Dr. Mariano Martín Rodríguez, Independent Scholar, Reflects on European Contemporary Speculative Fiction
In the wake of the essay THE ILLUSION OF UNITY: A COMMENTARY ON THE 2026 ESFS AWARDS AND EUROPE’S FRACTURED SCIENCE FICTION LANDSCAPE — a text that has stirred debate across the continent by exposing the structural problems, cultural asymmetries, and persistent fragmentation of European speculative fiction — a number of prominent European intellectuals, scholars, creators, editors and translators have been invited to share their perspectives on the issues raised.
As part of this ongoing dialogue, we spoke with Dr. Mariano Martín Rodríguez, independent scholar, literary critic, essayist, cultural commentator, translator, and co‑editor of Sci Phi Journal and Hélice, whose long-standing commitment to cross‑cultural exchange and European speculative thought and fiction offers a uniquely informed vantage point.
His reflections continue the conversation opened by the essay, adding depth, nuance, and critical insight to a debate that Europe can no longer afford to ignore.
Cristian Tamaș: Is the idea of a unified European SF community realistic, or is it — as suggested — merely an “illusion of unity” masking a continent divided by language, market size, and cultural priorities?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: There is a broad cultural unity in Western Europe since the Middle Ages. It widened to the whole continent when countries where the Eastern Christian churches are predominant became a little more secular and westernised.
However, this unity is not of a linguistic nature.
Europe cannot be like the United States.
Its culture is rather comparable to that other Asiatic subcontinent called India, where there are also a wealth of literatures underpinned by a similar culture, but written in different languages. In India, works written in Gujarati rarely reach a Tamil readership, unless they are translated into their current common language, which is English, as it is in Europe.
Cristian Tamaș: How can Europe reduce the imbalance between the dominant Western publishing spheres (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish) and the smaller or less internationally visible markets?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: This imbalance is as old as Europe itself.
However, some languages spoken by relatively few people such as the Scandinavian ones have a huge presence in the market (e.g., Nordic crime thrillers).
Their classics have also been translated into most of all of these five languages, amongst others.
Despite its linguistic isolation, Hungarian has fared relatively well, too.
By contrast, a major language such as Polish has been less present in the European literary scene, with the exception of science fiction!
Why is that? A reason could be the nationalistic obsession of many of its classic writers, as well as other similar case in other countries.
When national institutions still glorify national poets such as Adam Mickiewicz, Sándor Petőfi and Mihail Eminescu, they are implying that their interest is only national, not universal, and it is often, indeed, the case. If one thinks small, the results will be just as small.
There are no small languages or markets, there is small thinking, in SF as well.
Cristian Tamaș: Does the fragmentation of European SF stem primarily from linguistic barriers, or are cultural and institutional factors equally responsible?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: I believe that Europeans, at least those sharing the political space of the expanded EU encompassing the EEE, Schengen, and European NATO countries have nowadays a broadly common culture, expectations, as well as a relatively similar institutional framework, maybe like never before in the history of our continent.
Despite the growing sense of European belonging that we share under these circumstances, if we do not feel culturally much closer, I guess that the reason is primarily linguistic.
SF readers and fans can hardly access works written or produced in a foreign language if they cannot understand that language.
Multilingualism is on the rise in Europe, but one cannot reasonably expect people to master more than two or three languages.
The use of a particular language as a vehicle for translations has always been the answer.
In the Renaissance, when Latin was still the common language for educated persons in Western Europe, significat works written in the so-called vulgar languages were translated into Latin and could then be enjoyed by a wider readership.
French replaced Latin from the 17th to the early 20th centuries, then to be replaced by English up to now.
Perhaps the significant difference today is that English is not often used in its own anglosphere as a target language for translations.
This is a serious setback for a true globalisation of SF.
Only Chinese SF seems to have broken the translation wall.
No other language, not even Spanish, despite its huge presence in other cultural fields such as popular music, has succeeded in overcoming that barrier.
We can also think of Europe in Swiss terms.
There is a certain amount of translations from a Swiss language to other Swish languages, but this does not happen often enough to prove the existence of a Swiss literature or culture as such.
However, it does not prevent the country to feel united.
My dream is that Europe, or at least the European Union, will bring together the best of the Swiss and Indian models. I believe that it will happen in its due time, better if without any interference from political powers and agendas.
Cristian Tamaș: From your perspective as a translator, how much does the lack of cross-border translation contribute to the “fractured landscape” of European science fiction?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: It is the essential reason for this fractured landscape that you aptly mention. This is why I try my best to publish as many translations as I can in the journals and magazines I co-edit, in particular Hélice (www.revistahelice.com).
In every Eurocon I attend, I do my best to obtain translations of early speculative fiction from any European language into English or Spanish. Some respond promising to secure those translations. Unfortunately, they rarely or never fulfill their promises.
Most translations into English published in Hélice were made by academics, by colleagues (for example, my late colleague and friend David Preece, who translated a couple of pieces from Polish before his premature decease), or by Hélice’s co-editor, Sara Martín, who has made a great job translating into English from Catalan.
An American, Carleton Bulking, has translated quite a few works from Czech. Some of his translations have appeared in Hélice, and also in book format, such as the 2026 anthology Crossroads of Imagination: Czech Fantastic Literature 1831–1945. It includes some SF stories.
Cristian Tamaș: What practical measures could be taken to improve cultural exchange across Europe — especially through translation programs, cross-border anthologies, or collaborative editorial projects?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: All three ideas that you suggest are useful as long as the works translated, collected in anthologies and internationally co-edited are of sufficient quality to be attractive, at least for those curious to read beyond the common staple of anglo-globalised literature.
Having perused some national anthologies of SF translated into English, including some Romanian ones, I believe that literary excellence is not always the main criterion of inclusion.
Belonging to a particular literary group seems to be the main reason to be included, or excluded.
In order to avoid this, and to let new readers know their own European heritage, I would begin by promoting translations from early, copyright-free classics.
Bulkin’s anthology for Czech speculative fiction could be a model. I would like to see more of this for other European languages.
Cristian Tamaș: Do you believe the ESFS Awards adequately represent Europe’s multilingual SF ecosystem, or do they privilege countries with more centralized fandom structures?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: Given the amount of countries having received an award this year, I would say that this edition has been greatly multilingual.
With regard to countries with an actively organised fandom, I did not perceive better results for them.
For example, the Bulgarian delegation was highly organised, but their nominations were largely unsuccessful, unfortunately. Other, less organised and centralised national delegations, actually obtained awards.
Cristian Tamaș: What reforms, selection criteria, and nomination procedures could help ensure that the ESFS Awards—and each country’s nomination process—are based on quality, professionalism, and literary significance rather than internal favoritism, fandom politics, lobbying, or clientelism, especially considering that there are known cases in several countries where small, non‑representative fandom cliques, not representative of their respective national SFF communities, have captured the nomination process and reward their own clientele with ESFS nominations?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: Your question implies that ESFS nominations are not based on merit.
This is not my perception. If one reviews the list of nominations this year, and this information is readily available even through a simple IA search, one would see that most nominees deserved to get an award.
I think that the list was just as competitive in former Eurocons.The list of ESFS awards does not seem to be based on favoritism, lobbying, or clientelism. There could have been some cases of that, but certainly less than in the case of he Nobel awards for literature in the last years!
Some promotion work is, of course, needed.
Not all nominees are famous, and they themselves or their representatives must convince the national delegates, who freely and secretly vote without following prior directions, that a particular nominee deserves the relevant award.
I do not know how things work in other countries, but in mine, Spain, awards are often given for any reason but those of merit.
Political (and moral) allegeance is of paramount importance to get an award there.
So far, the ESFS awards are fully free from those pressures, in my view.
This is precious. I do not believe that another system (e.g., a jury) could do better. I would only reform the way to choose the Grand Master, which is not subjected to normal vote.
Cristian Tamaș: As a translator and scholar deeply engaged with European SF, how do you explain the absence of so many countries with strong speculative traditions from the 2026 ESFS nomination list: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Baltic states, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Croatia, Slovakia, and Hungary?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: I am not familiar with the SF scene in those countries.
Therefore, this is a question to which I can hardly give a proper answer.
I believe that there is not an organised fandom community in some of those countries, such as the Baltic ones.1
Others, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, were well represented at this Eurocon 2026, but they might felt that they did not have proper candidates for the awards this year.
As for my home country, Spain, I do not know why the national association was not present, directly or indirectly. I have just joined their ranks, and I hope to be able to ask them during the upcoming Hispacon this October. It might have played a role that one of the most important meetings for Spanish fandom takes place in July this year.
It is the Celsius festival: https://celsius232.es/.They could have preferred to invest their efforts in this festival closer home and happening the same month, but this is only an educated guess.
Whatever the situation, I would say that this year the ESFS competition could boast of a sizable number of deserving nominees.
Cristian Tamaș: Would a pan-European platform dedicated to promoting all European speculative fiction be valuable. If so, how should it be structured, and which translators, editors, scholars, or institutions should be involved?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: This pan-European platform was discussed this year during Eurocon. Some valuable ideas were proposed. Unfortunately, there is always the money problem. There are only a few funds devoted to pan-European cultural initiatives, let alone literary ones.
I am afraid that those actually working as translators, editors and promoters of a pan-European approach to speculative fiction, such as Francesco Verso and, more humbly, myself, will have to keep working at their own risk…But Eurocon allows us to get to know each other, at the very least!
Cristian Tamaș: Is it possible to promote “European speculative fiction” globally as a unified cultural brand, or does the continent’s linguistic diversity make national-level promotion more effective?
Mariano Martín Rodríguez: There is no use promoting a European speculative fiction label, unless this label is universally accepted in Europe itself.
Is there Swiss science fiction as a unified entity, although Switzerland is arguably a single national entity? The answer is no.
Europe could develop a single SF tradition in a single language similar to Indian literature written in English or translated into it (think of English versions of SF works published first in Bengali as from the 19th century!).
Until then, I am afraid that the national level is still the most effective.
And let us not forget that some European languages other than English are also global.
The promotion problems faced by Croatian or Romanian language SF writers are not the same as those faced by their French or Spanish colleagues, whose languages are widely used out of Europe.
A single European approach is all the more difficult to achieve.
Cristian Tamaș: Thank you very much, Mariano!
© Mariano Martín Rodríguez & Cristian Tamaș
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Photograph of Mariano Martín Rodríguez, taken by David Ambroes.
1Note – Cristian Tamaș: Despite not being visible at a pan‑European level, there are SF fandoms, SF clubs, and SF events in the Baltic countries, including active SF publishing in Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian languages. There is a vibrant, continuous, and well-organized science fiction and fantasy fandom operating in the Baltic States (especially in Estonia, less in Latvia and Lithuania). Estonia has a unique, tightly-knit community with distinct organizations, active monthly webzines, localized speculative fiction genres, and a major summer SFF convention, ESTCON.
Mariano Martín Rodríguez (Toledo, Spain, 1966) holds a PhD in Philology from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1994 (with the dissertation “The Theatre of Foreign Romance Languages in Madrid, 1918–1936” and a degree in Romance Languages and Literatures from the same institution.
Dr. Mariano Martín Rodríguez taught Spanish language and literature at the Université des Sciences Humaines de Strasbourg (France, 1994–1995), and he is currently among the translators of the European Commission in Brussels (since 1995).
Dr. Mariano Martín Rodríguez has published books and more than 100 studies in different languages and numerous articles in scholarly humanities journals, both in Spain and abroad, related to modern drama, speculative fiction and science fiction, as well as several translations from English and different Romance languages (for instance, bilingual editions of Eugène Ionesco’s Romanian works) into Spanish, as well as academic editions of French, Romanian and Spanish fantastic literature, speculative and utopian plays, novels and stories, including some previously unknown works transcribed from their manuscripts.
Dr. Mariano Martín Rodríguez has a wide range of literary interests, spanning theatre, the work of Eugène Ionesco, the study of cultural relations between Romania and Spain, and extending to Spanish and Neo-Latin science fictions.
Romanian literary criticism has noted and highlighted the bilingual edition of Ionesco’s last Romanian work, “Sclipiri şi teatru” (Flashes and Theatre), that is, “Sclipiri” (Flashes) and “Englezeşte fără profesor” (English Without a Teacher), published for the first time in an uncensored and complete edition by Fundamentos, Madrid, 2008. It has also praised the bilingual edition of Ionesco’s “Hugoliada” (The Hugoliad) published by Cuadernos de Langre, Madrid, 2009.
He published in Romania the volume “Ionesco înainte de La Cantatrice Chauve. Opera absurdă românească” (Ionesco Before La Cantatrice Chauve: The Romanian Absurdist Work) (Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Cluj‑Napoca, Romania, 2009) and wrote the preface to the Romanian translation of “Opera lui Traian” (Trajan’s Work – referring to the Roman emperor Trajanus (b. 18 September 53 CE, Italica, Hispania Baetica; d. 8 August 117 CE, Selinus, Cilicia), of Hispanic origin, regarded by Romanians as a co‑founder of the Romanian people), a book about Romania by the Spanish poet and diplomat Ramón de Basterra (Institutul European, Iaşi, Romania, 2011).
Based on Mariano Martín Rodríguez’s Spanish translation (in Spanish, it was translated by Mariano Martín Rodríguez as “La cuadratura del círculo: Falso tratado de urbogonía” and published by La Biblioteca del Laberinto, in the Delirio series, no. 39, in the year 2010) of the Romanian SF writer Gheorghe Săsărman’s story collection “Cuadratura cercului: Fals tratat de urbogonie” (1975; Squaring the Circle: A Pseudotreatise of Urbogony), Ursula K. Le Guin translated the book into English and published it as “Squaring the Circle: A Pseudotreatise of Urbogony” (2013, Aqueduct Press, U.S.A.). Out of the 36 original Romanian stories, Ursula K. Le Guin selected and translated 24 short stories.
He is co-editor of the online journal Hélice (www.revistahelice.com) and Sci Phi Journal (https://www.sciphijournal.org/index.php/home/)
Prof. Dr. Sara Martín Alegre, The Autonomous University of Barcelona:
THE ILLUSION OF UNITY: A COMMENTARY ON THE 2026 ESFS AWARDS AND EUROPE’S FRACTURED SCIENCE FICTION LANDSCAPE – CRISTIAN TAMAȘ:
THE ELECTRIC MIND OF EUROPE: WHY Sci Phi Journal IS THE LITERARY FRONTIER YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED – CRISTIAN TAMAȘ
