Oleh Ladyzhensky and Dmytro Hromov, who write under the pseudonym Henry Lyon Oldie, have made history by becoming the first Ukrainian writers to be nominated for the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) award, UNN reports.
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Ladyzhensky and Gromov wrote the science fiction story "The Unknown Artist" about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the emergence of artificial intelligence technology, and the importance of art. The story was written for the anthology The Digital Aesthete and translated into English by the anthology's editor Alex Schwartzman. The Digital Aesthete includes three short stories by Ukrainian authors, as well as science fiction from around the world.
The English version of the story "The Unknown Artist" is available online:
https://future-sf.com/fiction/the-unknown-painter/
The story is available in Ukrainian on the author's website OldieWorld:
https://www.oldieworld.com/shop/books/neizvestnyj-hudozhnik
The story was also included in H. L. Oldie's collection Get Up and Go, published in
in paper and electronic form by the Ukrainian publishing house Folio at the end of 2023: https://folio.com.ua/books/Vstan-i-ydi
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The British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) has recently announced the shortlist for the BSFA Awards, which recognize the best in science fiction. "The Unknown Artist is among the nominees in the newly added category of Best Short Fiction Translation.
"This is an important milestone for Ukrainian science fiction literature. This is the first story from Ukraine, and possibly the first story from any former post-Soviet country, to be nominated for a major English-language science fiction award," said Schwartzman.
"For Ukraine/Ukrainian writers, this is the first time at all: to be nominated and shortlisted for an English-language literary award for fiction, and such a prestigious one as the BSFA Awards. We really appreciate it. This is a significant event both for us and for Ukrainian culture and literature in general. It is especially important now, when Ukraine really needs its voice to be heard around the world. Someone always has to be the first. We are proud that this time we were the first," add Dmytro Gromov and Oleg Ladyzhensky (G.L. Oldie).
The BSFA Award winners will be announced at the EasterCon conference to be held on March 31, 2024 in Telford, UK.
About Henry Lyon Aldy
Dmytro Hromov and Oleh Ladyzhensky have been writing in collaboration under the pseudonym Henry Lyon Oldie since 1990. They live in Ukraine, in the city of Kharkiv.
Dmitry Gromov is a chemical engineer by profession, and Oleg Ladyzhensky is a theater director. Both are married and have grown children: Dmytro Hromov has a son and Oleh Ladyzhensky has a daughter. Dmytro Gromov's son Serhiy is currently serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Dmytro Hromov and Oleh Ladyzhensky have been professional writers since 1996.
They work mainly in various fields of fantasy, mysticism and science fiction. So far, more than 280 books by H. L. Aldy have been published (including reprints and translations into other languages), which is more than 60 original books (first editions). The total circulation of all H. L. Aldy's books to date is about 2,000,000 copies. H.L. Oldie's books were published in Ukrainian and Russian, some books were also translated and published in Poland, France, Canada (in French), Czech Republic, and Lithuania. Some of Aldy's short stories and novels have also been published in the United States, Hungary, Mexico, the Czech Republic, France, China, Israel, Lithuania, Estonia, and Slovakia.
At the International European Science Fiction Conference "EuroCon-2006" G. L. Oldie was named the best European science fiction writer of 2006 (ESFS Award). He has also received many other literary awards and prizes. In particular, the National Science Fiction Award of Ukraine and the Golden Writer of Ukraine Honorary Award, as well as other Ukrainian literary awards and awards from Israel and China.
About Alex Schwartzman
Alex Schwartzman is a writer, translator, and anthologist based in Brooklyn, New York. He is the author of the fantasy novels Kakistocracy (2023), The Middling Affliction (2022), and Eridani's Crown (2019). More than 120 of his stories have been published in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, and many other journals.
About the British Science Fiction Association
The BSFA was founded by a group of fans in 1958 and soon became the official national body of readers, authors, critics, editors, booksellers, and publishers to appreciate and encourage science fiction in all its forms.