André Ruellan
Encyclopedia
André Ruellan is a French science fiction
and horror
writer
who has also used the pseudonym of Kurt Steiner, Kurt Wargar and André Louvigny.
who used the pseudonym of Kurt Steiner to pen 22 novels, mastering all the classic themes and creating some new ones as well. Perhaps because of Ruellan's medical background, the strength of his novels lied in their detailed, almost clinical, atmosphere of heavy, oppressive, bludgeoning horror, which anticipated the stronger, gorier, books of the next decades.
For the Anticipation science fiction imprint of Fleuve Noir, Ruellan also penned two heroic fantasy
novels starring the futuristic knight, Dal Ortog Dal of Galankar. The world of Ortog is a futuristic Earth where sophisticated science cohabits with a pseudo-medieval society. In the first novel, Ortog is sent by its ruler, Karella, to find a cure for the slow death that is killing Earth and its inhabitants after a devastating interplanetary war. Ortog eventually returnes with such a cure, but too late to save his love, Karella’s daughter, Kalla. In the sequel, Ortog, and his friend Zoltan, embark on an Orpheus
-like quest through the dimensions of Death to find Kalla’s soul and bring her back to Earth. He eventually finds her, loses her again and returns to Earth, cursed with immortality.
Ruellan's science fiction novels are equally remarkable. Le 32 Juillet [July 32] (1959) describes how a man finds himself in another dimension and explores the vast insides of a giant organism. Les Enfants de l'Histoire [The Children Of History] (1969) is a thinly-disguised allegory of the political events of May 1968 recast in future guise. Le Disque Rayé [The Scratched Record] (1970) involves a complex time loop
. Brebis Galeuses [Black Sheep] (1974) is a clever medical dystopia
.
André Ruellan has written a number of screenplays for film director
Alain Jessua
. His novel Le Seuil du Vide was adapted into an eponymous 1971 film.
French science fiction
French science fiction is a substantial genre of French literature. It remains an active and productive genre which has evolved in conjunction with anglophone science fiction and other French and international literature....
and horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who has also used the pseudonym of Kurt Steiner, Kurt Wargar and André Louvigny.
Overview
Among the best authors published by the Angoisse horror imprint of Editions Fleuve Noir in the 1950s was André Ruellan, a physicianPhysician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who used the pseudonym of Kurt Steiner to pen 22 novels, mastering all the classic themes and creating some new ones as well. Perhaps because of Ruellan's medical background, the strength of his novels lied in their detailed, almost clinical, atmosphere of heavy, oppressive, bludgeoning horror, which anticipated the stronger, gorier, books of the next decades.
For the Anticipation science fiction imprint of Fleuve Noir, Ruellan also penned two heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...
novels starring the futuristic knight, Dal Ortog Dal of Galankar. The world of Ortog is a futuristic Earth where sophisticated science cohabits with a pseudo-medieval society. In the first novel, Ortog is sent by its ruler, Karella, to find a cure for the slow death that is killing Earth and its inhabitants after a devastating interplanetary war. Ortog eventually returnes with such a cure, but too late to save his love, Karella’s daughter, Kalla. In the sequel, Ortog, and his friend Zoltan, embark on an Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
-like quest through the dimensions of Death to find Kalla’s soul and bring her back to Earth. He eventually finds her, loses her again and returns to Earth, cursed with immortality.
Ruellan's science fiction novels are equally remarkable. Le 32 Juillet [July 32] (1959) describes how a man finds himself in another dimension and explores the vast insides of a giant organism. Les Enfants de l'Histoire [The Children Of History] (1969) is a thinly-disguised allegory of the political events of May 1968 recast in future guise. Le Disque Rayé [The Scratched Record] (1970) involves a complex time loop
Time loop
A time loop or temporal loop is a common plot device in science fiction in which time runs normally for a set period but then skips back like a broken record. When the time loop "resets", the memories of most characters are reset...
. Brebis Galeuses [Black Sheep] (1974) is a clever medical dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
.
André Ruellan has written a number of screenplays for film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Alain Jessua
Alain Jessua
Alain Jessua is a French film director and screenwriter. He directed ten films between 1956 and 1997. His 1967 film Jeu de massacre was entered into the 1967 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Screenplay....
. His novel Le Seuil du Vide was adapted into an eponymous 1971 film.
Selected bibliography
(as Kurt Steiner except where otherwise mentioned.)- Alerte aux Monstres [Alert, Monsters] (As Kurt Wargar) (1953)
- Le Bruit du Silence [The Sound Of Silence] (1955)
- Pour Que Vive Le Diable [For The Devil To Live] (1956)
- Fenêtres sur l'Obscur [Windows Into Darkness] (1956)
- De Flamme et d'Ombre [Of Flame And Shadow] (1956)
- Le Seuil du Vide [The Threshold Of The Void] (1956)
- Les Rivages de la Nuit [The Shores Of Night] (1957)
- Je Suis Un Autre [I Am Other] (1957)
- Les Dents Froides [The Cold Teeth] (1957)
- L'Envers du Masque [The Other Side Of The Mask] (1957)
- Les Pourvoyeurs [The Purveyors] (1957)
- Sueurs [Sweat] (1957)
- L'Herbe aux Pendus [The Herb Of The Hanged Men] (1958)
- La Marque du Démon [The Mark Of The Demon] (1958)
- Lumière de Sang [Blood Light] (1958)
- Syncope Blanche [White Faint] (1958)
- La Village de la Foudre [The Village Of Lightning] (1958)
- Le Prix du Suicide [The Price Of Suicide] (1958)
- Menace d'Outre-Terre [Menace From Beyond] (1958)
- La Chaîne de Feu [The Chain Of Fire] (1959)
- Dans un Manteau de Brume [In A Cloak Of Mist] (1959)
- Mortefontaine [Deadfountain] (1959)
- Salamandra (1959)
- Le 32 Juillet [July 32] (1959)
- Glace Sanglante [Bloody Ice] (1960)
- Le Masque des Regrets [The Mask Of Regrets] (1960)
- Aux Armes d'Ortog [Under Ortog's Arms] (1960) (translated by Brian StablefordBrian StablefordBrian Michael Stableford is a British science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published as by Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped the middle initial and appeared under the name Brian Stableford...
in Ortog (2009) ISBN 978-1-935558-28-6) - S.O.S. Passé [SOS Past] (As André Louvigny) (1960)
- Manuel du Savoir-Mourir [Manual Of How-To-Die] (As André Ruellan) (1963)
- Les Improbables (1965)
- Les Océans du Ciel [The Oceans Of The Sky] (1967)
- Ortog et les Ténèbres [Ortog And The Darkness] (1969) (translated by Brian StablefordBrian StablefordBrian Michael Stableford is a British science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published as by Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped the middle initial and appeared under the name Brian Stableford...
in Ortog (2009) ISBN 978-1-935558-28-6) - Les Enfants de l'Histoire [The Children Of History] (1969)
- Le Disque Rayé [The Scratched Record] (1970)
- Tunnel (As André Ruellan) (1973)
- Brebis Galeuses [Black Sheep] (1974)
- Un Passe Temps [A Pastime] (1979)
- Les Chiens [The Dogs] (As André Ruellan) (1979)
- Mémo (As André Ruellan) (1984)
- Grand Guignol 36-88 (1988)
- Le Terme (As André Ruellan) (1995)
- Albert et Georgette (As André Ruellan) (1995)
- On a Tiré sur le Cercueil [They Shot At The Coffin] (As André Ruellan) (1997)