This might be the first society meeting, Novermber 1969

The HG Wells Society in its 30s



In the autumn of 1999 we've celebrated thirty years since the foundation of H.G. Wells Science

Fiction Society. We use this opportunity to recall its beginnings.



The late 60s



Romanian SF fandom's landscape is dominated by "Collection of Science Fiction Stories" magazine, that was launched in November 1955, as a spin-off from "Science & Techniques". The editor was Adrian Rogoz, the winner of the first national SF story contest organized by the Youth's Publishing House, Bucharest, and he was to nurture the Collection over the next twenty years. There is no exaggeration in saying the Adrian Rogoz will built the foundation of Romanian Fandom as a whole.



Ten years later, Adrian Rogoz noted: " I would suggest that the launching of a specialized magazine, especially one closely connected with its readers and publishes their works implies the existence of a fandom. This, in the absence of the appropriate clubs, we should consider it as a virtual. It is possible that the same readers may wish to organize themselves as a fandom in reality. But this would only be possible following the magazine's creation".



"The Collection of Science Fiction Stories" seemed to be, in the '60s, the type of magazine to coagulate the virtual fandom into a real one. The role played by the magazine encouraging the Romanian authors cannot be properly emphasized. Florin Manolescu (one of the Romanian Science Fiction's leading lights) notes that during the its first period of existence, up to the issue 466, the ratio between the Romanian and foreign authors published was 2/. The publication's reader's corner becomes a permanent dialog for its readers and editors. How many of the Romanian authors have had their debut in the Collection? Numerous, including: Sergiu Farcasan, Romulus Barbulescu, George Anania, Gheorghe Sasarman, Mircea Oprita.



Therefore, by launching the Collection the fandom received its support that so badly needed. Then there came the necessity of the second element: the societies, the associations.

As if he has foreseen the folding of the Collection somewhere into the next decade, due to the orders issued by the communist party leadership, on obscure reasons that cannot yet be discerned, Adrian Rogoz behaved like a brilliant planner that has thrown the seeds of the Future in the fertile soil around him. At the turn of the '70s under his direct influence the first SF clubs were found.



The first of them, designed for amateur writers, was Solaris, that came into existence in July 1969, in Bucharest (a few years before the Writers' Association founded a SF society for the professional authors, named The Martians). The same year, but in autumn, took place the launching of H.G. Wells SF club in Timisoara. One year later, in September we had another SF society in Craiova (Southern part of the country) that bore the name of a Romanian scientist and aviation pioneer, Henri Coanda. In the next few years the Romanian fandom was supported by SF societies in other towns like Oradea, Pitesti, Turnu-Severin. In 1972 the first fanzines were launched: "Solaris" (Bucharest) and "Paradox' (Timisoara). Also, in 1972 took place the first National Convention of the SF club of the time.

The Fandom wasn't just an idea. It simply started its existence



Let's get back to the year 1969 and focus on the SF landscape in Timisoara. Two of the local authors had their own works published: Ovidiu Surianu (The treasure key, Appointment with Hebe) and Mircea Serbanescu (The amazing transmigration, The mysterious Mermaid). Among the young an promising authors, Marcel Luca and Lucian Ionica had their stories published into the Collection. In July there was the launching of the Bucharest SF club. In 17th of October, Valeriu Panasiu, the manager of the Students' Cultural House in Timisoara, invited the professional writer and editor-in-chief of the Collection to Timisoara in order to take part at a "panel" together with the local authors, Ovidiu Surianu and Mircea Serbanescu.



In the issue 396 of the Collection Adrian Rogoz wrote: "The the question of a local SF society showed up (at Timisoara meeting). Probably its necessity floated in everyone's mind because in less then a month, on the 9th of November 1969, the H.G. Wells SF Society in Timisoara was a reality"



Its first chairman was the writer Laurentiu Cernet (who had a few attempts in the Science-Fiction literature). The students Lia Voinea, Ion Cartianu, Viorel Coifan, Radu Rusu, Doru Treta (the last will become, in a short while, the chair of the club), the high school student, Lucian Ionica and the writer Ovidiu Surianu took part at the first meeting.



During its first years of activity the HG Wells Society dominated the Romanian fandom, a fact proved by the awards collected by its members at the National Conventions. Marcel Luca, Mircea Popp, Claudiu Iordache, Doru Treta, Robert Kocher, Dusan Baiski, Mihai Corneliu Donici were some of the happy winners.



Years of fervent activity followed: in May 1971, the Collection dedicated its entire 396th issue to the H.G. Wells Club authors; in April 1972, at the initiative of the Timisoara society members, the first National Convention in Bucharest took place. One month later was published the collection of SF stories edited by Gheorghe Balta, Marcel Luca and Doru Treta who put within the same covers works of the club members.

In November 1972 the first issue of "Paradox" was published, being the fanzine of H.G. Wells, edited by Marcel Luca and Cornel Secu. In May, next year, Timisoara organized the third National SF Convention.

Getting back to the 386 issue of the "Collection of SF Stories" is worth to mention that its headline on the front cover was "From the furnace of the Timisoara SF community" and the subtitle stated: "We are getting to your attention the formula of an excellent SF Club". In his foreword, Adrian Rogoz pointed out "a few basic rules of a perfectly functional SF society as they have been experienced by the Timisoara SF fans":

"1. The most promising field to spread the seeds of science-fiction are the youth. The Students Houses in the universitarian centers could be transformed into Palaces of Science-Fiction.

2. The House Manager who could give an impulse to the society activities plays an important role in this context or he could inhibit the capacities of the club members (in the first category Valeriu Panasiu excels).

3. It is advisable to look for a mentor of the society, able to coordinate the literary exercise of the fans in a tactful and competent manner (in what concerns H.G. Wells club, this mentor will be, until his premature death, the professional writer Ovidiu Surianu).

4. The leading light has to be one of the most talented fans but in the same time in the command of a good scientific training. He/She has to be active and fair, and addicted to Science-Fiction and at the same time able to express impartial points of view (the most striking character that fits this description could be Doru Treta, a graduate of Timisoara Mathematics Institute).

5. An efficient Science Fiction Society has to list in its rows, among a certain number of more talented or less gifted fans, at least six core members able to make the things move and create the environment for friendly relations among fans, being the engine of the society.

6. A good SF society is supposed to develop its own hardcore critics of the works being read there. They do not need the experience in writing fiction as well.

7. Even if the presence of a great number of supporting fans (who might not have any literary exercise) interfere in the efficient function of the society, the meetings being something more than a simple gathering of friends sharing a common appetite for SF, they could create an environment capable to diminish the inhibitions of the beginners.

8. The society members must show a deep involvement into Science-Fiction so the debates could be bright and imaginative and able to lead to future common projects of the fans.

9. Fan members will have to reach the opportunity to publish their best works in the pages of their own fanzine.

10. The development of the Romanian Science-Fiction lies in the future growing number of fans and SF societies that could identify and support new talented writers."



After so many years how many of the principles of this "decalogue" are still functional? We believe it would be worth not to go strictly by their lines but to read them again and meditate on their functionality.



In the '80s, H.G. Wells SF Society continued to be on the front line of the Romanian fandom. Its members were awarded most of the awards at the national conventions, a fact that became almost "inevitable" to quote an authorized source of the time. Among the main events related to the Society back then we have to mention a few major points: in 1973 it published the first SF comics books in Romania - Galbar (a script written by Ovidiu Surianu and graphics signed by Sandu Florea); April 1976 - the first cartoon movie made by amateurs - The Encounter (Mihai-Corlneliu Dinici and Lucian Ionica); in the same year was launched a permament section of SF literature in the literary review of the University of Timisoara, "Student Forum"; in August 1976 a large group of H.G. Wells Club fans attended the third Eurocon in Poznan, Poland (that had Brian Aldiss as GOH); in October 1978, the H.G. Wells fans attended an international SF Convention in Warsaw.

At the end of '70s, the fanzine "Paradox" has seen again the light of print after a few years of absence. In 1980, at the 10th National Convention in Timisoara the fanzine was awarded the prize for the best fanzine of the date.

We're quoting Adrian Rogoz again (there was no other more authorized voice at the time) with an excerpt from one of his literary reviews written in 1980: "Being one of the most powerful SF societies in this country, H.G. Wells has gained an experience that is extended beyond the regional realms. It is, in the first place, the merit of its young enthusiast fans that employed the idea that I have suggested during the discussions at the Students House in 1969. The existence of a Home was essential; therefore, the efforts done by its manager, Valeriu Panasiu and his aides, Cornel Secu and Viorel Marineasa have to be underlined. They have offered the main platform of the Club and also an exhibition hall and other facilities, the basic conditions for properly organizing national conventions and other events related to the fandom activity, also the chance to issue a collection of short stories written by the fan members. H.G. Wells has become today the most powerful SF club in Romania".



Readjusting the dials of our Time Machine, we could see that in late '70s in the whole country was an "explosive spread" of SF societies. If, at the beginning of the Romanian fandom there were only three strong points Bucharest-Timisoara-Craiova, later on, at the 10th national convention in Timisoara (1980) there were fan members attending the convention from more than 20 clubs. Few years later, the "Anticipatia Almanach" was launched and it would fill the gap left by the disappearance (because of some "high Communist party imperatives") of the old "Collection of Science-Fiction Stories". A new opportunity for fans to gather together was offered (apart form the national conventions) by the organizers of local the conventions, dedicated to a local society.

Timisoara fans continued to dominate the small but dynamic universe of the Romanian SF fandom. H.G. Wells and Helion societies (the latter founded in 18th March 1980) imposed higher standards for the competitions at the national conventions their members collecting most of the awards at the majority of categories: short stories, stories, essay, arts, fanzines. The awards were largely collected by Silviu Genescu, Lucian Ionica, Dusan Baiszki, Constantin Cozmiuc, Lucian Petrescu, Voicu David, Lucian-Vasile Syabo, Gyorfy Gyorgy, Sergiu Nicola and Traian Abruda (the latter for Arts). The fanzines "Paradox" and "Helion" (with few exceptions) had a yearly apparition. Both have been awarded many prizes at the national conventions. Also, both of them have been awarded as the Best European Fanzine by the European Science Fiction Society at the Eurocon 1987 (Montpellier, France) and Eurocon 1984 (Brighton). Since 1983 "Biblioteca Nova", a newsletter for theory and critics in Science-Fiction, was issued.

The results of the first 20 years of Science-Fiction fandom in Timisoara, operational through the two clubs, H.G. Wells and Helion lies in the 14 issues of "Paradox", 6 of "Helion", 4 of "Biblioteca Nova" and about 80 awards received by the local authors at the national conventions contests. Also the local fandom succeeded in organizing three national conventions in Timisoara (1973, 1980 and 1989).





The main character of the classical French novel, The thirty years old woman (its title gave us the suggestion for the title of this article), written by Balzac, finds herself submitted to her own fate. After treacherous teen years, hatched into the fabric of her empty dreams, after a youth undermined by bitter illusions, she restricted herself to the firmness of what she now knew that could be asked from life - in short, she gained the wisdom of maturity.



Unfortunately, the evolution of H.G. Wells SF Society was a little bit different. After a tremendous start, after 20 years of steady ascension and successes, a slow going down on the wane mars its existence.

In '90s, the number of the fan members has dwindled - there was a drastic reduction of active fans, those that produced the literature, the artworks, the critics - a trend accentuated year by year. The old fan members bowed out and the newcomers never lasted more than a few sessions. The explanations for such a trend are many. We could mention the attraction exercised by other wonders of the decade (computer clubs, for instance) or the possibility to practice this hobby, Science-Fiction, out of any fandom structures. There is also the huge book market offering the long awaited works of authors in the Western world, also the movies and the TV, all of them trying to recover a huge gap of fifty years of isolation.

The society tried to adjust itself to the new tendencies. The lecture sessions made room for activities specific to a "club": video projections with the most important films of the genre, music auditions etc. All of these worked only for a while.



Talking about the '90s, we would commit a severe mistake by suggesting that this decade was completely useless for the fandom or that it was a huge void in which the values of the Romanian Science-Fiction were sucked and lost without a trace. The "Collection of Science-Fiction Stories" started a new life, also we saw the appearance of the first weekly SF Magazine (maybe the first in the World) "Jurnalul SF". There were also conventions and contests, joint ventures with similar societies from abroad.



The fanzines "Paradox" and "Helion" had their new life on the market, some of the local authors had seen their works published in their own collections of short stories, and the fans attended the Eurocons. H.G. Wells is twinned with the NW Kent SF Group (UK) the Phoenicians. The Romanian Science Fiction Association (ARSFan) emerged into existence and there was a top moment in 1994 when Timisoara hosted the Eusrocon.



But the society itself continued to loose ground. There were less and less fan members attending its sessions. The bimonthly meetings become monthly meetings and further on they were fewer and fewer. The moments when the local fans gathered together were at last reduced to the autumn session hosted by the Students House and dedicated to the club.

In all its thirty years existence, the society passed through difficult moments as well. Sometimes, the works produced by its members didn't achieve the desired standards or the leadership proved to be unable to run things properly. This time what the science fiction societies lack more are the essential elements, those able to keep it alive: the fans.





Dorin Davideanu (Former chairman of HG Wells SF Society)

The cover of the second issue of "Paradox". On the first issue, the communist authorities forbade the issue numbering on the cover. The paradox was that nobody objected to this cover, since it was already #2

Small format posters announcing the activities of H.G. Wells SF Society - while had its HQ at the Students House

Memories of an enthusiasted fan


There are many and pleasant memories about the Students House in Timisoara and their starting point is somewhere more then two decades ago, where the history of H.G. Wells SF Club begins.
Being a passionate reader of the "Collection of Science Fiction Stories", whose dedicated editor-in-chief was the writer Adrian Rogoz, I've found out in one of its issues about the launching of H.G. Wells SF Club in 9th of November 1969. Then, making up my mind, at the beginning of December the same year, I decided to attend one of its sessions that were chaired by the writer and friend, Laurentiu Cernet, who had took into his hands the difficult mission of coordinating the fan members efforts to achieve the literary skills on their way to authorship. In the autumn of 1970 I've been chosen to be the literary secretary of the club, a position that deeply motivated me along the years to come and involved me in some of the most important and prestigious events in the history of the club.
There is no doubt at all that the start of this long and wonderful history was the issue #396 of the "Collection of Science Fiction Stories", published on 15th May 1971. That issue marked the debut of Doru Treta, Traian Ciuguianu and Cornel Stanciu in this national magazine. Also there were stories written by Lucian Ionica and myself. A month before we've attended the first national Convention of the SF clubs in Romania that took place at the Students House "Grigore Preoteasa" in Bucharest in 14th-15th April 1971. It was ab initio the ancestor of present day conventions.
This "trilateral" summit gathered together the only science fiction clubs existing at that time in the most important Universitarian centers in Romania: "Solaris" and "Sirius" - Bucharest, "Henri Coanda" - Craiova and "H.G. Wells" - Timisoara. This convention was a good opportunity to meet the professional writers like Sergiu farcasan, Ion Hobana, Adrian Rogoz, Vladimir Colin, Victor Kernbach or book publishers like Victor Zednic, who was at that time the editor-in-chief of the collection Fantastic-Club of the Albatros. It was an equal opportunity to get aquatinted with then young fans like Alexandru Mironov, Daniel Cocoru, Ion Ilie Iosif, Radu Honga, Lucian Hanu (who coordinated the Fantastic-Club collection after Victor Zednic's passing away), all of them made their careers as professional writers and promoters of the fandom.
We've left the Convention and Bucharest having in mind big plans for the future and feeling a little envious for the Bucharest club "Solaris" because of their main achievement at that time, the fanzine "Solaris". It was printed in modest conditions by means of a copy machine. As a "must" of the time, on the inside cover there was a generous space allotted to quotes form the "wise sayings" to the Romanian youth by Nicolae Causescu.
On the way back home from Bucharest, travelling by train in a crowded carriage, we endlessly debated future plans about publishing the club's own fanzine together with the writer Ovidiu Surianu and Cornel Secu, cultural manager at the Students House in Timisoara. As it seemed, the main obstacle was not the printing itself, but the selection of an appropriate title for it. The boys, the most prolific ones being Lucian Ionica, Sandu Florea, Doru Treta and Traian Ciuguianu, were issuing extravagant titles one after an other in huge flashes of imagination. In the end, everyone agreed with my own proposal: the future fanzine will bear the title "Paradox". It was inspired by my beliefs that paradox is a key element into the elaborating a SF story.
The fanzine was published in November 1972, being coordinated by Cornel Secu and myself. The main issue was that it was the first printed Romanian fanzine and as an example of our "rebellious" spirit, closer to the thinking of the Western counterparts, one could notice that there was nowhere on its pages "exempts" from the grand "oeuvre" of the Leader.
I'm going to close this unequal and, unfortunately, incomplete chronicle, by mentioning an event which has an anecdotal value since it didn't started an invasion of Romania by the Warsaw Pact troops.
Between 8th and 12th of November 1978, the capital of Poland hosted the First International SF Conference "Orbite de l'amitie" which gathered together delegations from the Socialist countries, with the exception of Yugoslavia. Among other issued debated there was the organizers idea to set up an Information Center regarding the SF activities in the member countries, an organization that was supposed to grant an annual Award for the best SF work presented by any of the delegations attending the International Conference. Anyway, for those in our delegation (Cornel Secu, Viorel Marineasa, Dorin Davideanu, Sergiu Nicola, Marcel Luca and Simona Puia) the notion of "center" aroused some very unpleasant suspicions. Therefore, the leader of our delegation and spokesperson, Cornel Secu, fiery rejected the Polish proposal, arguing that was absolutely necessary to have the agreement of the Yugoslav fandom, which represented a Socialist country as well in order to set up such an institution. He explained to the flabbergasted delegates from several countries that we, Romanians, prefer the bilateral relations.
Our persuasion worked smoothly during the unofficial discussions (that meant sinking a beer or a couple of glasses of Vodka) with the Bulgarian and Hungarian delegations and our continuos and fierce attacks of the Polish initiative, which could have worked on a far better cause, definitely made the supporters of this project to ditch it in the end.
I still see the appalled expresion of one of the famous Strugatzki brothers, who was GOH, who probably supposed that we've been instructed to fight this idea by Causescu himself.

The year of 1972 was a fruitful one for H.G. Wells SF Club because we've managed to publish, with the strong support from the Students House, an anthology of stories written by the club members, an anthology edited by Gheorghe Balta, Doru Treta and myself. It was an opportunity to let the works of the young team of authors like Doru Treta, Traian Ciuguianu, Lucian Ionica, Marcel Luca, Constantin Strunga, Ion Saftescu and Cornel Stanciu be known by the public.
After the second national convention of the Romanian SF clubs, that took place at Craiova, the Timisoara local fans ran the third. It was (and I emphasize it) an event which by its magnitude, coordination and level of organization wasn't matched by the next conventions. Between 11th and 13th of May 1973, the Students House in Timisoara was a real flagship of the Romania fandom. A growing number of clubs, whose members attended the convention, left behind the "magic' figure 3, proving that science fiction fans were not only in the main Universitarian centers of Romania. The discussion panels, the exhibitions of artworks and fanzines, the film gala and the auditions of electronic music, and at last, the protocol, were all of them in a top form. Among the guests who were invited at Timisoara convention, I'd like to mention the writers Sergiu Farcasan, Ion Hobana, Adrian Rogoz, Mircea Serbanescu, Alexandra Indries, Sergiu Levin, our mentor - Ovidiu Surianu - the critics Nicolae Tirioi, the much regretted Andrei Lilin and the publisher Victor Zednic.
I remember the end of the year 1973 with a special pleasure. Right on the Christmas day, on the national television, there was a talk show that lasted for more than an hour, dedicated entirely to the SF literature. A short interview that the TV reporters recorded with my introduction of the activity of the club was broadcasted on that occasion.
Well, the years have d one by one and the club members, most of them students at the University of Timisora graduated and were taking their assigned jobs far away from Timisoara and their departure was replaced by new legions of fans, many of them being really gifted writers. I'd mention here the names of Mihai-Corneliu Donici, Dorin Davideanu, Silviu Genescu, Dusan Baiski, Sergiu Nicola, and Constantin "Coco" Cozmiuc. The fanzine "Paradox" continued to be published with a more improved formula and many of the club members have seen their works published into anthologies, magazines, and almanacs a reason for many of them to be considered professional writers and not merely fan writers.
I have to say that I find a real pleasure on recalling these memories about the first years in the history of the club not only because they are an heroic time for the club but they were a time in my life when I had the chance to meet and work with brilliant people. I'd mention here the manager director of the Students House, Valeriu Panasiu, or the former cultural managers of the institution: Gheorghe Balta, Cornel Secu, Viorel Marineasa, and Dana Anghel. Also my thoughts are going to the professional writers Ovidiu Surianu and Mircea Serbanescu whose personal efforts weighted much in the long process of coordinating and tutoring the young authors on their way to success. Both of them shared their time year by year, coming on Sunday's mornings at the meetings of the H.G.Wells Club with the fans to reveal them the secrets of a career in the literary arts. I have to say that the chance to meet all of these wonderful people at the Students House was, in what regards me, an unique opportunity to achieve a certain level of literary skill, an "encounter of the third kind" that has marked the rest of my life profoundly, in a positive way.

A forgotten name: Gheorghe Balta

Certainly, the celebrations of 30 years of existence of H.G. Wells SF club give the founder members of the club and the their followers the opportunity to draw a line and count the pluses and minuses of such a long activity in fandom. As a witness a therefore state that the pleasant notoriety and brightness of the careers of many of the fan members in Timisoara were possible due to the efforts and understanding of those who, employed by the administration of the Students House have managed to turn their working contracts into an inspired oeuvre and supported the phenomenon that was H.G. Wells SF club.
They've been the administrators of the logistics of the club, its cultural managers, Gheorghe Balta, Cornel Secu, Viorel Marineasa. Then, in more a more difficult conditions for the survival of the club, there was Dana Anghel who struggled for the "survival" of the club.

Gheorghe "Ghita" Balta, graduate of the Filology Institute, the Russian language section, thin and with dark skin complex of a Latin lover, endowed with the gift of musical compositions and able to accompany himself with his guitar, a rather silent character, was obviously able to "hypnotize" almost every lady that entered in his area of "interest", was the enthusiastic witness of the first moments of the start of the club. He was there, at the first national convention, was editor of the first anthology of stories produced by the fans, along with Doru Treta. His style of working wasn't appreciated by the manager of the House at that time, Mr. Valeriu Panasiu, who was admonishing him for the lack of implication in the current activities of the institution. His personality, marked by the strangeness of an absent minded artist as he was, gave color to the phenomenon that was H.G. wells club.
I recall with pleasure the moments spent with Ghita and his younger brother, often called "on the double" with his guitar and the demijohn filled with the homemade red wine, sent to him by their parents as a "message" from their vineyard hidden between the mellow hills of Ghioroc.
These ad hoc shows following the daily routine of his job were often extended till dawn, when the prettiest of his lady admirers was going to accompany him to his place, transformed with a "pious devotion" into a temple of "pagan pleasures".
Debating the strangeness of this character I feel obliged to point out two main issues. Those of us who were his close friends knew an obvious phobia of his as Ghita Balta used to wash his hand carefully almost at every quarter of an hour. In the same time, even if he greatly appreciated his parents wine he was so eager to share with me, he never despised the votca or the cheap rum, a fact that make me remember a "spicy detail" of his behavior. Gheorghe Balta was, at that time, cultural manager of the House and, due to the demise of a colleague, he was also in charge with the huge library of the institution. Because we shared the same rented two-room apartment in Timisoara, my evening visits to the Students House were inevitable. I was taking him to our home, sweet home. When I dropped by, I used to find him chairing an evening session at the House or into the library where he had a water sink where he performed his almost mystical handwash. Sometimes, when it happened to discover him in the library, he would whisper into my ears the magic password: "Go end check the Encyclopaedia". The readers largely ignored that tome, a thick one, resting at the top of one of the shelves, and it hid a flask filled with some strong booze. After that "librarian's recommendation" I used to read the Encyclopaedia till the closing hour.
I don't know Gheorghe's whereabouts now. What I certainly know is that after he has assisted the painful birth of H.G. Wells club and was one of the editors of the anthology of the club, in 1972, he has married a pretty girl and moved to Brasov where he has found a job as a translator of Russian technical documentation for one of the enterprises in town. I've never got in touch with him again. I like to believe that he kept an eye on the avatars of the club that he had cared for. I'm tempted to believe that Gheorghe Balta, during those years of irrepetable beauty and boeme, has decided to retreat into the hiding of an anonymous existence and waiting for the necessary rehabilitation of his past as a mentor of the club. A duty that he has hoped to be performed by one of his companions in all those years of the beginning and happened to be…


Marcel Luca