Welcome to KSci-Fi, the Science Fiction Society of Kosovo.
Science fiction is often described, and even defined, as extrapolative. The science fiction writer is supposed to take a trend or phenomenon of the here-and-now, purify and intensify it for dramatic effect, and extend it into the future. “If this goes on, this is what will happen.” A prediction is made.
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Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive.
Ursula K. Le Guin
Introduction, “The Left Hand of Darkness”
There are good reasons to write science fiction in Kosovo, despite it not being traditionally a widely written genre in Albanian. We can make a case that science fiction is quintessential for Kosovo’s survival as a young state. Through it, we can crystallize our desires and aspirations, but more importantly, it can be a tool for self-criticism and improvement. The only way to truly grow as a society and as a young country is if we truly question our motivations, goals, and actions. And science fiction could be a tool in our quest to chisel out our real-life utopias.
We are happy to announce the creation of the Kosovo Science Fiction Society: KSci-Fi.
We wish it will be a place where we could conduct thought experiments and “run simulations”, and in doing so, explore new dimensions of our current states of being. Sometimes, it is easier to see the obvious through a filter of fiction, than it is to admit what our desensitized eyes keep seeing each day.
Therefore, in cooperation with StoryLab and Artro Books, we are proud to present KSci-Fi also as a publishing imprint for all things science fiction, with this book as its inaugural publication. I hope that future Kosovar science fiction will not only cover all the usual tropes we are accustomed to seeing, but will go beyond and invent new and original ideas and concepts.
Through these initiatives, we hope to inspire a new generation of writers, storytellers, researchers, filmmakers, artists, to use science fiction as a medium to explore topics of their interest. We also hope to inspire a new generation of readers and audiences, and present them not only with the latest discussions on sci-fi, but to also serve as a forum where they can express their own ideas.
Beside art and literature projects we also plan to engage in academic research. Earlier generations of science fiction writers in the Balkans deserve proper recognition and respect. Some we know, but others might have been lost through the cracks of history. We hope to learn from the dreams as well as mistakes and disillusions of our forebears. By studying these authors and their works will give us a new understanding not only of where we are going but also of whence we came from. And very rightfully so. Building a utopia while ignoring the past (knowingly or unknowingly) often proves to turn out dystopian.