Gennadiy Samoilovich Gor
Gennadiy Samoilovich Gor was a Russian author born in 1907, whose early life was marked by political upheaval during the First Russian Revolution. Born into a family involved in anti-government activities, he spent his first year in prison alongside his parents. Gor later pursued ethnography at Leningrad University, focusing on Russia's northern ethnic groups, which inspired much of his literary work. Initially writing for a young adult audience, Gor transitioned to science fiction around 1961, where he gained recognition for his exploration of sociological and psychological themes rather than traditional scientific frameworks. His work is often categorized as "philosophical fantasy," delving into concepts of personality and consciousness through characters experiencing displacement in time. Notable stories, like "A Dweller in Two Worlds," "The Garden," and "Theocrates' Blue Window," reflect these themes, often featuring time-travel elements. Despite his contributions, Gor remains relatively unknown in the United States and passed away in 1981, leaving behind a distinctive legacy in the realm of speculative fiction.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Gennadiy Samoilovich Gor
Writer
- Born: 1907
- Died: 1981
Biography
Gennadiy (also spelled Gennady) Samoilovich Gor was born in Russia in 1907 and spent his first year in prison. The period from 1905 to 1907 is sometimes referred to as the “First Russian Revolution,” an uprising of the working class that was violently crushed by the czarist government. Gor’s parents were involved in the revolution and Gor went to prison with them after they were charged with anti-government activity.
Little is known of Gor’s early education, but he later took ethnography at Leningrad University, where he studied Russia’s northern ethnic groups. He specialized in the art and folklore of these northern groups, and he wrote short stories and several novels about them. Starting around 1925, Gor also began writing books, stories, and essays about Soviet youths and scientists. Much of this material was written for a young adult audience.
By 1961, however, Gor had begun to write science fiction, and it is in that genre that he is best known. Gor did not write “hard” science fiction, based primarily on the core sciences such as physics and astronomy. Instead, Gor’s writing is much more sociological and psychological, and of a strongly personal nature. His work has sometimes been referred to as “philosophical fantasy,” as it explores the nature of personality and consciousness, often by featuring characters who are displaced in time. Perhaps the best-known illustration of these themes was Gor’s “A Dweller in Two Worlds.” However, most of the other stories by Gor that have been translated into English deal with similar issues. Both “The Garden” and “Theocrates’ Blue Window” feature characters who claim to be time travelers. “The Boy” tells the story of a young man who seems to have traveled to Earth on a spaceship and remained in a state of suspended animation since the Jurassic Period.
Gor lived for much of his life in St. Petersburg (later known as Leningrad, 1924-1991). He died in 1981 and is relatively unknown in the United States.