Red Star by Charles Rougle and Alexander Bogdanov is a socialist utopian novel set on Mars, exploring the ideals of socialism and the clash between individual achievement and collective progress. The story follows an earthling selected by the Martian leadership to help solve social issues in their utopia, presenting a unique perspective on striving for a perfect society. The writing style incorporates revolutionary rhetoric and socialist zeal, reflecting the author's belief in a planned economy and a society based on Marxist principles.

Characters:

Characters include a Bolshevik protagonist and idealized Martians, embodying and exaggerating socialist ideals.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is marked by a mix of revolutionary zeal and a melancholic tone, with translation issues potentially impacting clarity.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around a Martian utopia that reflects social and environmental challenges, highlighting conflicts that arise when alterations are attempted.

Setting:

The setting is a socialist utopia on Mars, presenting a stark contrast to Earth and reflecting the pre-revolutionary Russian context.

Pacing:

The pacing is slow, with portions that can feel forced, yet it conveys a strong intensity of belief in its concepts.

Notes:

Red Star was very popular during and after the Russian Revolution.

It is considered an important example of utopian literature.

The book addresses issues like atomic energy, the environment, and food shortages.

The illustrations come from a 1923 Moscow edition.

This collection includes translations of two other works by Bogdanov: Engineer Menni and A Martian Stranded on Earth.

Engineer Menni uses Mars as a metaphor for class struggle in the early 20th century.

Bogdanov’s utopia on Mars includes synthetic clothing, three-dimensional movies, and even a death ray.

Citizens in this Martian society engage in voluntary work and leisure.

Red Star focuses more on science fiction rather than pure propaganda.

The story explores the conflict when someone tries to change the established Martian utopia.

Bogdanov was a key figure in the Bolshevik movement.

The book's subtitle refers to it being 'The First Bolshevik Utopia.'

The protagonist, Leonid, believes blood is shed for a better future and emphasizes the need to understand that future.

The narrative discusses themes of individual vs. collective achievements in a socialist society.

The writing is not particularly fast-paced or thrilling but holds significant historical value.

The book contains elements of both utopian and dystopian literature perspectives.

The historical context includes the reaction to the 1905 revolution in Russia.

The narrator displays admiration for workers, reflecting Soviet values at the time.

Bogdanov’s characters resemble the larger-than-life heroes in Ayn Rand’s work but with a socialist twist.

The tone of the stories carries an underlying melancholy, often leading to characters' despair or suicide.

Descriptions of the Martian utopia might feel bogged down by revolutionary rhetoric.

The book captures the mindset of the time and how socialist ideals were perceived or promoted.

Reading Red Star alongside Zemyatin's We provides insights into utopian versus dystopian socialism.

From The Publisher:

"[A] surprisingly moving story." -The New Yorker

"Bogdanov's novels reveal a great deal about their fascinating author, about his time and, ironically, ours, and about the genre of utopia as well as his contribution to it." -Slavic Review

"Bogdanov's imaginative predictions for his utopia are both technological and social . . . Even more farsighted are [his] anxious forebodings about the limits and costs of the utopian future." -Science Fiction Studies

"The contemporary reader will marvel at [Bogdanov's] foresight: nuclear fusion and propulsion, atomic weaponry and fallout, computers, blood transfusions, and (almost) unisexuality." -Choice

A communist society on Mars, the Russian revolution, and class struggle on two planets is the subject of this arresting science fiction novel by Alexander Bogdanov (1873-1928), one of the early organizers and prophets of the Russian Bolshevik party. The red star is Mars, but it is also the dream set to paper of the society that could emerge on earth after the dual victory of the socialist and scientific-technical revolutions. While portraying a harmonious and rational socialist society, Bogdanov sketches out the problems that will face industrialized nations, whether socialist or capitalist.

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Red Star

Charles Rougle, Alexander Bogdanov

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From The Publisher:

Reader Stats (1):

What can you read after Red Star?

Charles Rougle,
Alexander Bogdanov

What can you read after
Red Star?