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Interim Newsletter, November 1949

Page 5

                                          5
   Ken Slater gives "A fan's eye view of Germany."

   Being in the British Arhy, I am perforce unable to write as freely as could a person visiting Germany as a "tourist". However, my stay in Germany is likewise of greater duration, also perforce, than is that of a tourist.

   Fantasy, as we know it, is practically unknown in Germany to day. In fact to the average person such names as Thea von Harbou and Hans Dominick, convey nothing. Nevertheless some fantasy is being produced in Germany; there are no "fantasy" magazines, but the odd book on an stf basis does get published. The only one I possess of modern production I owe to a visit of Major Oscar G. Estes, USAAF, fan and artist. To him also I am indebted for the knowledge of the generic term for such literature in Germany, "Zukunftroman", literally "Future romance". This term applied equally well whether the tale may be a cave man story or epic of one million A.D. I have subsequently learned.

   (Ken digresses in his letter to comment on the German people and then concludes:-)

   One final point: the average German (and this includes three from the Hartz) has never heard of:- (a) A Vampire, (b) A Poltergeist, (c) A Werewolf and (d) The Teufel and the Brocken on Walpurgisnacht.

                       -oOo-

   (I don't wonder that they haven't heard of the last one. What ever it is I hope it's clean or we'll have complaints. Ken is giving SFI valuable assistance in the British stf field. Ed.)

   R. (Bob) Flavie Carson writes:-

   Although many years have elapsed since the publication of Jules Verne's fantastic novels of invention and adventure, science fiction has become only recently a recognized form of literature in its own right.

    With the advent of the stories of Robert A. Heinlein in the Saturday Evening Post science fiction broke into present day big time literature. Science fiction is now receiving the popular approval of the general reading public and is rapidly branching out to all aspects of our so-called civilized culture.

  This is all by way of introducing my belief that the people who join stf clubs and organizations are basically those persons who read and enjoy good literature and who know good literature when they read it. It may well be the case that every sincere stf fan is at hear a dyed-in-the-wool bookworm.

   Now, I submit, who ever heard of a bookworm who has not acquainted himself with the wonders of poetry? And poetry is as much literature as literature itself. Poetry has as much a place in the fanzines of science fiction as do the letter departments, fact articles, fiction pieces, book reviews and editorials. Science fiction is science fiction and simply because it may sometimes appear in the guise of poetry is no reason why it should be ignored.

   Perhaps those individuals among stf fandom who insist that poetry is "no go" have never gotten into the right poetry. A 
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5 Ken Slater gives "A fan's eye view of Germany." Being in the British Arhy, I am perforce unable to write as freely as could a person visiting Germany as a "tourist". However, my stay in Germany is likewise of greater duration, also perforce, than is that of a tourist. Fantasy, as we know it, is practically unknown in Germany to day. In fact to the average person such names as Thea von Harbou and Hans Dominick, convey nothing. Nevertheless some fantasy is being produced in Germany; there are no "fantasy" magazines, but the odd book on an stf basis does get published. The only one I possess of modern production I owe to a visit of Major Oscar G. Estes, USAAF, fan and artist. To him also I am indebted for the knowledge of the generic term for such literature in Germany, "Zukunftroman", literally "Future romance". This term applied equally well whether the tale may be a cave man story or epic of one million A.D. I have subsequently learned. (Ken digresses in his letter to comment on the German people and then concludes:-) One final point: the average German (and this includes three from the Hartz) has never heard of:- (a) A Vampire, (b) A Poltergeist, (c) A Werewolf and (d) The Teufel and the Brocken on Walpurgisnacht. -oOo- (I don't wonder that they haven't heard of the last one. What ever it is I hope it's clean or we'll have complaints. Ken is giving SFI valuable assistance in the British stf field. Ed.) R. (Bob) Flavie Carson writes:- Although many years have elapsed since the publication of Jules Verne's fantastic novels of invention and adventure, science fiction has become only recently a recognized form of literature in its own right. With the advent of the stories of Robert A. Heinlein in the Saturday Evening Post science fiction broke into present day big time literature. Science fiction is now receiving the popular approval of the general reading public and is rapidly branching out to all aspects of our so-called civilized culture. This is all by way of introducing my belief that the people who join stf clubs and organizations are basically those persons who read and enjoy good literature and who know good literature when they read it. It may well be the case that every sincere stf fan is at hear a dyed-in-the-wool bookworm. Now, I submit, who ever heard of a bookworm who has not acquainted himself with the wonders of poetry? And poetry is as much literature as literature itself. Poetry has as much a place in the fanzines of science fiction as do the letter departments, fact articles, fiction pieces, book reviews and editorials. Science fiction is science fiction and simply because it may sometimes appear in the guise of poetry is no reason why it should be ignored. Perhaps those individuals among stf fandom who insist that poetry is "no go" have never gotten into the right poetry. A (Next page)