영어로 읽는 공상과학 소설 _ 시릴 M. 콘블루스의 위기
이 책은 C.M. 콘블루스가 Science Fiction Quarterly Spring 1942에 출간한 공상과학소설입니다.
C. M. Kornbluth(Cyril M. Kornbluth, 1923-1958)는 미국의 SF 작가입니다.
그는 15세의 어린 나이에 첫 작품을 발표했으며, "The Futurians"이라는 SF 팬 그룹의 멤버로 활동했습니다. 제2차 세계대전에 참전한 후, 전업 작가로서의 경력을 시작했습니다.
Kornbluth는 Frederik Pohl와의 공동 작업으로도 유명한데, "The Space Merchants"(1953)가 대표적입니다. 그의 작품들은 대체로 날카로운 사회 비판과 블랙 유머를 특징으로 합니다.
주요 작품으로는 "The Marching Morons"(1951), "The Syndic"(1953), "Not This August"(1955) 등이 있습니다.
안타깝게도 34세라는 젊은 나이에 심장마비로 사망했지만, 그의 작품들은 SF 장르에서 중요한 영향을 미쳤으며, 특히 디스토피아 소설의 발전에 큰 기여를 했다고 평가받고 있습니다.
Reading Science Fiction in English _ Crisis! by C. M. Kornbluth
This book is a science fiction novel published by C.M. Kornbluth in Science Fiction Quarterly Spring 1942.
C. M. Kornbluth (1923-1958) was an American science fiction writer.
He published his first work at the young age of 15 and was a member of the science fiction fan group "The Futurians." After serving in World War II, he began his career as a full-time writer.
Kornbluth is also famous for his collaboration with Frederik Pohl, most notably "The Space Merchants" (1953). His works are generally characterized by sharp social criticism and black humor.
His major works include "The Marching Morons" (1951), "The Syndic" (1953), and "Not This August" (1955). Although he sadly died of a heart attack at the young age of 34, his works are considered to have had a significant influence on the science fiction genre, particularly in contributing to the development of dystopian fiction.
Summary
When the Diplomacy Bureau at home is composed of hopeless incompetents, the Venusians are rattling the sabre, and it looks as if an utterly senseless war is going to result, a little screwball stuff can be forgiven—if it works!
If the Karfiness hadn't cut herself badly while she was trimming her chelae one morning the whole mess might never have happened. But fashion decreed that the ropy circle of tentacles about the neck of the female Martian would be worn short that year, and everybody in the Matriarchy, from Girl Guide to the Serene Karfiness herself, obeyed without question.
That was why her temper was short that morning, and why she snapped at the Venusian Plenipotentiary who had come to chat with her concerning the space-mining rights for the following year.
Cyril M. Kornbluth는 20세기 중반 미국 과학 소설계의 중요한 작가로, 1923년 뉴욕에서 태어나 1958년 불과 34세의 젊은 나이에 세상을 떠났다. 그는 짧은 생애에도 불구하고 과학 소설 장르에 깊은 영향을 미쳤다. Kornbluth는 10대 시절부터 글쓰기를 시작해 "The Futurians"이라는 과학 소설 팬 그룹의 일원으로 활동했다. 그의 작품은 날카로운 풍자와 암울한 미래 전망으로 유명했으며, "The Marching Morons"(1951)같은 단편은 과학 소설의 고전으로 여겨진다. Frederik Pohl과의 공동 작업으로 탄생한 "The Space Merchants"(1953)는 그의 가장 유명한 작품 중 하나로, 광고와 소비주의가 지배하는 디스토피아적 미래를 그려내 큰 주목을 받았다. Kornbluth의 작품은 사회 비평적 요소가 강했으며, 인간의 어리석음과 사회의 모순을 신랄하게 비판했다. 그의 갑작스러운 죽음은 과학 소설계에 큰 손실이었지만, 그가 남긴 작품들은 오늘날까지도 높이 평가받으며 현대 과학 소설에 지속적인 영향을 미치고 있다.
Cyril M. Kornbluth was an important American science fiction writer of the mid-20th century. He was born in New York City in 1923 and died in 1958 at the young age of 34. Despite his short life, he had a profound influence on the genre. Kornbluth began writing as a teenager and was a member of a science fiction fan group called "The Futurians." His works were known for their sharp satire and bleak visions of the future, and short stories such as "The Marching Morons" (1951) are considered classics of science fiction. "The Space Merchants" (1953), a collaboration with Frederik Pohl, is one of his most famous works, and it garnered much attention for its dystopian future dominated by advertising and consumerism. Kornbluth's works were strongly socially critical, sharply criticizing human folly and the contradictions of society. Although his sudden death was a great loss to the world of science fiction, his works remain highly regarded to this day and have a lasting influence on modern science fiction.