Russian and East European Science Fiction

This seminar examines Russian and East European sci-fi in its historical trajectory and in dialogue with works from other traditions. Through close examination of foundational texts and films, from interwar dystopias (Zamyatin) to stories of invasion, reproduction, and generation (Bulgakov), to robots (Capek, Asimov, Lem), Cold-War imagery, space exploration (Kubrick, Tarkovsky, Soderbergh), post-apocalyptic scenarios (Strugatsky), and the post-Soviet aesthetics (Pelevin), we will discuss the hopes, fears, values, and worldviews that characterize the time periods and societies in which those works were produced. All readings are in English.