A Martian Stranded on Earth
Alexander Bogdanov, Blood Transfusions, and Proletarian Science
A Martian Stranded on Earth
Alexander Bogdanov, Blood Transfusions, and Proletarian Science
Much like Vladimir Lenin, his onetime rival for the leadership of the Bolshevik party during its formative years, Alexander Bogdanov (1873–1928) was a visionary. In two science fiction novels set on Mars, Bogdanov imagined a future in which the workers of the world, liberated from capitalist exploitation, create a “physiological collective” that rejuvenates and unites its members through regular blood exchanges. But Bogdanov was not merely a dreamer. He worked tirelessly to popularize and realize his vision, founding the first research institute devoted to the science of blood transfusion.
In A Martian Stranded on Earth, the first broad-based book on Bogdanov in English, Nikolai Krementsov examines Bogdanov’s roles as revolutionary, novelist, and scientist, presenting his protagonist as a coherent thinker who pursued his ideas in a wide range of venues. Through the lens of Bogdanov’s involvement with blood studies on one hand, and of his fictional and philosophical writings on the other, Krementsov offers a nuanced analysis of the interactions between scientific ideas and societal values.
Reviews
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Note on Translation and Transliteration
Genealogy and Acknowledgments
1. Revolutions: The Big Science of Visionary Biology
2. Transfusions: Ideas, People, and Places
3. Voyagers: To Mars and Back
4. Earthly Realities: The Health of the Ruling Elite
5. Struggles for Viability: Proletarian Science in Action
6. Blood and Socialism: The Death of a Hero
7. Lessons and Legacies: A Martian on Earth
List of Abbreviations
Notes
References
Index
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