Solaris (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Solaris is a Canadian
francophone
science-fiction and fantasy magazine
.
Founded in 1974
in Longueuil
(Québec
) by Norbert Spehner, Solaris is the oldest French language
science-fiction and fantasy
magazine
in the world.
and fantasy
, including horror
and "weird" fiction
. It publishes original material (short storie
s and illustration
s) as well as related information, criticism
, interview
s and articles.
s, but fosters the development of young francophone
creators through a strong editorial direction. Mostly published and distributed in Québec
, Solaris is also known in anglophone
Canada
, the United States
and in Europe
, where it is considered to be one of the most significant francophone magazines of its field.
Solaris sponsors an annual literary contest, the Prix Solaris, intended to encourage new authors. The Prix Solaris is open only to Canadian
authors. From 1981
to 2000
, the Prix Solaris had two sides : literature
and graphic novel
s.
Solaris aims to account for the existing richness of science fiction and fantasy, as well as to examine all emerging tendencies and new approaches. Whereas the growing popularity of the field is mostly spurred by its audio-visual representations, Solaris continues to support literary creation and reflection.
The team responsible for Solaris includes authors such as Joël Champetier
(The Dragon's Eye), Yves Meynard
(The Books of Knights) and Élisabeth Vonarburg
(In the Mother's Land, Reluctant Voyagers, The Silent City). Through the years, Solaris has been edited by Vonarburg, Luc Pomerleau and Hugues Morin. Champetier is now the managing editor.
After more than twenty-five years of activity, Solaris has published nearly all significant French-Canadian science fiction and fantasy writers. Stories that have originally appeared within the pages of the magazine have gone on to win nearly a dozen Aurora Award
s (in addition to the eleven Auroras won by the magazine itself)http://www.sentex.net/~dmullin/aurora/, almost as many Prix Boréal and a significant proportion of Grand Prix de la Science-Fiction et du Fantastique Québécois. Several of these stories can be read in the English-language anthology TesseractsQ, published by Tesseracts Books.
From 1981 to 2000, Solaris also published many graphic novel
s short stories (bandes dessinées), but abandoned the publication of those in 2000 because of the shrinking of its format from magazine size to book size. Many of Québec's comic book creator
s were published in its pages : André-Philippe Côté, Benoît Joly, Mario Giguère, Julien Poitras, Marc Pageau, Robert Julien, Laurine Spehner, Christian Vadeboncoeur, Éric Lacasse and others.
Illustrator
s contributing to the covers and the interior of the magazine include Bernard Duchesne, Mario Giguère, Pierre D. Lacroix, Guy England, Jean-Pierre Normand, Marc Pageau, Paul Roux, Laurine Spehner, among others.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
science-fiction and fantasy magazine
Science fiction magazine
A science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard copy periodical format or on the Internet....
.
Founded in 1974
1974 in literature
The year 1974 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman.-New books:*Richard Adams - Shardik*Kingsley Amis - Ending Up...
in Longueuil
Longueuil
Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...
(Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) by Norbert Spehner, Solaris is the oldest French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
science-fiction and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
in the world.
Description of the content
Solaris deals in all forms of science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, including 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...
and "weird" fiction
Weird fiction
Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction written in the late 19th and early 20th century. It can be said to encompass the ghost story and other tales of the macabre. Weird fiction is distinguished from horror and fantasy in that it predates the niche marketing of genre fiction...
. It publishes original material (short storie
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
s and illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
s) as well as related information, criticism
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
, interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s and articles.
History
Solaris not only publishes established authorAuthor
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
s, but fosters the development of young francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
creators through a strong editorial direction. Mostly published and distributed in Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Solaris is also known in anglophone
English Canadian
An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, where it is considered to be one of the most significant francophone magazines of its field.
Solaris sponsors an annual literary contest, the Prix Solaris, intended to encourage new authors. The Prix Solaris is open only to Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
authors. From 1981
1981 in literature
The year 1981 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction given for the first time...
to 2000
2000 in literature
The year 2000 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published...
, the Prix Solaris had two sides : literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s.
Solaris aims to account for the existing richness of science fiction and fantasy, as well as to examine all emerging tendencies and new approaches. Whereas the growing popularity of the field is mostly spurred by its audio-visual representations, Solaris continues to support literary creation and reflection.
The team responsible for Solaris includes authors such as Joël Champetier
Joël Champetier
Joël Champetier is a French-Canadian science fiction and fantasy author.-Biography:...
(The Dragon's Eye), Yves Meynard
Yves Meynard
Yves Meynard is a science fiction and fantasy author. He began writing fiction in 1986. He has won the Aurora Award for best book in French once and for best short story in French five times. He has also written in English.-External links:*...
(The Books of Knights) and Élisabeth Vonarburg
Élisabeth Vonarburg
Élisabeth Vonarburg is a science fiction writer. She was born in Paris and has lived in Chicoutimi , Quebec, Canada since 1973....
(In the Mother's Land, Reluctant Voyagers, The Silent City). Through the years, Solaris has been edited by Vonarburg, Luc Pomerleau and Hugues Morin. Champetier is now the managing editor.
After more than twenty-five years of activity, Solaris has published nearly all significant French-Canadian science fiction and fantasy writers. Stories that have originally appeared within the pages of the magazine have gone on to win nearly a dozen Aurora Award
Aurora Award
The Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
s (in addition to the eleven Auroras won by the magazine itself)http://www.sentex.net/~dmullin/aurora/, almost as many Prix Boréal and a significant proportion of Grand Prix de la Science-Fiction et du Fantastique Québécois. Several of these stories can be read in the English-language anthology TesseractsQ, published by Tesseracts Books.
From 1981 to 2000, Solaris also published many graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s short stories (bandes dessinées), but abandoned the publication of those in 2000 because of the shrinking of its format from magazine size to book size. Many of Québec's comic book creator
Comic book creator
A comic book creator is someone who creates a comic book or graphic novel.The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...
s were published in its pages : André-Philippe Côté, Benoît Joly, Mario Giguère, Julien Poitras, Marc Pageau, Robert Julien, Laurine Spehner, Christian Vadeboncoeur, Éric Lacasse and others.
Illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
s contributing to the covers and the interior of the magazine include Bernard Duchesne, Mario Giguère, Pierre D. Lacroix, Guy England, Jean-Pierre Normand, Marc Pageau, Paul Roux, Laurine Spehner, among others.
Awards
- 1989 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 1990 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 1991 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 1992 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 1993 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 1995 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 1996 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 1997 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 1998 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 2000 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 2001 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 2002 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 2004 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other) - 2006 : Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
best work in French (other)
See also
- Bande dessinée
- Canadian comicsCanadian comicsIn spite of U.S. dominance of comic book sales in Canada and the overwhelming number of U.S. comic strips printed in Canadian newspapers there is such a thing as Canadian Comics. The only area where there is no American dominance is editorial cartoons...
- Canadian science fictionCanadian science fictionA strong element in contemporary Canadian culture is rich, diverse, thoughtful and witty science fiction.-History of Canadian science fiction:Possibly the first recorded Canadian work of science fiction is the 1896 Tisab Ting, or, The Electrical Kiss, a pseudonynous first novel by a Ida May...
- Quebec comic stripsQuebec comic stripsQuebec comics, usually called in French « BDQ » for bande dessinée québécoise , are comics created by one or several Québécois creators, released by a Quebec publisher, distributed and sold in Québec...