Indian Science Fiction

Indian Science Fiction
Author: Suparno Banerjee
Publisher: University of Wales Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2020-10-15
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 178683667X

This study draws from postcolonial theory, science fiction criticism, utopian studies, genre theory, Western and Indian philosophy and history to propose that Indian science fiction functions at the intersection of Indian and Western cultures. The author deploys a diachronic and comparative approach in examining the multilingual science fiction traditions of India to trace the overarching generic evolutions, which he complements with an analysis of specific patterns of hybridity in the genre’s formal and thematic elements – time, space, characters and the epistemologies that build the worlds in Indian science fiction. The work explores the larger patterns and connections visible despite the linguistic and cultural diversities of Indian science fiction traditions.

The Simoqin Prophecies

The Simoqin Prophecies
Author: Samit Basu
Publisher: Penguin Books India
Total Pages: 516
Release: 2006-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780144000777

India'S First Ever Sff (Science Fiction/Fantasy) Genre Novel In English The Simoqin Prophecies Marks The Debut Of An Assured New Voice. Written With Consummate Ease And Brimming With Wit And Allusion, It Is At Once Classic Sff And Subtle Spoof, Featuring Scantily Clad Centauresses, Flying Carpets, Pink Trolls, Belly Dancers And Homicidal Rabbits. Monty Python Meets The Ramayana, Alice In Wonderland Meets The Lord Of The Rings And Robin Hood Meets The Arabian Nights In This Novel A Breathtaking Ride Through A World Peopled By Different Races And Cultures From Mythology And History. The Prophecies Foretell The Reawakening Of The Terrible Rakshas, Danh-Gem, And The Arrival Of A Hero To Face Him. But Heroes Do Not Appear Magically Out Of Nowhere; They Have To Be Found And Trained. And Sometimes The Makers Of Prophecies Don'T Know Everything They Need To Know... As The Day Of Danh-Gem'S Rising Draws Closer And The Chosen Hero Is Sent On A Quest, Another Young Man Learns Of Terrible Things He Must Do In Secret And The Difficult Choices He Must Make In Order To Save The World From The Rakshas. Drawn From A Variety Of Sources Ranging From Greek And Indian Epics To Spy Novels, Fairy Tales To Superhero Comics, The Simoqin Prophecies Is A Compelling Tale, Marked By Meticulous Plotting And Artful Storytelling A Page-Turner Sure To Grip You From Start To Finish.

Science Fiction and Indian Women Writers

Science Fiction and Indian Women Writers
Author: Urvashi Kuhad
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2021-07-29
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1000415864

Science fiction, as a literature of fantasy, goes beyond the mundane to ask the question: what if the world were different from the way it is? It often challenges the real, builds on imagination, places no limits on human capacities, and encourages readers to think outside their social and cultural conditioning. This book presents a systematic study of Indian women’s science fiction. It offers a critical analysis of the works of four female Indian writers of science fiction: Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, Manjula Padmanabhan, Priya Sarukkai Chabria and Vandana Singh. The author considers not only the evolution of science fiction writing in India, but also discusses the use of innovations and unique themes including science fiction in different Indian languages; the literary, political, and educational activism of the women writers; and eco-feminism and the idea of cloning in writing, to argue that this genre could be viewed as a vibrant representation of freedom of expression and radical literature. This ground-breaking volume will be useful for scholars and researchers of English literature. It will also prove a very useful source for further studies into Indian literature, science and technology studies, women’s and gender studies, comparative literature and cultural studies.

Indian Stereotypes in TV Science Fiction

Indian Stereotypes in TV Science Fiction
Author: Sierra S. Adare
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2009-08-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0292796854

According to an early 1990s study, 95 percent of what college students know about Native Americans was acquired through the media, leading to widespread misunderstandings of First Nations peoples. Sierra Adare contends that negative "Indian" stereotypes do physical, mental, emotional, and financial harm to First Nations individuals. At its core, this book is a social study whose purpose is to explore the responses of First Nations peoples to representative "Indian" stereotypes portrayed within the TV science fiction genre. Participants in Adare's study viewed episodes from My Favorite Martian, Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager, Quantum Leap, The Adventures of Superman, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Reactions by viewers range from optimism to a deep-rooted sadness. The strongest responses came after viewing a Superman episode's depiction of an "evil medicine man" who uses a ceremonial pipe to kill a warrior. The significance of First Nations peoples' responses and reactions are both surprising and profound. After publication of "Indian" Stereotypes in TV Science Fiction, ignorance can no longer be used as an excuse for Hollywood's irresponsible depiction of First Nations peoples' culture, traditions, elders, religious beliefs, and sacred objects.

O.M.: The Indian Science Fiction Anthology

O.M.: The Indian Science Fiction Anthology
Author: Archana Mirajkar,
Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2023-12-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9360499994

The Coronavirus Pandemic was the single biggest battle of humanity against the unseen. Whenever the world has ever needed answers to some prominent questions, it has either turned to history or the imagination of philosophers, scientists and also the fictionists. Science Fiction, as a genre, aims to unlock the limitations created by the 'known' and the 'real', and explore the plausible with a backdrop of experience and observation. Few of the most revered Indian Science-Fictionists have created their own renditions of the Cavid-19 story of India, predicting the best-cases, worst-cases as well as other scenarios that we could have had to face. The essence of these stories is in 'how we would have arrived at that stage and what we would have done before and after it. The more we got to learn abou the virus, the less we seemed to know about the beings of the Universe as well as our own future. And with such a rising uncertainty, all we could do was hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. -RISHABH DUBEY 'KRIDIOUS

Science Fiction in India

Science Fiction in India
Author:
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2022-05-30
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9354351697

Nominated, 2023 Teaching Literature Book Award Indian Science Fiction has evolved over the years and can be seen making a mark for itself on the global scene. Dalit speculative fiction writer and editor Mimi Mondal is the first SF writer from India to have been nominated for the prestigious Hugo award. In fact, Indian SF addresses themes such as global climate change. Debates around G.C.C are not just limited to science fiction but also permeate in critical discussions on SF. This volume seeks to examine the different ways by which Indian SF narratives construct possible national futures. For this looking forward necessarily germinates from the current positional concerns of the nation. While some work has been done on Indian SF, there is still a perceptible lack of an academic rigor invested into the genre; primarily, perhaps, because of not only its relative unpopularity in India, but also its employment of futuristic sights. Towards the same, among other things, it proposes to study the growth and evolution of science fiction in India as a literary genre which accommodates the duality of the national consciousness as it simultaneously gazes ahead towards the future and glances back at the past. In other words, the book will explore how the tensions generated by the seemingly conflicting forces of tradition and modernity within the Indian historical landscape are realized through characteristic tropes of SF storytelling. It also intends to look at the interplay between the spatio-temporal coordinates of the nation and the SF narratives produced within to see, firstly, how one bears upon the other and, secondly, how processes of governance find relational structures with such narratives. Through these, the volume wishes to interrogate how postcolonial futures promise to articulate a more representative and nuanced picture of a contemporary reality that is rooted in a distinct cultural and colonial past.

Science Fiction in Colonial India, 18351905

Science Fiction in Colonial India, 18351905
Author: Mary Ellis Gibson
Publisher: Anthem Press
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2019-03-30
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1783088648

"Science Fiction in Colonial India, 1835–1905" shows, for the first time, how science fiction writing developed in India years before the writings of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. The five stories presented in this collection, in their cultural and political contexts, help form a new picture of English language writing in India and a new understanding of the connections among science fiction, modernity and empire. [NP] Speculative fiction developed early in India in part because the intrinsic dysfunction and violence of colonialism encouraged writers there to project alternative futures, whether utopian or dystopic. The stories in "Science Fiction in Colonial India, 1835–1905," created by Indian and British writers, responded to the intellectual ferment and political instabilities of colonial India. They add an important dimension to our understanding of Victorian empire, science fiction and speculative fictional narratives. They provide new examples of the imperial and the anti-imperial imaginations at work.

The Liverpool Companion to World Science Fiction Film

The Liverpool Companion to World Science Fiction Film
Author: Sonja Fritzsche
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2014
Genre: History
ISBN: 1781380384

The first comprehensive companion to science fiction film as a global, rather than solely Anglo-American, concern.

Arab and Muslim Science Fiction

Arab and Muslim Science Fiction
Author: Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 397
Release: 2022-03-21
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1476685231

How is science fiction from the Arab and Muslim world different than mainstream science fiction from the West? What distinctive and original contributions can it make? Why is it so often neglected in critical considerations of the genre? While other books have explored these questions, all have been from foreign academic voices. Instead, this book examines the nature, genesis, and history of Arabic and Muslim science fiction, as well as the challenges faced by its authors, in the authors' own words. These authors share their stories and struggles with censors, recalcitrant publishers, critics, the book market, and the literary establishment. Their uphill efforts, with critical contributions from academics, translators, and literary activists, will enlighten the sci-fi enthusiast and fill a gap in the history of science fiction. Topics covered range from culture shock to conflicts between tradition and modernity, proactive roles for female heroines, blind imitation of storytelling techniques, and language games.