Synopses & Reviews
The first book translated into English by the patron saint of Cuban science fiction: a canonical, riveting parable in the vein of Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey about the intense pressures of life inside Communist Cuba.This mesmerizing novel, reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, is a sciencefiction survival story that captures the intense pressures—economic, ideological, psychological—inside Communist Cuba. A Legend of the Future by Agustín de Rojas, the father of Cuban Science Fiction, takes place inside a spaceship on a mission to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, while back on Earth, warring super powers threaten the fate of humanity. When the ship malfunctions on the return journey, the crewmembers must face their innermost fears amidst experiments in psychological and emotional conditioning and aliens that may or may not be real.
Synopsis
Finally, we have the chance to read a landmark work from one of Cuba s greatest science fiction writers . If you like intensely psychological sci-fi that deftly piles on the suspense, this novel s for you . The boundaries between dream and reality, and then between human and machine, almost melt away as the story progresses. And it is de Rojas s skillful manipulation of those boundaries that makes A Legend of the Future so addictive. SF Signal
The first book by the father of Cuban science fiction to be translated into English, this mesmerizing novel, reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke s 2001: A Space Odyssey, is a science-fiction survival story that captures the intense pressures economic, ideological, and psychological inside Communist Cuba.
A Legend of the Future takes place inside a spaceship on a groundbreaking mission to Titan, one of Saturn s moons; back home, a final conflict between warring superpowers threatens the fate of the Earth. When disaster strikes the ship, the crewmembers are forced into a grand experiment in psychological and emotional conditioning, in which they face not just their innermost fears, but the ultimate sacrifice their very humanity."
About the Author
Agustín de Rojas (19492011) is the patron saint of Cuban science fiction. A professor of the history of theater at the Escuela de Instructores de Arte in Villa Clara, he authored a canonical trilogy of novels consisting of
Espiral (Spiral, 1982), for which he was awarded the David Prize;
Una leyenda del future (A Legend of the Future, 1985);
and El año 200 (The Year 200, 1990), all of which are scheduled for publication in English translation by Restless Books. While he was heavily influenced by Ray Bradbury and translated Isaac Asimov into Spanish, de Rojas aligned himself mostly with Soviet writers such as Ivan Yefremov and the brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. After the fall of the Soviet Union, de Rojas stopped writing science fiction. He spent his final years persuaded—and persuading others—that Fidel Castro did not exist.
Nick Caistor is a British journalist, nonfiction author, and translator of Spanish and Portuguese literature. He has translated Cesar Aira, Paulo Coelho, Eduardo Mendoza, Juan Marsé, and Manuel Vázquez Montalban, and he has twice won the ValleInclán Prize for translation. He regularly contributes to Radio 4, the BBC World Service, the Times Literary Supplement, and the Guardian. He lives in Norwich, England.