Russian science fiction and fantasy
Elements of fantastical or supernatural fiction have been part of mainstream Russian literature since the 18th century. Russian fantasy developed from the centuries-old traditions of Slavic mythology and folklore. Russian science fiction emerged in the mid-19th century and rose to its golden age during the Soviet era, both in cinema and literature, with writers like the Strugatsky brothers, Kir Bulychov, and Mikhail Bulgakov, among others. Soviet filmmakers, such as Andrei Tarkovsky, also produced many science fiction and fantasy films. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, modern Russia experienced a renaissance of fantasy. Outside modern Russian borders, there are a significant number of Russophone writers and filmmakers from Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, who have made a notable contribution to the genres.
A 1967 Russian post stamp depicting an alien spaceship
The titular monster from Nikolai Gogol's gothic story Viy (1835)
Nikolai Gogol
Alexander Pushkin
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
The brothers Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky were Soviet-Russian science-fiction authors who collaborated through most of their careers.
1980s, in Arkady's Moscow flat
A translated Strugatsky story appeared in Amazing Stories in 1959
Boris Strugatsky in 2006