travel made possible by rapprochement solar system Happy Birthday. star.

SF stories and B.'s stories are included in the lifetime collections. - "Professor Dowell's Head" (1926 ), "Fight on Air" (1928 ); subsequently reprinted several times; almost all ch. prod. writer are included in the Collection. op. in 8 vols. ( 1963 -64 edited by B. Lyapunova) and in Collections. op. in 5 vols. ( 1983 -85 - ed. S. A. Belyaeva and A. Britikova). Among the calls that stand out: inspired by the cycle E. Burroughs about Tarzan "The White Savage" (1926), in which the world of nature. nature is contrasted with the “jungle” of skyscrapers; "Sesame, open!" (1928 - under the pseudonym A. Rom) - practically the first in Russian. NF production O robotic machines; "Mr. Laughter" (1937), in which the possibilities of accurate sciences in the study of such subtle matters as human emotions.

B. is also known as a passionate publicist and protector of young owls. SF, whose articles - "Let's Create Soviet Science Fiction" (1934), "Cinderella" (1938), "Illustration in Science Fiction" (1939) - have not lost their relevance decades later. B.'s response to famous book G. Wells- journalistic essay “The Lights of Socialism, or Mr. Wells in the Darkness” (1933) - preceded a personal meeting of two science fiction writers (during the second visit G. Wells to Leningrad in 1934).

Vl. B.

Op. B. endured many in the USSR. dozens of reprints Below are the collections published before the publication of the Collection. op. in 8 vols.:

"Selected scientific fantastic works"in 2 vols. ( 1957 ),

"Selected Science Fiction Works" in 3 vols. ( 1958 ),

"Lord of the world" ( 1958 ; other composition - 1959 ),

"Island of Lost Ships" ( 1958 ; other composition - 1959 ),

"KEC Star" ( 1959 ; other compositions - 1959 , 1960 ),

"The Last Man from Atlantis" ( 1959 ),

"Amphibian Man" ( 1959 ; other composition - 1961 ).

B. Lyapunov "Alexander Belyaev" (1967).

Additional materials

Vl. Gakov. Feat

Belyaev, Alexander Romanovich

(1884-1942) - a prominent writer, one of the founders and classics of Soviet science fiction literature; author of works that make up the golden fund of Russian science fiction and children's literature - "The Head of Professor Dowell", "Amphibian Man", "Ariel" and many others. etc.

There are many articles on the life and work of B., including the book. B.V. Lyapunova “Alexander Belyaev” (For more details, see the bibliographic index “Alexander Belyaev”. Bibliogr. 1997. 2. P. 64-71), his novels and stories are regularly republished.

Critical articles by B. also played an important role during the formation of Soviet SF literature; in a number of publications (in particular in the article “Let’s Create Soviet Science Fiction”) the writer tried to formulate the meaning and artistic functions of SF in the new society; defending the “literature of dreams” carefully eradicated by socialist realist ideology, B. sadly wrote in the famous article “Cinderella”: “The fate of Soviet science fiction is similar to the fate fairytale Cinderella- both have a double life: a brilliant trip to the ball and the sad existence of an unloved stepdaughter, sitting in a shabby dress, in a dark corner of the kitchen" (1938); one of the first to raise questions about the illustration of science fiction works (article "Illustration in science fiction"); at the same time, he often considered SF from the point of view of popularization scientific knowledge, which, however, does not detract from the importance of B.’s critical speeches during a difficult period in the history of Soviet literature.

Bibliography:

1. Argonauts of the Universe // Det. lit. - 1939. - No. 5. - P. 55.

2. "Arctania": [Rec. based on the novel by G. Grebnev] // Ibid. - 1938. - No. 18-19.

3. "Cinderella". About science fiction in our literature // Lit. gas. - 1938. - No. 27, May 15; The same // World of Wonders. - Khabarovsk, 1991. - No. 5. - P. 2.

4. Initiators of new discoveries // Chyrvonaya Zmena. - Minsk, 1937. - No. 94.

5. Illustration in science fiction // Det. lit. - 1939. - No. 1. - P. 61-67.

6. About my works // Ibid. - 1939. - No. 5. - P. 23-25.

7. About the science fiction novel and book by G. Adamov “Winners of the Subsoil” // Ibid. - 1938. - No. 11. - P. 18-22.

8. Afterword to the novel “Amphibian Man” // Around the World. - M., 1928. - No. 13. - P. 200-202.

10. Let's create Soviet science fiction // Det. lit. - 1938. - No. 15-16. - P. 1-8.

11. Science fiction and science: Essay // Belyaev A. Fight on the air: Sat. - M.-L.: Mol. Guard, 1928. - pp. 309-323.

Lit.: Belyaeva S. A. “The star is twinkling outside the window...” // Fantastica-84. - M.: Mol. Guard, 1984. - P. 312-347; Lyapunov B. Alexander Belyaev: Critical biography. feature article. - M.: Sov. writer, 1967. - 159 p.

Bel I ev, Alexander Romanovich

Large biographical encyclopedia. 2009 .

See what “Belyaev, Alexander Romanovich” is in other dictionaries:

Russian Soviet writer. One of the founders of Soviet science fiction literature. His books are devoted to the problems of science and technology of the future: “The Head of a Professor... ... Big Soviet encyclopedia

- (1884 1942) Russian writer. Science fiction works: The Head of Professor Dowell (1925), Amphibian Man (1928), The KEC Star (1936), etc... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Belyaev, Alexander Romanovich- BELYAEV Alexander Romanovich (1884 1942), Russian writer. Science fiction novels: The Head of Professor Dowell (1925), Amphibian Man (1928), The KEC Star (1936), etc. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Wikipedia has articles about other people with this surname, see Belyaev. Wikipedia has articles about other people named Belyaev, Alexander. Alexander Romanovich Belyaev ... Wikipedia

- (1884 1942), Russian writer. Science fiction works: “The Head of Professor Dowell” (1925), “Amphibian Man” (1928), “KETS Star” (1936), etc. * * * BELYAEV Alexander Romanovich BELYAEV Alexander Romanovich (1884 1942), Russian writer.… … encyclopedic Dictionary

BELYAEV Alexander Romanovich- (18841942), Russian Soviet writer. Sci-fi and adventure rum “The Head of Professor Dowell” (1925, new edition 1937), “Amphibian Man”, “Struggle on the Air” (both 1928), “Air Seller”, “The Man Who Lost Face”, ... ... Literary encyclopedic dictionary

(1884-1942) Russian science fiction writer

His first science fiction works appeared almost simultaneously with “The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin” (1925) by A. Tolstoy. The publication of the last novel was interrupted by the war. During this short period of time, Alexander Belyaev wrote several dozen stories, novellas and novels. He became the founder of Soviet science fiction. Belyaev turned out to be the first writer in the history of Russian literature of the 20th century, for whom fantasy genre became central to creativity. He left his mark on almost all of its varieties and created his own variations - the cycle of humoresques “The Inventions of Professor Wagner”, entering the history of world science fiction.

Although the novels of Alexander Romanovich Belyaev are read even today, the peak of their popularity still occurs at the time when the writer was still alive. True, at that time they were published in small editions, but each of them immediately and forever entered the mainstream literature.

Alexander Belyaev was born in Smolensk into the family of a priest. The father wanted his son to also become a priest, so the young man was sent to a theological seminary. But a year later he abandoned spiritual education and entered the Demidov Lyceum, planning to become a lawyer. Soon his father died, and Alexander had to look for funds to continue his studies. He gave lessons, worked as a theater decorator, and played the violin in a circus orchestra. On own funds the young man was able not only to graduate from the lyceum, but also to receive a musical education.

After graduating from the lyceum, he began working as an assistant to a sworn attorney and acted as a lawyer in court. Gradually, Belyaev became a well-known lawyer in the city. At the same time, he began writing short essays for Smolensk newspapers, reviews of performances and new books.

In 1912, Alexander Romanovich Belyaev traveled around Europe - visited Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Returning to Smolensk, he publishes his first literary work - the fairy tale play “Grandma Moira”.

It seemed that his life was going quite well. But suddenly he became seriously ill with pleurisy, after which he began to develop a complication - ossification of the spine. The illness was complicated by the fact that Belyaev was left by his young wife, who refused to care for the disabled person. Doctors advised him to change the climate, and he and his mother moved to Yalta. There they received news of the revolution.

After difficult many years of treatment, some improvement occurred, and Belyaev was able to return to active work, although he never left the wheelchair until the end of his life. He worked as a teacher in orphanage, criminal investigation photographer, librarian.

Life in Yalta was very difficult, and in 1923 Alexander Belyaev moved to Moscow. With the help of friends, he managed to get a job as a legal adviser at the People's Commissariat of Posts and Telegraphs. Just at this time, his first science fiction novel, “The Head of Professor Dowell,” appeared in the Gudok newspaper. After this publication, Belyaev became a regular contributor to the World Pathfinder and Around the World magazines.

Alexander Belyaev lived in Moscow for five years and during this time he wrote the stories “The Island of Lost Ships” (1925), “The Last Man from Atlantis” (1926) and the novel “Amphibian Man” (1927), as well as a collection of short stories called “Struggle” on the air."

All these works were well received by critics, and the writer left his job as a lawyer. Since the late twenties, he devoted himself entirely to literature. In 1928, Belyaev moved to Leningrad, to the parents of his second wife. He settled in Pushkin, from where he sent his new works to Moscow - the novels “Lord of the World”, “Underwater Farmers” (1928) and “The Wonderful Eye” (1929).

But the Leningrad climate caused an exacerbation of the disease, and Alexander Belyaev had to move to Kyiv. The mild Ukrainian climate had a beneficial effect on the writer’s health. But he was unable to publish in Ukraine because he did not know the language. Therefore, everything written had to be sent to Moscow and Leningrad publishing houses.

Belyaev spent two years in Kyiv and returned to Leningrad after he lost his six-year-old daughter, who died of meningitis. He again settles in Pushkin, which he does not leave until the end of his life. Despite the difficult life circumstances, Alexander Romanovich Belyaev does not interrupt his literary work for a single day. His works gradually become philosophical, the characteristics of the characters deepen, and the composition becomes more complex. Meanwhile, the writer’s fame is growing all over the world. The first translations of his works appeared in England and the USA. And the novel “The Head of Professor Dowell” is highly praised by H. Wells. English writer visited Belyaev in 1934 and said that he envied his popularity.

Belyaev’s true masterpiece is the novel “Ariel” (1939), which tells the dramatic story of a flying man. The writer worked on it for more than ten years. The novel was published in parts, and it final version appeared at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

However, criticism greeted Alexander Belyaev’s latest novels very coldly. Many did not like the too clear connection of his works with modernity. He showed himself not only as a pacifist, but also as an opponent of the totalitarian regime. Indicative in this regard is the novel “Eternal Bread” (1935), where difficult questions, associated with a person’s desire to assert himself at the expense of the misfortune of others. Dictatorial sentiments were alien to Belyaev.

In the thirties, a new theme appeared in the writer’s work. It is connected with the problem of space exploration. Thus, in the novel “Leap into Nothing” (1933), interplanetary travel was first described - the flight of a scientific expedition to Venus. It is interesting that the novel’s consultant was K. Tsiolkovsky, with whom Belyaev corresponded for many years.

Under the influence of the scientist’s ideas, the writer wrote two stories - “Airship” and “KETS Star”. IN last work he paid tribute to Tsiolkovsky, calling the extraterrestrial scientific station by his name. In addition, Belyaev spoke about the life and everyday life of scientists who worked in extraterrestrial conditions. In fact, the writer was able to foresee the emergence of future interplanetary stations. It is noteworthy that the problems of the story seemed so unrealistic to the editor that he significantly shortened the work. Only after the writer's death was the story published in the author's version.

Shortly before the start of the war, Belyaev underwent serious surgery on his spine, so doctors forbade him to evacuate. The city of Pushkin was occupied by the Germans, and the writer died of hunger in 1942. His wife and daughter were taken to Poland and returned home only after the war.

But the works of Alexander Romanovich Belyaev were not forgotten. At the end of the 50s, filming began on the first Soviet science fiction film, “Amphibian Man.” And again the familiar accusations were heard: it was believed that science fiction was an alien genre. However, the triumphant screening of the film throughout the country refuted the opinions of critics. And soon a collection of the writer’s works was published.

Alexander Romanovich Belyaev(March 16, 1884 - January 6, 1942) - Russian science fiction writer, one of the founders of Soviet science fiction literature. Among his most famous novels are: “The Head of Professor Dowell”, “Amphibian Man”, “Ariel”, “KEC Star” and many others (in total more than 70 science fiction works, including 13 novels). For his significant contribution to Russian science fiction and visionary ideas, Belyaev is called the “Russian Jules Verne.”

The future writer was born in Smolensk, in the family of an Orthodox priest. There were two more children in the family: sister Nina died in childhood from sarcoma; brother Vasily, a student at the veterinary institute, drowned while boating.

The father wanted to see his son as a successor to his work and sent him to a theological school in 1894. After graduating in 1898, Alexander was transferred to the Smolensk Theological Seminary. He graduated from it in 1904, but did not become a priest; on the contrary, he left there as a convinced atheist. In defiance of his father, he entered the Demidov Legal Lyceum in Yaroslavl. Soon after his father’s death, he had to earn extra money: Alexander gave lessons, painted scenery for the theater, played the violin in a circus orchestra, and published in city newspapers as a music critic.

After graduating (in 1908) from the Demidov Lyceum, A. Belyaev received the position of private attorney in Smolensk and soon gained fame as a good lawyer. He gained a regular clientele. His material opportunities also increased: he was able to rent and furnish nice apartment, acquire a good collection of paintings, collect a large library. In 1913, he traveled abroad: he visited France, Italy, and visited Venice.

In 1914 he left law for the sake of literature and theater.

At the age of 35, A. Belyaev fell ill with tuberculous pleurisy. The treatment was unsuccessful - tuberculosis of the spine developed, complicated by paralysis of the legs. A serious illness confined him to bed for six years, three of which he spent in a cast. His young wife left him, saying that she didn’t get married to take care of her sick husband. In search of specialists who could help him, A. Belyaev, with his mother and old nanny, ended up in Yalta. There, in the hospital, he began to write poetry. Not giving in to despair, he is engaged in self-education: he studies foreign languages, medicine, biology, history, technology, and reads a lot (Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky). Having defeated the disease, in 1922 he returned to full life, starts working. In the same year he married Margarita Konstantinovna Magnushevskaya.
At first, A. Belyaev became a teacher in an orphanage, then he was given the position of criminal investigation inspector, where he organized a photo laboratory, and later he had to go to the library. Life in Yalta was very difficult, and A. Belyaev (with the help of a friend) in 1923 moved with his family to Moscow, where he got a job as a legal adviser. There he begins serious literary activity. He publishes science fiction stories and novellas in the magazines “Around the World”, “Knowledge is Power”, “World Pathfinder”.
In 1924, he published a story in the newspaper Gudok. "Professor Dowell's Head", which Belyaev himself called autobiographical history, explaining: “The disease once put me in a plaster bed for three and a half years. This period of illness was accompanied by paralysis of the lower half of the body. And although I controlled my hands, my life during these years was reduced to the life of a “head without a body,” which I did not feel at all - complete anesthesia ... ".

A. Belyaev lived in Moscow until 1928; During this time, he wrote the novels “The Island of Lost Ships”, “The Last Man from Atlantis”, “Amphibian Man”, “Struggle on the Air”, and published a collection of short stories. The author wrote not only under his own name, but also under pseudonyms A. Rom And Arbel.

In 1928, A. Belyaev and his family moved to Leningrad and from then on became a professional writer. "Lord of the World" novels were written, "Underwater Farmers", "Wonderful Eye", stories from the series "The Inventions of Professor Wagner". They were published mainly in Moscow publishing houses. However, soon the illness made itself felt again, and I had to move from rainy Leningrad to sunny Kyiv. However, in Kyiv publishing houses accepted manuscripts only in Ukrainian, and Belyaev moved to Moscow again.

The year 1930 turned out to be a very difficult year for the writer: his six-year-old daughter Lyudmila died of meningitis, his second daughter Svetlana fell ill with rickets, and soon his own illness (spondylitis) worsened. As a result, in 1931 the family returned to Leningrad.

In September 1931, A. Belyaev handed over the manuscript of his novel “The Earth is Burning” to the editors of the Leningrad magazine “Around the World”.

In 1932 he lives in Murmansk. In 1934, he met with Herbert Wells, who arrived in Leningrad. In 1935, Belyaev became a permanent contributor to the magazine “Around the World”.
At the beginning of 1938, after eleven years of intensive cooperation, Belyaev left the magazine “Around the World”. In 1938 he published an article "Cinderella" O plight contemporary fiction.

Shortly before the war, the writer underwent another operation, so when the war began, he refused the offer to evacuate. The city of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoe Selo, a suburb of Leningrad), where he lived in last years A. Belyaev with his family was occupied by the Nazis.
On January 6, 1942, at the 58th year of his life, Alexander Romanovich Belyaev died of hunger. He was buried in mass grave along with other city residents. “The writer Belyaev, who wrote science fiction novels like “Amphibian Man,” froze from hunger in his room. “Frozen from hunger” is an absolutely accurate expression. People are so weak from hunger that they are unable to get up and fetch firewood. He was found completely frozen...".

Alexander Belyaev had two daughters: Lyudmila (March 15, 1924 - March 19, 1930) and Svetlana. The surviving wife of the writer and daughter Svetlana were taken prisoner by the Germans and were kept in various camps for displaced persons in Poland and Austria until liberation by the Red Army in May 1945. After the end of the war they were exiled to Western Siberia. They spent 11 years in exile. The daughter did not marry.

The writer's burial place is not known with certainty. A memorial stele at the Kazan cemetery in the city of Pushkin was installed on the grave of his wife, who was buried there in 1982.

Residence addresses

St. Dokuchaeva, 4. - Smolensk, Memorable place, where the house in which the science fiction writer was born stood.
10.26.1936 - 07.1941 - Leningrad - House of Writers - Detskoe Selo, Proletarskaya street, 6.

Creation

A. Belyaev was an enthusiastic person. WITH early years he was attracted to music: he independently learned to play the violin and piano, and loved to play music for hours. Another “fun” was photography (there was a photograph he took “ human head on a platter in blue tones"). It is known that A. Belyaev studied the Esperanto language. Since childhood, I read a lot and was fond of adventure literature. Alexander grew up restless, loved all kinds of pranks and jokes; the result of one of his pranks was an eye injury with subsequent deterioration of vision. The young man also dreamed of flying: he tried to take off with brooms tied to his hands, jumped from the roof with an umbrella, and eventually took off in a small airplane.

One day, during another attempt to take off, he fell from the roof of the barn and crashed - significantly injuring his back. This injury affected his entire later life. In the mid-1920s, Belyaev suffered from constant pain in his injured back and was even paralyzed for months.

Even while studying at the Lyceum, A. Belyaev showed himself to be a theatergoer. Under his leadership, in 1913, students of male and female gymnasiums acted out the fairy tale “Three Years, Three Days, Three Minutes” with crowd scenes, choral and ballet numbers. In the same year, A. R. Belyaev and cellist Yu. N. Saburova staged Grigoriev’s opera-fairy tale “The Sleeping Princess.” He himself could act as a playwright, director, and actor. Home theater Belyaev in Smolensk was widely known, toured not only around the city, but also in its environs. Once, during the visit of the capital’s troupe to Smolensk under the direction of Stanislavsky, A. Belyaev managed to replace a sick artist and act in several performances instead.

The writer was keenly interested in the question of the human psyche: the functioning of the brain, its connection with the body, with the life of the soul and spirit. Can the brain think outside the body? Is a brain transplant possible? What consequences can anabiosis and its widespread use have? Are there limits to the possibility of suggestion? What about genetic engineering? Novels are dedicated to trying to solve these problems. "Professor Dowell's Head", "Lord of the world", "The Man Who Lost Face", stories "The Man Who Doesn't Sleep", "Hoyti-Toyti".

In his science fiction novels, Alexander Belyaev anticipated the emergence huge amount inventions and scientific ideas:

V "Zvezda KETS" depicts a prototype of modern orbital stations,
V "Amphibian Man" And "To the Head of Professor Dowell" the wonders of transplantology are shown,
V "Eternal Bread"- achievements of modern biochemistry and genetics.

A kind of continuation of these reflections were novels-hypotheses, placing a person in different environments of existence: the ocean ( "Amphibian Man") and air ( "Ariel").

His last novel"Ariel", written in 1941, echoes famous novel A. Green "The Shining World". The heroes of both works are endowed with the ability to fly without additional devices. The image of the young man Ariel is an undoubted achievement of the writer, in which the author’s faith in a person overcoming gravity was objectively realized.

Memory

In 1990, the section of scientific, artistic and science-fiction literature of the Leningrad writers' organization of the Union of Writers of the USSR established the Alexander Belyaev Literary Prize, awarded for scientific, artistic and science-fiction works.

In addition to biographical literature, one of the television films in the series “Geniuses and Villains of the Past Era” of the television company “Civilization” is dedicated to Alexander Belyaev.

Curious facts

Both the biography and the work of Belyaev, after several decades of Soviet “canonization” (and rather poor coverage), became the subject of conflicting judgments. Thus, the famous Russian critic and historian of science fiction Vsevolod Revich (including in the book “Crossroads of Utopias”) gave Belyaev’s work a sharply negative assessment, reproaching the author for the poor elaboration of the actual fantastic elements and the socio-moralistic message of the works, for opportunistic ruthlessness towards “class enemies" and "sadism" in relation to the heroes on whom physiological experiments were carried out. Literary critic Boris Myagkov, in turn, believed that Vs. Revich, for example, did not understand the deliberately parodic nature of the stories about Professor Wagner(“The Man Who Doesn’t Sleep” and others).

According to Soviet legislation, which was in force until October 1, 1964, Belyaev’s works entered the public domain 15 years after the author’s death. After the collapse of the USSR, copyright legislation in Russia changed, and the term of copyright protection first increased to 50, and from 2004 to 70 years, after the death of the author. In addition, the Law of the Russian Federation “On Copyright and Related Rights” increased these terms by four years for authors who worked during the Great Patriotic War or participated in it. Currently, copyright issues are regulated by Part 4 of the Civil Code, as well as Federal law Russian Federation dated December 18, 2006 No. 231-FZ “On the entry into force of part four of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation,” which limits the application of the Civil Code in some cases (see Article 6): “ The terms of protection of rights provided for in Articles 1281, 1318, 1327 and 1331 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation apply in cases where the fifty-year validity period of copyright or related rights has not expired by January 1, 1993».

In 2008, the Terra publishing house entered into an agreement with Belyaev’s heir (daughter Svetlana) to publish his works. Following this, Terra filed a lawsuit against the publishing houses AST-Moscow and Astrel (both are part of the AST publishing group), which published Belyaev after Terra concluded the agreement. The Moscow Arbitration Court satisfied the claim for more than 7.5 billion rubles and banned the Astrel publishing house. distribute illegally published copies of A. Belyaev’s works" The appellate instance overturned the decision of the first instance regarding the recovery of compensation and state duty costs. The cassation court overturned the judicial acts of the lower authorities and completely rejected the claim, considering the works of A. Belyaev to have passed into the public domain since 01/01/1993. and are currently not subject to protection.

Meanwhile, the Krasnodar Regional Court recognized Belyaev’s works as being in the public domain.

October 4, 2011 Presidium of the Higher Arbitration Court The Russian Federation decided to change the decisions of lower courts: A. Belyaev’s property rights are subject to protection at least until January 1, 2017. The courts will now have to re-examine the case as it has been remanded for retrial.

Novels

"Professor Dowell's Head" ( 1 (story): “Gudok”, 1924; "World Pathfinder", 1925, No. 3-4; "Workers' Newspaper", 1925, June 16-21, 24-26; "Professor Dowell's Head". M.-L.: ZiF, 1926; 2 (story). “Around the World”, 1937, No. 6-10, 12; 3 (novel). “Smena” (gaz., Leningrad), 1937, 1-6, 8-9, 11, 14-18, 24, 28 February, 1, 3-6, 9-11 March; dept. ed. - L.-M, “Sov. writer", 1938) - film made
“Island of Lost Ships” (“World Pathfinder”, 1926, No. 3-4; 1927, No. 5-6; departmental edition - M., “ZiF”, 1927) - film produced
“The Last Man from Atlantis” (“World Pathfinder”, 1926, No. 5-8; departmental edition - M., “ZiF”, 1927)
“Lord of the World” (“Gudok”, 1926, 19-24, 26-31 Oct., 2-6, 10-14, 16-18 Nov.; departmental ed. - Leningrad, “Krasnaya Gazeta”, 1929)
“Struggle on the Air” (“Life and Communication Technology”, 1927, No. 1-9, under the title “Radiopolis”; departmental edition - M.-L., “Young Guard”, 1928)
“Amphibian Man” (“Around the World”, 1928, No. 1-6, 11-13; departmental edition - M., “ZiF”, 1928) - film produced
“Air Seller” (“Around the World”, 1929, No. 4-13) - film directed
“The Man Who Lost Face” (“Around the World”, 1929, No. 19-25)
“Underwater farmers” (“Around the World”, 1930, No. 9-23)
“Leap into Nothing” (departmental ed. - L.-M., “Young Guard”, 1933)
“Airship” (“Around the World”, 1934, No. 10-12, 1935, No. 1-6)
“The Wonderful Eye” (department ed. - K.: Molodyiy Bilshovik, 1935, in Ukrainian; translation by I. Vasiliev - Selected science fiction works in 2 volumes. M., “Young Guard”, 1956. T. 1)
“Star of KETS” (“Around the World”, 1936, No. 2-11; departmental edition - M.-L.: Detizdat, 1940)
“Heavenly Guest” (“Lenin Sparks”, 1937, Dec. 17-27; 1938, Jan. 4-29, 9, Feb. 27, March 3-27, Apr. 3-21, May 5-27, 3- June 21, July 3)
“Under the Sky of the Arctic” (“Into the Battle for Equipment!”, 1938, No. 4-7, 9-12; 1939, No. 1-2, 4; previously an excerpt entitled “Prisoners of Fire” - “Around the World”, 1936 , No. 1; excerpt entitled “Underground City” - “Around the World”, 1937, No. 9)
“Laboratory Dublve” (“Around the World”, 1938, No. 7-9, 11-12; “Bolshevik Word”, 1939, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 26, 28 Jan., 4, 8, 10, 15, 21 February, 4, 6 March [publication not completed])
“The Man Who Found His Face” (departmental ed. - Leningrad, “Soviet Writer”, 1940)
“Ariel” (department ed. - Leningrad, “Soviet Writer”, 1941) - film produced

Stories

“Eternal Bread” (“Struggle on the Air.” M.-L., “Young Guard”, 1928)
“Golden Mountain” (“Struggle of the Worlds” (L.), 1929, No. 2)
“The Earth is Burning” (“Around the World”, 1931, No. 30-36)
“The Witches’ Castle” (“Young Collective Farmer”, 1939, No. 5-7)

Stories

“Neither life nor death” (“World Pathfinder”, 1926, No. 5-6)
“Ideophone” (“World Pathfinder”, 1926, No. 6, signature: A. Rom)
"White Savage" (World Pathfinder, 1926, No. 7)
“The Hunt for the Big Dipper” (“Around the World”, 1927, No. 4)
“Sesame, open!!!” (“The World Pathfinder”, 1928, No. 4, signature: A. Rom; “Around the World”, 1928, No. 49, under the title. "Electric Servant", caption: A. Rome)
“Death's Head” (“Around the World”, 1928, No. 17-22)
“Ancestor Instinct” (“On Land and Sea”, 1929, No. 1-2)
“Doomsday” (“Around the World”, 1929, No. 1-4,7)
“Keep to the West!” (“Knowledge is power”, 1929, No. 11)
“Is it easy to be cancer?” (“Around the World”, 1929, No. 13, signature: A. Rom)
“Lapel remedy” (“Around the World”, 1929, No. 27)
“In the pipe” (“Around the World”, 1929, No. 33, signature: A. Rom)
“The Imperishable World” (“Knowledge is power”, 1930, No. 2)
"City of the Winner" (World Pathfinder, 1930, No. 4)
“VTsBID” (“Knowledge is power”, 1930, No. 6-7)
“Green Symphony” (“Around the World”, 1930, No. 22-24)
“On the pillars of air” (“Struggle of the Worlds”, 1931, No. 1)
“Sunny Horses” (“Nature and People”, 1931, No. 19-20, signature: Arbel)
“Correspondence Engineer” (“Revolution and Nature”, 1931, No. 2 (21))
“Kite” (“Knowledge is power”, 1931, No. 2)
“Storm” (“Revolution and Nature”, 1931, No. 3-5)
“Stronger than God” (“Nature and People”, 1931, No. 10, signature: Arbel)
“Devil's Swamp” (“Knowledge is power”, 1931, No. 15)
“Extraordinary Incidents” (“Hedgehog”, 1933, No. 9-11)
“Record flight” (“Hedgehog”, 1933, No. 10)
“Meeting the New Year, 1954” (“Hedgehog”, 1933, No. 12)
“Blind Flight” (“Ural Pathfinder” [Sverdlovsk], 1935, No. 1; pp. 27-34)
“The Lost Island” (“Young Proletarian”, 1935, No. 12)
"Mr. Laughter" (Around the World, 1937, No. 5)
“Invisible Light” (“Around the World”, 1938, No. 1, signature: A. Romanovich)
“Horned Mammoth” (“Around the World”, 1938, No. 3)
“Anatomical Groom” (“Bolshevik Word”, 1940, February 12; “Leningrad”, 1940, No. 6)
Professor Wagner's inventions
- “The Man Who Doesn’t Sleep” (“The Head of Professor Dowell.” M., “ZiF”, 1926)
- “Guest from the Bookcase” (“The Head of Professor Dowell.” M., “ZiF”, 1926)
- “Above the Abyss” (“Around the World”, 1927, No. 2, under the title “Above the Black Abyss”; “Struggle on the Air”. M.-L., “Young Guard”, 1928)
- “Created Legends and Apocrypha”: 1. The Incident of the Horse, 2. About Fleas, 3. Thermo Man (“World Pathfinder”, 1929, No. 4)
- “Devil's Mill” (“World Pathfinder”, 1929, No. 9)
- "Amba" ("World Pathfinder", 1929, No. 10)
- "Hoyti-Toyti" ("World Pathfinder", 1930, No. 1-2)
- “Flying carpet” (“Knowledge is power”, 1936, No. 12)

2014 marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of the famous Russian writer Alexander Romanovich Belyaev. This outstanding creator is one of the founders of the genre of science fiction literature in the Soviet Union. Even in our time, it seems simply incredible that a person in his works can depict events that will happen several decades later.

The early years of the writer

So, who is Alexander Belyaev? The biography of this person is simple and unique in its own way. But unlike the millions of copies of the author’s works, not much has been written about his life.

Alexander Belyaev was born on March 4, 1884 in the city of Smolensk. In the family of an Orthodox priest, from childhood the boy was taught to love music, photography, and developed an interest in reading adventure novels and studying foreign languages.

Having graduated from theological seminary at the insistence of his father, the young man chooses the path to law, in which he has good success.

First steps in literature

While earning decent money in the legal field, Alexander Belyaev began to become more interested in works of art, travel and theater. He is also actively involved in directing and dramaturgy. In 1914, his debut play “Grandma Moira” was published in the Moscow children's magazine Protalinka.

An insidious disease

In 1919, tuberculous pleurisy suspended the young man’s plans and actions. Alexander Belyaev struggled with this disease for more than six years. The writer tried his best to eradicate this infection within himself. Due to unsuccessful treatment, it developed which led to paralysis of the legs. As a result, of the six years spent in bed, the patient spent three years in a cast. The indifference of the young wife further undermined the writer's morale. During this period, this is no longer the carefree, cheerful and cheerful Alexander Belyaev. His biography is full of tragic life moments. In 1930, his six-year-old daughter Lyuda died, and his second daughter Svetlana fell ill with rickets. Against the backdrop of these events, the illness tormenting Belyaev is also worsening.

Throughout his life, battling his illness, this man found strength and immersed himself in the study of literature, history, foreign languages and medicine.

Long-awaited success

In 1925, while living in Moscow, the aspiring writer published the story “The Head of Professor Dowell” in Rabochaya Gazeta. And from that moment on, the works of Alexander Belyaev were published en masse in the then famous magazines “World Pathfinder”, “Knowledge is Power” and “Around the World”.

During his stay in Moscow, the young talent creates many magnificent novels - “Amphibian Man”, “The Last Man from Atlantis”, “Island of Lost Ships” and “Struggle on the Air”.

At the same time, Belyaev is published in the unusual newspaper “Gudok”, in which people like M.A. also left their mark. Bulgakov, E.P. Petrov, I.A. Ilf, V.P. Kataev,

Later, after moving to Leningrad, he published the books “The Wonderful Eye”, “Underwater Farmers”, “Lord of the World”, as well as the stories “The Inventions of Professor Wagner”, which Soviet citizens read with rapture.

The last days of the prose writer's life

The Belyaev family lived in the suburbs of Leningrad, the city of Pushkin, and found themselves under occupation. The weakened body could not withstand the terrible hunger. In January 1942, Alexander Belyaev passed away. After some time, the writer’s relatives were deported to Poland.

Before today It remains a mystery where Alexander Belyaev was buried, whose short biography is filled with a person’s constant struggle for life. And yet, in honor of the talented prose writer, a memorial stele was erected in Pushkin at the Kazan cemetery.

The novel "Ariel" is Belyaev's latest creation; it was published by the publishing house " Modern writer"shortly before the author's death.

"Life after death

More than 70 years have passed since the Russian science fiction writer passed away, but his memory lives on in his works to this day. At one time, the work of Alexander Belyaev was subjected to strict criticism, and sometimes he heard mocking reviews. However, the science fiction writer’s ideas, which previously seemed ridiculous and scientifically impossible, eventually convinced even the most inveterate skeptics of the opposite.

Many films have been made based on the novels of the prose writer. Thus, since 1961, eight films have been filmed, some of them are part of the classics of Soviet cinema - “The Amphibian Man”, “The Testament of Professor Dowell”, “The Island of Lost Ships” and “The Air Seller”.

The story of Ichthyander

Perhaps the most famous work A.R. Belyaev’s novel “Amphibian Man,” which was written in 1927. It was this book that, together with The Head of Professor Dowell, was highly appreciated by Herbert Wells.

Belyaev was inspired to create “Amphibian Man”, firstly, by memories of reading the novel French writer Jean de la Hire “Iktaner and Moisette”, secondly, a newspaper article about what took place in Argentina trial on the case of a doctor who conducted various experiments on people and animals. Today, it is practically impossible to establish the name of the newspaper and the details of the process. But this once again proves that, when creating his science fiction works, Alexander Belyaev tried to rely on real life facts and events.

In 1962, directors V. Chebotarev and G. Kazansky filmed “Amphibian Man.”

"The Last Man from Atlantis"

One of the author’s very first works, “The Last Man from Atlantis,” did not go unnoticed in Soviet and world literature. In 1927, it was included in Belyaev’s first author’s collection along with “The Island of Lost Ships.” From 1928 to 1956, the work was forgotten, and only since 1957 it was republished several times in the territory of the Soviet Union.

The idea of searching for the disappeared Atlantean civilization dawned on Belyaev after reading an article in the French newspaper Le Figaro. Its content was such that in Paris there was a society for the study of Atlantis. At the beginning of the twentieth century, such associations were quite common; they enjoyed increased interest among the population. The insightful Alexander Belyaev decided to take advantage of this. The science fiction writer used the note as a prologue to “ To the last man from Atlantis." The work consists of two parts and is perceived by the reader quite simply and excitingly. The material for writing the novel was drawn from the book by Roger Devigne “The Vanished Continent. Atlantis, the sixth part of the world."

Prophecies of a science fiction writer

When comparing the predictions of science fiction representatives, it is important to note that the scientific ideas of books Soviet writer Alexandra Belyaev were 99 percent successful.

So, main idea novel "The Head of Professor Dowell" became an opportunity to revive human body after death. Several years after the publication of this work, Sergei Bryukhonenko, the great Soviet physiologist, carried out similar experiments. A widespread achievement in medicine today - surgical restoration of the lens of the eye - was also foreseen by Alexander Belyaev more than fifty years ago.

The novel "Amphibian Man" became prophetic in scientific developments technologies for prolonged human stay under water. Thus, in 1943, the French scientist Jacques-Yves Cousteau patented the first scuba gear, thereby proving that Ichthyander is not such an unattainable image.

Successful tests of the first in the thirties of the twentieth century in Great Britain, as well as the creation of psychotropic weapons - all this was described by the science fiction writer in the book “Lord of the World” back in 1926.

The novel "The Man Who Lost Face" tells the story of the successful development plastic surgery and the ethical issues that arise from this. In the story, the state governor transforms into a black man, taking upon himself all the burdens of racial discrimination. Here we can draw a certain parallel in the destinies of the mentioned hero and the famous American singer Michael Jackson, who, fleeing unjust persecution, performed a considerable number of operations to change his skin color.

All my creative life Belyaev struggled with the disease. Deprived of physical capabilities, he tried to reward the heroes of books unusual abilities: communicate without words, fly like birds, swim like fish. But infecting the reader with interest in life, in something new - isn’t this the true talent of a writer?