Na drugą planetę

Na drugą planetę

Author	Władysław Umiński
Language	Polish
Genre	science fiction
Publisher	Polish Bookstore of Kazimierz Grendyszyński
Publication date	1895
Publication place	Poland

Na drugą planetę (English: To the Second Planet, first editions titled W nieznane światy [In Unknown Worlds]) is a novel by Władysław Umiński, considered part of the science fiction genre for young readers. It is one of the first Polish novels of this genre. The novel was serialized in a magazine in 1894 and published as a book the following year.

The plot centers around an attempt to establish contact with Mars using a telescope and powerful light signals.

In this novel, the main character, astronomer Edwin Harting, decides to establish contact with the Martians. To achieve this, he uses a modern telescope and a technique of sending light signals produced by burning aluminum, a method developed by chemist Barrett. Unfortunately, the expected response from Mars does not arrive, although ambiguous changes are observed, which some interpret as a reply from the Martians, but most remain skeptical (the optical spectrometer concluded that it was reflected sunlight, but it could not determine whether the reflecting surface was natural, like a group of clouds, or artificial). The lack of a clear response from Mars at the end of the novel drives Harting to obsession, or perhaps even madness^[1][2][3] (although, according to Umiński’s later novel, Zaziemskie światy [Worlds Beyond Earth], set in the same universe but some time later, Harting ultimately succeeded).^[4]

The novel also features secondary characters, such as the journalist Tabb, who spies on the scientists, and the millionaire Brighton, who funds the scientific endeavors.^[2]

In the Kurier Warszawski newspaper from 1894, a detailed summary of the novel was presented:^[5]

‘Unknown worlds,’ distant, mysterious, and intriguing scholars for some time, trouble a young American astronomer, Edwin Harting. Fixated on Mars, this ‘fanatic’ imagined that intelligent beings live there and that it is essential to establish contact with them. To this end, he persuaded millionaire Brighton to build a gigantic telescope with a two-meter diameter and to light signals on several selected high points. Understandably, such an enterprise seemed like madness to practical Americans. Merchants, astonished by Brighton’s sport, declared him insane or bankrupt, which in the business world amounts to the same thing. In the city, people pointed at the millionaire, and on the stock exchange, his company was distrusted. Nevertheless, Brighton and Harting were not deterred from their plan. They built the giant telescope and lit those signals for the Martians. Mr. Umiński filled this framework with a wealth of adventures, linked together according to all the rules of a science fiction novel, relying primarily on the skillful combination of many intriguing details. Harting, setting out on the journey to light the signals, naturally encounters various perils during his travels through wild lands and endures many hardships. He survives animal attacks, earthquakes, suddenly dried-up rivers, and more.

The book was first published in serialized form in the magazine Przyjaciel Dzieci [pl] in 1894 (issues from 27 to 48) under the title W nieznane światy.^[6]

The first book edition (St. Petersburg, 1895, published by the Polish Bookstore of Kazimierz Grendyszyński) also bore the title W nieznane światy. Powieść fantastyczna (In Unknown Worlds: A Science Fiction Novel).^[6] The second edition there in 1903 had the same title,^[6] although other sources refer to the 1913 edition as the second edition.^[7] From the 1913 edition onwards, the book was titled Na drugą planetę. Powieść fantastyczna (To the Second Planet: A Science Fiction Novel).^[6][7] The book saw subsequent editions, including those in 1921, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1946, 1956, 1957, 1968, and 1972 (the last editions published by Nasza Księgarnia).^[6][8] A fragment of the novel titled Słońce na Ziemi (The Sun on Earth) was also reprinted in Zbigniew Przyrowski's [pl] anthology Nowa cywilizacja [pl] (New Civilization) in 1973.^[9]

The origin of the novel is partially related to Umiński's own dreams, as he was fascinated by technology and participated in inventive and construction work, but could not significantly pursue them due to financial problems.^[2] Like many of Umiński's other works, this book is also considered to be inspired by Jules Verne's writing (specifically, Around the Moon).^[10]

It was not Umiński’s first novel containing elements of science fiction (his Balonem do bieguna [By Balloon to the Pole], serialized in the weekly Wieczory Rodzinne [pl] in 1892^[11] and published as a book in 1894, included a futuristic model of an airship).^[1][6]

Smuszkiewicz considered the "science fiction element" of the novel to be relatively poor – aside from the potential element of life on Mars, the "science fiction" gadget Umiński described is a refracting telescope (already existing). Umiński simply increased the scale of the telescope (in the first version of the novel, it is a two-meter lens telescope; in reality, the largest such telescope existing at that time had a one-meter lens, and larger ones were never built as refracting telescopes were displaced by other types; in a later version, Umiński changed the diameter to three and a half meters).^[1][2][12] Other science fiction elements in the novel include advanced (miniaturized) phonograph technology and interplanetary communication using burning aluminum, although, like the telescope, these are only realistically advanced versions of technologies already existing in the real world and known to science popularizers like Umiński.^[13]

It was one of the first, if not the first, Polish novels dealing with the subject of Mars in a science fiction context (Umiński kept up with the discoveries of Giovanni Schiaparelli and Percival Lowell and theories about Martian canals).^{[1][2][3][7][14]} Wróblewski notes that the science fiction element in the novel is less about the "wonderful" inventions mentioned, which are not particularly impressive compared to many more daring works of the genre, but more about respect for knowledge and almost uncritical trust in the cognitive possibilities of science.^[15]

According to Krystyna Kuliczkowska [pl], in later revisions of the work, Umiński became more open to the motif of establishing contact with Mars, possibly influenced by H. G. Wells.^[16][17]

The action of the novel is set in the United States, a country that Umiński realistically associated with advanced technology (which was later criticized by censors in the Polish People's Republic era, who accused the author of "adoration for America", leading to the book's lack of reprints between 1947 and 1955 despite Umiński’s efforts).^[18] An acknowledgment to Lowell might also be the setting of a significant part of the novel in Boston (Lowell’s hometown) and the Sierra Madre mountains (where his observatory was located).^[19]

The novel fits into the positivist trend, although with a more moderated didactic approach.^[2] The science fiction elements include inventions (advanced telescope and light signal technology), as well as frequent use of scientific terms like "electric arc" or "attenuation coefficient of the atmosphere" and numbers, including entire paragraphs of calculations. According to Damian Makuch, the novel follows a fairy-tale structure, where the main character, astronomer Barrett, overcomes various obstacles with the help of other characters.^[2]

Makuch notes that the scientific debates in the novel are a point of collision between two approaches to science – the utilitarian/practical (Barrett) and the speculative/dreamer (Harting). Umiński morally suggests that Barrett's practical approach is more realistic; as Makuch writes: If only Harting restrains his emotions, dedicates himself to work, and describes his achievements using scientific language (a work promised in the last words of the novel), he will surely succeed.^[2] At the same time, however, the novel is also a tribute to the desire for knowledge, as Umiński positively portrays characters who sacrifice much to reach the truth (astronomer Harting, journalist Tabb); according to Makuch, Umiński’s feelings can be summarized as follows: one should not forget common sense, as curiosity can lead to... harm, but significant omissions by the narrator indicate that in the face of knowledge, more is allowed.^[2]

Makuch and Wróblewski criticize the downplaying of the negative consequences of inventions. In Ecuador, the characters create a "second sun" that generates a light signal, while also injuring nearby animals and people; however, Umiński focuses on the positive aspect of human victory over the forces of nature, and the situation of the "blinded and burned indigenous people" is mentioned only briefly. As Makuch writes: The horror of this phenomenon is ignored, and the fear of modernization is suppressed. The development of science and technology blinds; Umiński does not see the danger lurking behind this bright light.^[2][20]

A reviewer from 1894 in Kurier Warszawski praised the novel, writing: All of Mr. Umiński's science fiction novels fully deserve recognition and support. They add a native element to the rich fairy tales of foreign authors in this genre.^[5]

In 1885, a reviewer from the magazine Ateneum [pl] wrote about the book. The reviewer commended the educational value of the novel (presentation of geographical, climatic, etc., knowledge) and the development of the characters, concluding that this novel can indeed captivate students of real schools, familiar with natural sciences and mathematics; and in some scenes, it exhibits an uncommon dramatic power.^[21]

• Wróblewski, Maciej (2005). "„Na drugą planetę" Władysława Umińskiego, czyli o radości uprawiania nauki" [Władysław Umiński's 'To the Second Planet', or On the Joy of Doing Science]. In Stoff, A.; Brzostek, D. (eds.). Polska literatura fantastyczna: interpretacje [Polish Science Fiction Literature: Interpretations] (in Polish). Wyd. Uniwersytetu Mikołaka Kopernika. ISBN 978-83-231-1907-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)