Alexander Beliaev

Alexander Beliaev (Алекса́ндр Рома́нович Беля́ев IPA: [ʌlʲɪˈksandr rʌˈmanəvʲɪtɕ bʲɪlʲæjɪf] (1884–1942) is a Russian author of science fiction whose body of work from the 1920s and 1930s made him a highly regarded Russian author in that field. His published works include Professor Dowell's Head (Голова профессора Доуэля), Amphibian Man (Человек-амфибия), Ariel (Ариэль), and The Star KETs (Звезда Кэц; KETs are the initials of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky), The Air Seller and many more.

Born in Smolensk, young Alexander dreamed of flying and one day climbed to the roof of a barn. In his leap from there, he severely injured his spine. By his mid-twenties, Beliaev suffered constant pain from the injuries and would become paralyzed for months at a time. In his convalescence, he turned to the work of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and began to write novels in earnest.

Beliaev died of hunger in the Soviet town of Pushkin in 1942 while it was occupied by the Nazis. His wife and daughter, who managed to survive, were taken away to Poland by the Nazis.


Bibliography

Novels
Amphibian (1928), Moscow, Raduga Publisher, 1986. ISBN 5-05-000659-7
Professor Dowell's head (1979), New York, Macmillan, 1980. ISBN 0-02-508370-8
Struggle in Space