The science fiction genre was born quite a long time ago, and the writer Alexander Belyaev made an invaluable contribution to its development in the USSR. He devoted his whole life to this literary genre, and became in fact its founder, if we talk specifically about Russian-language literature. And then, years later, numerous followers followed in the footsteps of Belyaev, among whom, of course, there were also quite a few talented people.
The writer’s father was a priest. He also had a brother and sister, but only Alexander lived to adulthood. As a child, Belyaev, who loved music very much, independently, without teachers, mastered playing the violin and the piano. Even in his youth, when he was 18–20 years old, the future writer invented a “magic lantern” – a projector, which later had a great influence on the development of cinema. My father wanted Alexander Belyaev to follow in his footsteps, but, having finished the seminary, the future writer emerged from her as a staunch atheist. After graduation, he played for some time in the theater, participating in the productions of plays by Dostoevsky, Gogol and many other writers. Despite the lack of a desire for jurisprudence, Alexander Belyaev entered the law school in spite of his father.
In difficult times, he earned in a variety of ways – drawing theatrical scenery, giving private lessons, playing in the orchestra, and even writing notes to a local newspaper as a music critic. AR Belyaev made a truly invaluable contribution to the development of science fiction, so many critics call him “Russian Jules Verne”. When he was 35 years old, the disease led to paralysis. He moved to Yalta, where he continued to be treated and write books. It is this page of the biography of Alexander Belyaev that prompted him to write the famous “Head of Professor Dowell”.
He was married three times. Due to a backbone disease for almost three years, A. R. Belyaev lay in a plaster corset. He wrote not only prose, but also poems. However, fame brought him exactly the works in the genre of science fiction. The writer’s mother died of starvation. He, being bedridden, could do nothing. Only a few years after this event, he finally got to his feet. “Professor Dowell’s Head” was at first a rather short story. later Belyaev reworked it into a full-fledged novel. Because of his connection with the revolutionary student organizations, he was under the secret supervision of the gendarmerie.
When the Great Patriotic War began, the writer refused to evacuate, and soon died from the disease. The exact location of his grave is unknown. Many works of Belyaev were filmed, for example, “The Island of the Dead Ships” and “Amphibian Man”. In his books, he predicted many inventions that were later translated into reality. In 1990, the USSR Union of Writers established the Alexander Belyayev Prize, which was awarded for achievements in science fiction or non-fiction literature.
