Dystopian Empires in Czech Science Fiction at the End of Communist Era
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | In 80's of 20th century a fantastic literature was in a specific position in former Czechoslovakia. Because of censorship controlling literary production and limiting thus any criticism of ruling totalitarian regime, authors, who didn’t want to write to establishment order and still be published, sought the special forms of self-expression; non-political or allegorical writing were among the choices. A genre of science fiction enabled both. However, to be a science fiction writer meant to move to the grey zone between legal and illegal, reluctantly tolerated and suspiciously watched by political organs of cultural front. The science fiction was for its inconsistency with proposed socialistic cultural line considered potentially dangerous and ambiguous – definitely not widely supported by censorship. On a few chosen texts, I would like to portray dystopian empires in relation with actual world (actual empires) and to draw attention to satire as a vehicle for expression of ethical and moral positions as well as impeachment of pseudo-moral principles, on which totalitarian empires are frequently based. |
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