Janusz Andrzej Zajdel | |
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Born | 15 August 1938 Warsaw, Poland |
Died | 19 July 1985 (aged 47) Warsaw, Poland |
Occupation | Writer |
Nationality | Polish |
Period | 1961–1985 |
Genre | science fiction, social science fiction |
Janusz Andrzej Zajdel (15 August 1938 – 19 July 1985) was a prominent Polish science-fiction author, second in popularity in Poland to Stanisław Lem. His major genres were social-science fiction and dystopia. His main recurring theme involved the gloomy prospects for a space environment into which mankind carried totalitarian ideas and habits: Red Space Republics, or Space Labor Camps, or both. His heroes desperately try to find meaning in the world around them. His novels are recognized as classics of science fiction in Poland.
His most famous works are five social-science fiction novels: Cylinder van Troffa (Van Troff's Cylinder, 1980); Limes inferior (The Lower Limit, 1982); Cała prawda o planecie Ksi (The Whole Truth about Planet Xi, 1983); Wyjście z cienia (Coming out of the Shadow, 1983); and Paradyzja (Paradise: World in Orbit, 1984).
The Polish science fiction fandom award was named after him: the Janusz A. Zajdel Award. He was a trustee of World SF.
Janusz Zajdel was born 15 August 1938 in Warsaw, Poland. He studied physics at the University of Warsaw. After graduating, he worked many years as a radiological engineer and an expert on nuclear physics at the Central Laboratory of Radiological Protection in Poland. He published a number of academic works, handbooks of safety regulations, and educational texts.