''Amphibian Man'' (rus. Человек-амфибия) is a science fiction adventure novel by the Soviet Russian writer

Alexander Beliaev Alexander Romanovich Belyaev (russian: Алекса́ндр Рома́нович Беля́ев, ; – 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 Russia ...

. It was published in 1928.

Plot

Argentinean doctor Salvator, a scientist and a maverick surgeon, gives his son, Ichthyander (russian: Ихтиандр, Ikhtiandr) (Greek etymology: "Fish"+ "Man") a life-saving transplant - a set of shark gills. 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 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 ideas of improving living conditions for the world's poor.

Other media

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, give ...

'' (russian: Человеκ-aмфибия,

translit. Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

''Chelovek-Amfibiya''), was directed by

Vladimir Chebotaryov Vladimir Aleksandrovich Chebotaryov (russian: Влади́мир Чеботарёв) (16 August 1921 – 4 March 2010) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (1994). Early years Vladimir ...

. The movie recorded 65 million ticket sales (the actual ticket revenue is unknown) quickly becoming one of the most admired movies in the USSR. Filmed on the South Coast of the Crimea and in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

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 and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

. The first song and the musical theme of the movie - "The Sea Devil" became such a hit that it was sung well into the 1990s. A 2004 Russian TV series ''Sea Devil'' ( Морской Дьявол) was aired, loosely based on the novel.

Translations

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

Cultural influence

* Ichthyander Project, underwater habitat * Daphnella ichthyandri, mollusc * Chlorophthalmus ichthyandri, fish

References

1928 Russian novels Novels by Alexander Beliaev 1928 science fiction novels Russian novels adapted into films Science fiction novels adapted into films Soviet science fiction novels {{1920s-sf-novel-stub

Plot

Other media

Translations

Cultural influence

See also

References