Ion Hobana Add a review

Ion Hobana, first name also Ioan, last name also Hobană (born Aurelian Mantaroșie or Manta-Roșie; 25 January 1931 – 22 February 2011) was a Romanian science fiction writer, literary critic and ufologist. His debut as a journalist, novelist and children's poet coincided with the early stages of Romanian communism, when he was also employed as an editor and translator; at that stage, Hobana adhered to Marxism-Leninism and socialist realism, which influenced his literary output. His participation in the local field of science fiction began in during his period studying at the University of Bucharest, when he produced a pioneering paper on the work of Jules Verne. It continued in the late 1950s, with stories which focused on describing futuristic technology in a terrestrial setting. By the early 1960s, Hobana was also a critic and theorist of science fiction, postulating that Romanian science-fiction culture was a byproduct of communism. He revisited the thesis later that decade, producing award-winning essays about pre-modern science fiction, Romanian as well as foreign. He was also involved on the scene as an anthologist and film critic.

In the mid-to-late 1960s, the new communist leader, Nicolae Ceaușescu, inaugurated a détente with the Western world. This policy allowed Hobana to inaugurate a school of Romanian ufology; he also became internationally recognized as an authority on early science fiction, on Verne, on H. G. Wells, and more generally on comparative literature. He attended the Eurocons, at which he took two awards for separate achievements, and eventually became chair of the European Science Fiction Society. At home, Hobana continued with his work as a translator and raconteur, also writing and presenting shows for TVR 1—covering topics such as ufology and oneiromancy. He attained a mid-level position in the Romanian Communist Party, and spent 18 years as secretary of the Writers' Union. These activities had controversial aspects, including his participation in official censorship, targeting authors such as Paul Goma and Bujor Nedelcovici. Hobana was also engaged in promoting Ceaușescu's personality cult, and wrote homages to Ceaușescu's wife, Elena.

In the 1990s, after the Romanian Revolution had ended communism, Hobana became exposed to criticism for his past activities, though he continued to hold executive positions at the Writers' Union. Publishing new works of prose, including a World War II-themed novel, he returned to ufology with a monograph on the Roswell incident, leading a Romanian Agency for UFO Studies; he also contributed a national textbook of children's literature, and curated a series of science-fiction classics at Editura Minerva. His work suffered after 2009, when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness; he died in hospital less than a month after his 80th birthday, having managed to complete a critical overview of French science fiction.