What happens with Science Fiction?

Hi Ralph,

>
> G'day,
>
> Is it only Latin American SF which is deficient or is that also
extended to the Hispanic world in general? Is there much Spanish SF?
Much good hard science fiction is written by people with a
technical/science back ground. Do such people give writing a go in
the Hispanic culture?
>

Good question!

That goes straight to the core of the Spanish and Portuguese culture.

Yes, we do have excelent science writers, and there lots of people
very into science and tech. However, they go against the mainstream
culture. They always have to fight against the "humanist"
and "artistic" establishment. That's why most of the Iberian and
Latino genious of science and tech had to develop their careers
abroad, by their own, living in other cultures.

The classical case is Santiago Ramon y Cajal, the Nobel prize winner
and Spanish pioneer of neurology for his studies of the neuron. Most
of his work was done in France. There are lots of other pioneers, like
Leonardo Torres Quevedo, inventor of the first automata who really
played chess (not an hoax) and also of the remote control, he also
developed most of his career abroad. Brazilian Santos Du Mont (flight
pioneer) did it in France, and Mexicans Camarema (color TV) and Molina
(ozone hole) worked in the U.S.

Back home the efforts to convert the society from an "artistic-
oriented" to a "practical-science/tech oriented" have been a long
struggle with little success so far. However, people here keep trying.

Perhaps the first step is developing good Hard Science Fiction
locally, but most Science Fiction writers in Latin America are too
much into Phillip K. Dick, Gibson and Le Guin, to realize there is
another virgin world right beside ready to be conquered.

Regards,

Omar Vega