1956: a Year of Wonder in Science Fiction and Beyond (Science and Fiction)

Webb, Stephen

Springer Nature Switzerland AG（2026/04発売）

Springer Nature Switzerland AG（2026/04発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 393 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9783032165732

Full Description

1956 was a momentous year for science fiction, with the release of timeless films and the publication of classic novels and stories. It was also a pivotal year for the world at large, with events producing ripples we still feel seven decades later.

This book explores how the year's landmark works - films such as Forbidden Planet and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and stories such as Asimov's The Last Question and Clarke's The City and the Stars - emerged from their cultural context. Writers, artists, and film directors reflected the era's tension between optimism and anxiety, between the promise and peril of progress.

The book traces, month-by-month, events in five themes: science and technology; politics and the economy; entertainment and arts; celebrity culture; and competitive sport. This was a climate defined by rapid change - from the Suez Crisis to Elvis Presley's meteoric rise; from early computers to space race dreams. The science fiction emerging from this turbulent year helped form our collective imagination of tomorrow.