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Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction: Pop culture promoting science & imagination By Nalaka Gunawardene & S M Banduseela Amazing Science Colombo: 4 July 2014
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Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction: Popular culture for promoting science and imagination

Aug 19, 2014

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Presentation jointly by Nalaka Gunawardene, science writer, and S M Banduseela, science fiction translator, to Amazing Science Exhibition & Event in Colombo as part of the French Spring Festival.

‘Pulp magazines’ is a generic term for inexpensive magazines published in the United States from 1896 to the 1950s. They provided popular entertainment, especially before broadcast television became well established, and carried illustrated short stories and serialized stories in categories like adventure, travel, detective and science fiction.

This illustrated presentation will look at the role pulp magazines played in promoting science fiction writing and reading as part of 20th century popular culture. Many who later became mainstream writers, such as Robert A Heinlein, Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury first established themselves by writing to such publications.

In this talk, we look at how pulp science fiction inspired scientific discovery and innovation in areas as diverse as space exploration, computer science, robotics, evolution and materials science. We will also show part of a 2010 documentary titled ‘PULP FICTION: The Golden Age of Sci Fi, Fantasy and Advent’.

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Page 1: Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction: Popular culture for promoting science and imagination

Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction:

Pop culture promoting science & imagination

By Nalaka Gunawardene & S M BanduseelaAmazing Science Colombo: 4 July 2014

Page 2: Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction: Popular culture for promoting science and imagination

Coming Up… What is Science Fiction? What were ‘Pulp Magazines’? Why were pulps important? Long shadow of pulp science fiction mags:

On global pop culture (comics, films, games, etc.) On Lankan pop culture (books, comics)

Why nurture IMAGINATION? Who’s Afraid of Popular Culture?

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What is Science Fiction? This is the way

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SF Universe is vase, diverse & still expanding…

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Science Fiction: Fathered (mostly) by a Frenchman & Englishman

Jules Verne (L) and H G Wells

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A Tale of Two Worlds? This is the way

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- H G Wells (1866 - 1946)

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Science Fiction is… SF = Imagination + Scientific Knowledge Much more than spaceships & aliens So many other elements, e.g.

Alternate histories Utopias or dystopias Travelling through time Macro (universe) to micro (sub-atomic)

scales Concerns the future – but not always so Playing with a basic premise: WHAT IF? Entertainment first, info value next!

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Entertain, Entertain, Entertain!“The primary function of any story is to entertain -- not to instruct or to preach. Promoting a particular scientific concept or technology or a utopian worldview should only be the secondary aim of a story.”- Arthur C Clarke (1917 - 2008)

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Science Fiction or Fantasy?“Somewhere in the literary landscape, science fiction merges into fantasy, but the frontier between the two is fuzzy. I have suggested an operational demarcation: “Science fiction is something that could happen - but usually you wouldn’t want it to. Fantasy is something that couldn’t happen - though often you wish it would.”- Arthur C Clarke

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Science fiction in Pulp Magazines: 1900 - 1950

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Science fiction in Pulp Magazines: 1900 - 1950 Printed on low quality paper, sold cheap Many genres: detective, Western,

romance, adventure, etc. Initially, SF incl in general pulp mags 1920s: Rise of all-SF mags Pre-TV, post-WW1, Depression eras:

provided hope & escapism for Americans ‘Launch pads’ of writing & illustrator talent

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Page 14: Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction: Popular culture for promoting science and imagination

Excerpt from 2010 documentary:

Online at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzlbRjmWEQ8

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Amazing Stories Launched: April 1926 Founder Ed: Hugo Gernsback first magazine devoted solely

to science fiction (SF) Writers whose 1st story was

published in this magazine incl: Isaac Asimov, Howard Fast, Ursula K. Le Guin, Roger Zelazny, Thomas M. Disch

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Wonder Stories First published: July 1929 Founder ed: Hugo Gernsback

(after he lost Amazing Stories) Same formula:

Bright, colourful covers B&W line drawings inside Short stories or serialised

novels Ceased publication 1955

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Pulp SF magazines: Covers projected mysterious and fantastic

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Astounding Stories First published: Jan 1930 Founder ed: Harry Bates First to publish: Lester del

Rey, Theodore Sturgeon, Isaac Asimov, A.E. van Vogt, Robert Heinlein

Still in publication, as: Analog Science Fiction & Fact

www.analogsf.com

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Astounding Stories: Still going strong…

Jan 1930 issue (left) & Sep 2014 issue

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Astounding: First issue - Jan 1930 now online (full text)!

From first editorial:“To-morrow, more astounding things are going to happen. Your children—or their children— are going to take a trip to the moon. They will be able to render themselves invisible—a problem that has already been partly solved…“Astounding? Indeed, yes.“Impossible? Well—television would have been impossible, almost unthinkable, 10 years ago...”

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41481/41481-h/41481-h.htm

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Page 26: Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction: Popular culture for promoting science and imagination

First Encounters: Arthur Clarke“I must have seen Amazing Stories for November 1928 about a year after it had been shipped across to England- so rumor has it, as ship’s “ballast”- and sold at Woolworth’s for 3p. How I used to haunt that once-famous store during my lunch hour, in search of issues of Amazing, Wonder, and Astounding, buried like jewels in the junk-pile of detective and western pulps!”- Arthur C Clarke

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First Encounters: Fred Pohl “At some point in 1930, I came

across a magazine named Science Wonder Stories Quarterly, with a picture of a scaly green monster on the cover. I opened it up. The irremediable virus entered my veins . . . That first issue of Science Wonder was heaven…When another science fiction magazine came my way, a few months later, it was like Christmas.- Frederik Pohl

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SF fans come together for first time(All male gathering, 1937)

Delegates to world's first science fiction convention - 3 Jan 1937 at Theosophical Hall, Queens Square, Leeds (young Arthur C Clarke is second from left!)

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Arthur C Clarke (1917 - 2008) Avid pulp SF reader from 11 yrs Letters to editor from 15 yrs Wrote early SF for Huish’s

Grammar School magazine Joined first SF convention in

Leeds, 1937 (age 19) Indefatigable SF writer First pulp stories pub 1946 Cover billing given in 1950s

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First SF story Clarke sold, Astounding Apr 1946http://lakdiva.org/clarke/pulp

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A Tale of Two Worlds?

Another early Clarke story, Astounding 1946 May

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Clarke paid tribute to pulp SF in ASTOUNDING DAYS: his own ‘science fictional autobiography’ in 1990

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“I was hooked on science fiction by the fantastic tales that appeared in the ‘pulp’ magazines of the early Twentieth Century, and it was in that genre that I acquired my writing skills in the 1930s and 1940s.”

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"Sentinel of Eternity" by Arthur C Clarke, 1951

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Brains behind 2001: A Space Odyssey at Borehamwood Studios, UK, circa 1965: It all started with a short story first published in a pulp SF magazine in 1951!

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Frederick Ira Ordway III (April 4, 1927 – July 1, 2014)

Space scientist and author of visionary books on spaceflight

Science & technical consultant to Kubrick & Clarke on 2001: A Space Odyssey

Tasked by Kubrick to ‘research’ near future scenarios

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Long Shadow: On Sri Lanka?First image of India and Sri Lanka from space – by Gemini XI astronauts in 1966

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Long Shadow: On Sri Lanka? Lanka never had pulp magazine

industry (market too small?) US pulps & comics sold in

secondhand bookstores Impacted some readers, writers

& illustrators in 1940s onwards Likely influence in: chitra katha

(Lankan comics in Sinhala) and maraka katha (crime fiction)

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Sinhala Chitra Katha (comics) 1951 Oct: Lankadeepa started

Neela by artist G S Fernando Modelled on Tarzan stories 1952: Susil Premaratne starts

another Lankadeepa comic 1954: Lake House Group follows

with their own Chita Katha By mid 1950s: most newspapers 1970s: all-comic newspapers

Source: Chitra Kathawe Wansa Kathawa by Sunil Ariyaratne, 2007

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G S Fernando (1904 – 1990)http://lankacomics.com/cartoon-artists/g-s-fernando/

Best known as political cartoonist, he also drew book covers, comics and paintings

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Susil Premaratne (1925 – 2010) Illustrator, singer,

creator of several early Sinhala chitra katha series

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Lankan comic collection covers: Pulp art influence clearly visible?

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Ran Dupatha (Golden Island): First Sinhala Chitra Katha in book form

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Maraka Katha:Deeman Ananda (1933 – 2007)

Real name: Dilie Weerakoon Introduced a simple detective

& thriller narrative in Sinhlala Known as 'Maraka Katha' Low cost books, sold cheap Wrote over 1,000 novels Ridiculed & condemned by

literary mainstream as ‘trash’ Banned by teachers, parents!

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Deeman Ananda Books

First Book - Gangthera Holmana ( ගංතෙ�ර තෙ�ොල්මන)

- Mineemaru Javarama ( මිනීමරු ජොවොරම)- Pav Paladima ( පව් පලදීම)- Me Kandulu Kageda ( තෙ� කදුළු කොතෙ�ද?)- Rivolvarayayi Mamai (රිතෙවොල්වරයයි, මමයි)- Brigadiar M ( බ්‍රි�තෙ�ඩියර් එ�)

1009th Book - Seda Sulanga ( සුඩ සුළග)

Books were priced from 60 cents to 1 Rupeewhen originally published in 1960s and 1970s

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Deeman Ananda knew art of good story-telling, even if some were not original

Those who started with his books went on to read more ‘classical’ literature later

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What Use is Science Fiction?(besides entertainment, that is…)

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Early warning system for our times?

"I was not predicting the future, I was trying to prevent it!" - Ray Bradbury(1920 – 2012)

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“Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction -- its essence -- has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all.” - Isaac Asimov

What Use is Science Fiction?

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What good is science fiction?“Science fiction is more than just entertainment – it’s a crash course in using your imagination, in sharpening your ability to speculate. Its predictive value is not that great; its ability to encourage that streak of curiosity in kids and even adults is enormous.”- Frank M Robinson (1926-2014)

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Pragmatic Advice? This is the way

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Science Fiction for Space Applications: ESA Study in 2001

European Space Agency (ESA) study, edited by David Raitt, pub June 2001

Explored popular & classical science fiction in English and other languages

Looking for ideas that can be pursued by research

http://www.esa.int/esapub/br/br176/br176.pdf

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Science Fiction for Space Applications: ESA StudySections/chapters: Propulsion Techniques Colonization of Space Energy & Power Computer & Communications Robotics & Cyborgs Launch Systems Resources and Materials Other technologies

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Don’t just do something…Sit There! (Goofing off has value, too!)

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“Our children should be studying Arthur C. Clarke, William Tenn, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury and Robert Sheckley, not because these writers can tell them about rocket ships and time machines but, more important, because they can lead young minds through an imaginative exploration of the jungle of political, social, psychological, and ethical issues that will confront these children as adults.” ― Alvin Toffler, Future Shock

Science Fiction: Survival guide to complex life in 21st Century?

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The Journey Continues…

http://imagination.ucsd.edu

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Go on, make mistakes! This is the way

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That’s it, folks! Email:[email protected]:http://nalakagunawardene.com Twitter:twitter.com/NalakaG