''Amphibian Man'' (rus. Человек-амфибия) is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

adventure novel Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the introduction to the ''Encycloped ...

by the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Russian writer

Alexander Beliaev Alexander Romanovich Belyaev (, ; – 6 January 1942) was a Soviet Russian writer of science fiction. His works from the 1920s and 1930s made him a highly regarded figure in Russian science fiction, often referred to as "Russia's Jules Verne". ...

. It was published in 1928.

Plot

Argentinean doctor Salvator, a scientist and a maverick surgeon, gives his son, Ichthyander (, Ikhtiandr) (Greek etymology: "Fish"+ "Man") a life-saving transplant - a set of

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

s. The experiment is a success but it limits the young man's ability to interact with the world outside his ocean environment. He has to spend much of his time in water. Pedro Zurita, a local

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

gatherer, learns about Ichthyander and tries to exploit the boy's superhuman diving abilities. Similar to other works by Beliaev, the book investigates the possibilities of physical survival under extreme conditions, as well as the moral integrity of scientific experiments. It also touches on

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

ideas of improving living conditions for the world's poor.

Origins

It is suggested the Belyayev borrowed the plot from the 1909 French novel ' by

Jean de La Hire Jean de La Hire (pseudonym of the Comte Adolphe-Ferdinand Celestin d'Espie de La Hire) (28 January 1878 – 5 September 1956) was a prolific French author of numerous popular adventure, science fiction and romance novels. Adolphe d'Espie was b ...

. (It was also serialized in the American newspapers under the title ''HICTANER The Man That Lived in the Water'') In the French novel a Jesuite villain Fulbert uses Hictaner, a man to whom scientist and surgeon Oxus transplanted shark's gills, to sink ships all over the globe to blackmail the world. But his plots were failed by Hictaner's love to Moisette. Belyayev could not read French, but this novel appeared in Russian at least twice. In 1909 the ultramonarchist newspaper published a remake in which the supervillain was a Jew. In 1911 the magazine ''Свет'' (''Light'') published the translation of the French novel under the title Иктанэр и Моэзетта (Hictaner and Moisette).

Adaptations

The 1962 film adaptation the ''

Amphibian Man ''Amphibian Man'' (rus. Человек-амфибия) is a science fiction adventure novel by the Soviet Russian writer Alexander Beliaev. It was published in 1928. Plot Argentinean doctor Salvator, a scientist and a maverick surgeon, gives ...

'' (, translit. ''Chelovek-Amfibiya''), was directed by Vladimir Chebotaryov. The film was the leader of Soviet distribution in 1962, with 65.5 million admissions during its initial run that year. It later sold up to 100million admissions including re-runs, the highest for a

Soviet film The cinema of the Soviet Union includes films produced by the constituent republics of the Soviet Union reflecting elements of their pre-Soviet culture, language and history, albeit they were all regulated by the central government in Moscow. ...

up until '' The Red Snowball Tree'' (1974).Interview with Boris Pavlenok, deputy director of the USSR GosKino
/ref> Filmed on the South Coast of the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

and in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

and featuring a cast of beautiful young actors, the film features some popular song and dance numbers and has certain characteristics of a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

. The first song and the musical theme of the movie - "" became such a hit that it was sung well into the 1990s. A 2004 Russian TV series (4 episodes) ''The Amphibian Man. The Sea Devil'' (''Человек-амфибия. Морской дьявол'') was aired, loosely based on the novel and set in modern days.

Translations

* Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow *''L'Uomo Anfibio'', Agenzia Alcatraz, Italia

Cultural influence

* Ichthyander Project, underwater habitat *

Daphnella ichthyandri ''Daphnella ichthyandri'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae. Description Distribution This marine species was found on the Nazca Ridge The Nazca Ridge is a submarine ridge, located on the Nazc ...

, mollusc *

Chlorophthalmus ichthyandri ''Chlorophthalmus'' is a genus of greeneyes The species is distinguished by a silvery gray body with black spots and dark crossbar traces, a lower jaw that ends in a peculiar horizontal plate with spine-like processes, and other unique character ...

, fish

References