“Le Livre des prefaces”, an essential part of Gérard Klein in SF

This is not a science fiction story. Advertising – the warning? From the author himself, it cannot be taken lightly. In fact, this Introduction book It was not designed and built this way. It collects, for the first time, all the introductions that Gérard Klein has written to science fiction novels. The writer has already worked for a long time as the head of literary collections, notably in Robert Lafont’s “Ailleurs et Demain”, or those dedicated to S.F. to the pocket book. It was in this context that he wrote these introductory texts, which were first compiled into this imposing collection.

Science fiction flourishes in the US in ‘pulp’

So this isn’t a science fiction story, but let’s admit it’s fun to explore the genealogy of a sixth with this book whose ample erudition is never overwhelming. This is due to the advent of the term “sci-fi”. This type of literature was brought to the United States by these single vectors that were pulp, popular and inexpensive magazines, of which he was the first representative Argosy Founded in 1882.

Fantastic initiative from Tweet embed Instead of collecting the Introductions by Gerard Klein in one volume. Sexy, decent sci-fi worker work Tweet embed Tweet embed Tweet embed Tweet embed Tweet embed pic.twitter.com/hKOvyW3Jw2

– Oliver Lascar December 14, 2021

Two years later, Hugo Gernsbach was born in Luxembourg and emigrated across the Atlantic in 1904. His role in the development of the genre was relatively narrative, but it is interesting to discover it in Introduction book He is the inventor of the term “sci-fi”. This engineer by training and a man of the press circa 1910 created the Popular Science Review modern electricity Which gradually opens its pages to stories that unleash the imagination. Gernsbach is a fertile soul who published his own novel in 1911 Ralph 124 C 41+ : “It is almost illegible today, Gerard Klein notes, This novel is filled with technological predictions that came true later, from radar to solar energy to the era of plastics.”

From “science” to “sci-fi”

Hugo Gernsback has finally decided to create a review entirely dedicated to what has not yet been called science fiction. that it amazing stories, its first issue was published in April 1926. This magazine became the ambassador of the first new term given to the genre: The subtitle ‘Scientific Journal’ appears only on page 3 at the top of the Greenback editorial, Small note. amazing stories It was sold after the bankruptcy of Gernsbach in 1929 which led to the loss of use of the word “ugly” in science. A professional journalist, he was not discouraged by Grensback, and in 1929 launched no less than three magazines under the title great storiesAnd Gerard Klein resumes. It is featured in the opening of the first issue of Stories of the wonders of science That he uses the term science fiction, which can no longer be contested but also does not belong to it because it is made up of two words in common.”

“Le Livre des prefaces” by Gerard Klein, editor. pocket book. 1240 pages 21.90 euros.