How did Russian & Soviet writers imagine the FUTURE? (PICS)

Russian writers can be broadly divided into "optimists" and "pessimists". The former envisioned a future of technological progress, social harmony and the flourishing of the individual. The latter saw the same, but with a negative twist.

Nikolai Chernyshevsky, ‘What Is to Be Done?’ (1863)

The novel itself isn't science fiction – it's set in the mid-19th century and tells the story of reformers and revolutionaries. But, Vera Pavlovna, the main character, has progressive dreams that are quite futuristic in nature. One of them depicts an ideal future society, where people live in beautiful glass and metal palaces, work together and are free from capitalist exploitation. In this dream, humans live in complete harmony with nature; fields and greenhouses yield abundant harvests and all heavy physical labor is performed by machines. The "new people" are rational, altruistic and have the opportunity to realize their potential in a harmonious society. Men and women are equal and, thanks to a happy life, old age comes very late.

Alexei Tolstoy, ‘Aelita’ (1923)

This novel about a flight to Mars became a landmark work on space travel. Engineer Mstislav Los and Red Army soldier Alexei Gusev set off for Mars. There, they discover a highly developed civilization of Atlantean descendants, ruled by a dictator. While Gusev bonds with the Martian lower classes and prepares to spark a revolution, engineer Los falls in love with Aelita, the ruler's daughter, who returns his feelings.

For 1923, the technical aspects of the flight are described in a very advanced manner. The Earthlings' spacecraft is a massive steel egg, which Tolstoy called an "interplanetary airship". It features a thermal insulation system and oxygen reserves stored in tanks. Martian technology is also impressive: the locals fly in winged craft and use a "foggy ball" for communication – a device resembling a holographic projector or movie screen.

Alexander Belyaev, ‘The Head of Professor Dowell’ (1925), ‘The Amphibian Man’ (1927), ‘The Star of the KEC’ (1936)

Belyaev is often dubbed the ‘Russian Jules Verne’ for his astonishing ability to foresee future scientific discoveries. In ‘The Amphibian Man’, he predicted the invention of the aqualung and the possibility of humans staying underwater for extended periods: A brilliant scientist named Salvator transplants the gills of a young shark into a young man. In ‘The Head of Professor Dowell', he explores organ transplants and even the reanimation of individual body parts. "The Star of the KEC’ – about the first Soviet orbital station – predicted actual future space programs. The KEC Star has everything needed for life and work: artificial gravity, life support systems, spacesuits for spacewalks and greenhouses for growing plants. Faith in science's ability to transform human life was the central theme of his works.

Ivan Efremov, ‘The Andromeda Nebula’ (1957)

The novel depicts communism on a galactic scale. The author created a grandiose canvas of a bright future, in which humanity, having united into a communist civilization, has ventured into space. In this world, war, disease and hunger have been vanquished and even the maternal instinct has given way to the communal upbringing of children. People live long, creative lives, guided by the principles of humanism and friendship. Although this ideal world has its own internal contradictions (a certain coldness, the atrophy of some "natural" feelings), it became the epitome of a communist utopia for millions of Soviet readers.

Yevgeny Zamyatin, ‘We’ (1920)

This is a classic dystopian novel that had a profound influence on world literature. Zamyatin anticipated Aldous Huxley's ‘Brave New World’ and George Orwell's ‘1984’, even though his work was not published in the USSR during his lifetime. ‘We’ is set in the distant future in a ‘United State’, where people have no names, only numbers. Everything is perfectly mathematically calibrated; people's lives are transparent (literally, glass walls) and subject to the total control of the ‘Benefactor’. The novel's central tragedy lies not so much in political violence as in the stifling of the human spirit, love and freedom by the iron "we" in the name of rationality. All aspects of human life, including love, are strictly regulated. 

Vladimir Voynovich ‘Moscow 2042’ (1986)

The story creates a grotesque, satirical portrayal of the Moscow of the future. Love for the leader and his ideas is instilled in all residents from childhood. The mission of art is not to reflect life, but to "transform" it; that is, to adapt it to the general party line. Writers hold military ranks and work under the guidance of critics from the state security service. The economy is based on the collection of "byproducts" – human waste, which is processed back into food. People receive coupons and financial rewards for turning in these byproducts. Due to a lack of motivation, people work poorly. Gasoline-powered cars have disappeared, replaced by steam and gas-powered vehicles, so the streets are covered in black soot and the buildings have turned black.

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, ‘Noon, 22nd Century’ (1962)

Early in their careers, the brothers and their co-authors, in keeping with the spirit of Khrushchev’s ‘Thaw’, created a communist utopia. Communism had triumphed on Earth; war, violence, disease and private property had vanished. United humanity is governed by the World Council, consisting of educated and respected people – scientists, doctors and teachers.. Creative work becomes the greatest joy and the meaning of life. People are happy because they can pursue their passions. They can afford personal flying vehicles. There are self-driving roads and food delivery to homes. Household and routine tasks and chores are performed by robot gardeners and robot shepherds. The ‘Scattered Information Collector’, reminiscent of the modern internet, is used for analyzing and retrieving information.