The British Science Fiction Association Limited is an organisation founded in 1958 by a group of British academics,

science fiction fans Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...

, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to promote the writing, criticism, and study of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

in every form. The first President of the BSFA was

Brian Aldiss Brian Wilson Aldiss (; 18 August 1925 – 19 August 2017) was an English writer, artist, and anthology editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for o ...

Pat Cadigan Patricia Oren Kearney Cadigan (born September 10, 1953) is a British-American science fiction author, whose work is most often identified with the cyberpunk movement. Her novels and short stories often explore the relationship between the hum ...

became president in August 2020, and

Tade Thompson Tade Thompson is a British-born Nigerian psychiatrist best known for his science fiction novels. Life and career Thompson was born in London to Yoruba parents. His family left the United Kingdom for Nigeria in 1976, when Thompson was seven. He ...

became the Vice President in June 2021. The

BSFA Award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...

s are presented annually by the British Science Fiction Association, based on a vote of BSFA members and members of the British national SF convention (

Eastercon Eastercon is the common name for the annual British national science fiction convention. The convention is organised by voluntary self-organising committees, rather than a permanent entity. Organisation Groups of fans (typically 5–8 in n ...

). The BSFA also nominates two out of five of each year's judging panel for the

Arthur C. Clarke Award The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award i ...

. The BSFA is responsible for the

s, which are based on a vote of BSFA members, and members of the British national SF convention,

. The BSFA is also responsible for nominating two out of the five judges for the judging panel of the

History

The BSFA was the fourth attempt to set up a national organisation of science fiction fans in Britain. The first attempt, the Science Fiction Association (SFA), was set up in 1937 by fans who attended the first British science fiction convention in Leeds in May of that year, and was "devoted to the stimulation of interest in science fiction and scientific progress". It was disbanded on the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

barely two years later. The second attempt was called the British Fantasy Society (no connection with the later organisation of the same name), and was established in June 1942 by many of the people behind the SFA with the objective of giving members better access to science fiction through its extensive library. The British Fantasy Society did not last long and was wound-up in November 1946. The third attempt was in 1948, when Captain Ken Slater proposed the founding of a new national fan organisation. From this, the Science Fantasy Society was born. Slater was later posted to the army in Germany and the remaining committee members did not share his "flaming enthusiasm" for the organisation; in September 1951 the SFS was declared to be "a glorious flop". By the late 1950s, British science fiction

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

was in serious decline. The annual

had become a purely social event with a rapidly diminishing attendance (150 in 1954, 115 in 1955, 80 in 1956, fewer than 50 in 1958). Spurred by this, the 1958 Eastercon held in

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...

held a discussion on the whole future of British fandom. It was agreed that both British fanzines and science fiction conventions had become inward-looking and had moved so far away from science fiction that they were not attractive to newcomers. It was decided that the way forward was a new national organisation devoted to the serious study of science fiction that would also carry material in its publication about fandom. After considerable debate on the name ("science fiction" was considered a stigma in dealing with the Press), the BSFA was formed, and by its first anniversary it had over 100 members.

Publications

The BSFA is responsible for four publications: *''

Vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...

'' – the critical journal of the BSFA, launched in 1958. Published two to three times a year. *''Focus'' – the BSFA's writers magazine, launched in 1979. Published twice a year. *''The BSFA Review'' – a digital only magazine, launched in late 2017. Published approximately four times a year. *''Fission'' – a digital only fiction anthology, launched in 2021. Published once a year. Previous publications include: *''Tangent'' – a fiction magazine, published in 1965 and 1977–1978. *''Paperback Inferno'' (initially ''Paperback Parlour'') – a review magazine which ceased publication in 1992 with issue 97. *''Matrix'' – a news magazine which ceased publication in 2007, with issue 186. *''The Quantum'' – a newsletter which succeeded ''Matrix'' and lasted for six issues, ceasing publication in 2012.

References

* Weston, Peter: "Behind the Scenes: Origins", ''Vector'' #250, November/December 2006.

External links

The BSFA

Vector: The Critical Journal of the BSFA

{{Authority control Science fiction organizations British science fiction Organizations established in 1958 1958 establishments in the United Kingdom Clubs and societies in the United Kingdom