February 2024: "Newton's Brain" by Jakub Arbes

[Ed]

In keeping with the theme of this group, we like to do old stories as well as new.

This time I've picked Newton's Brain by Jakub Arbes. This story was published in Czech in 1877 and in English in 1892.

It is a bit long, more of a novella than a short story, but interesting for it's history. Though Isaac Newton's actual brain does appear in this story, that is not really the SF part. (There are fantasy parts in the story as well.) It may have inspired HG Wells.

The full text is available online in 4 parts here: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Newton...

There is also a book version from 2021 linked above, and a new English translation coming in March.

[Ed]

I asked an AI to summarize the story. Here you go:

The book tells the story of a young man of science whose beliefs are tested when his childhood. The plot revolves around the brain of the genius and trickster apparently dying at the Battle of Königgrätz in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.

[Oleksandr]

:)
Czech wiki says it is the first Czech SF. I even found a free e-version of the original

[Ed]

One could argue whether it is or is not SF, so I'd say proto-SF. The author called his works "romanettos".

Wikipedia defines it thus: "Works in this genre are usually shorter than a novel and their stories include something seemingly paranormal, which is explained afterwards with the use of scientific facts. Although this genre came before, it resembles science fiction."

It is also compared to early detective fiction and the works of Poe (who did early detective fiction and proto-SF).

[Ryan]

I wonder why there's a new translation? Maybe it's worth waiting for, especially if the existing translation is old.

[Oleksandr]

Ryan wrote: "I wonder why there's a new translation? Maybe it's worth waiting for, especially if the existing translation is old."

I doubt that there is any new translation in the making. The piece I guess (yet to read it) is more interesting for the history of SF than for present-day broad public

[Ed]

There is a new translation coming. Newton's Brain translated by David Short is coming March 31, 2024 by Jantar Publishing. That is, in fact, how I became aware of this. (The cover looks old , but it is a new book.)

Jantar publishing was "Founded in 2011 by Michael Tate and a group of his friends, Jantar’s guiding principle was to select, publish and make accessible previously inaccessible works of Central European Literary Fiction through translations into English… texts ‘trapped in amber’"

I look forward to seeing what else they may uncover.

I hesitated about picking this story before that is released, but I did it anyway. If you choose to wait for that version, feel free to come back here with your comments at that time.

[Ed]

That publisher has also recently released "The Science of the Stars" by Gustáv Reuss. Written in 1856 in Slovak. Also translated by David Short. (Maybe the first SF in Slovak.)

Krutohlav, a country gentleman from rural Central Europe sets off to explore the solar system. His first attempt to travel to the moon in a balloon ends in failure after crashlanding in the Egyptian desert. Instead of giving up, Krutohlav builds a new craft powered by gunpowder and travels with his neighbours around our solar system. These are his collected memoirs.

Already available in Britain. Coming to USA on Feb 15.

[Oleksandr]

Thanks for the info, Ed!