Continuum : French science fiction short stories

Continuum French science fiction short stories

Book - 2024

"This unique collection of newly translated short stories offers a taste of classic and contemporary French science fiction to English-language readers. These stories cover a range of fascinating topics including simulated reality, speciesism, ecology, and transhumanism-all while exploring universal themes of belonging, death, and identity. Some of the authors featured in this anthology, like Julia Verlanger, Sylvie Denis, or Jean-Claude Dunyach, have shaped the history of French science fiction after World War II. Curated by Annabelle Dolidon and Tessa Sermet, French language and literature professors who share a love for the genre, these nine stories showcase some of the brilliant mid- to late twentieth century and twentieth century ...French contributions to science fiction. Dolidon and Sermet provide illuminating expansions that accompany each tale and fascinating insights into the evolution of French and American science fiction. The discussion opportunities are also a wonderful resource for teachers and students of French literature and French culture as well as English and comparative literature. This anthology is a great opportunity to discover French sci-fi in English translation for fans or readers new to the genre"--

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Subjects
Science fiction, French > Translations into English.
Short stories, French > Translations into English.
Science fiction.
Short stories.
Genres
Science fiction
Short stories
Published
Portland, Oregon : Ooligan Press [2024]
Language
English
French
Physical Description
283 pages ; 22 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9781947845473
  • Introduction / Annabelle Dolidon and Tessa Sermet
  • The bubbles / Julia Verlanger, translated by Tessa Sermet
  • So far from home / Jacques Sternberg, translated by Brian Mather
  • That which is not named / Roland C. Wagner, translated by Annabelle Dolidon
  • The liberator / Colette Fayard, translated by Annabelle Dolidon
  • Nowhere in Liverion / Serge Lehman, translated by Jean-Louis Trudel
  • Inside, outside / Sylvie Denis, translated by Aishwarya Marathe with Annabelle Dolidon
  • The swing of your gait / Sylvie Lainé, translated by Aurélie Brémont and Jean-Louis Trudel
  • Beyond the terminator / Laurence Suhner, translated by Sheryl Curtis
  • The city, that night / Jean-Claude Dunyach, translated by Tessa Sermet.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

French literary scholars Dolidon and Sermet do a stellar job assembling this anthology of nine sci-fi shorts originally published between 1956 and 2021 and appearing in English for the first time. Their introduction provides an insightful overview of French sci-fi as a genre, and places the selections in needed cultural and historical context. The most memorable tale is the oldest, Julia Verlanger's 1956 "The Bubbles," trans. by Sermet. The narrator is a 16-year-old girl in a future where creatures resembling giant iridescent soap bubbles prey on humans, transforming them into "the Others." In response to this deadly threat, the world is in lockdown, and Verlanger brilliantly evokes the resulting claustrophobia, isolation, and loneliness on the way to a gut-punch ending. Roland C. Wagner's 1985 "That Which Is Not Named," trans. by Dolidon, is another standout, inventively imagining an isolated humanoid civilization that has been "unlearning" its history for centuries due to a belief that anything unnamed does not actually exist. The astonishing array of talent, mostly unknown to English readers, makes this a necessary addition to any true sci-fi aficionado's library. (Apr.)

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