New Issue 2015.33

“Much like fairy tales, there are two facets of horror. One is pro-institution, which is the most reprehensible type of fairy tale: Don’t wander into the woods, and always obey your parents. The other type of fairy tale is completely anarchic and antiestablishment.”

—Guillermo del Toro

Issue 2015.33

• ‘Tiangong Park’, Erika D. Price (illustrated by Robin E. Kaplan)
• ‘Menander’, Angela Ambroz (illustrated by Miranda Jean)
• ‘All Along the Mall’, Chloe N. Clark (illustrated by L.E. Badillo)
• ‘The Paragon of Knowledge’, Nick Wood (illustrated by Callum Bishop)
• ‘The Bright Hunters’, B.L. Draper (illustrated by Cécile Matthey)

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Interview with Małgorzata Mika

Djibril al-Ayad (for TFF): Hello, Małgorzata. You’ll be known to TFF readers as one of our reviewers, and perhaps also as the editor of the Speculative Treasury (more on that later). What other activities do you get up to in speculative fiction?

Małgorzata Mika: Hello Djibril! When it comes to my work for The Future Fire, I have only just begun my journey. I am grateful that this opportunity has landed in my lap, allowing me to finally word texts in English. It has been my dream to contribute to the field of the fantastic in a language that is used worldwide. Yet, my previous writings included essays, articles and reviews for the Polish academic journal, Creatio Fantastica. Since 2013, I have been attending sci-fi/fantasy conventions in Poland, such as Grojkon in Bielsko-Biala, Krakon in Cracow and Dni Fantastyki (Fantasy Days) in Wroclaw. At times, apart from being an active listener, I was an active lecturer, giving a talk on some of the topics in the field of the fantastic. Sharing my knowledge is an experience I deem powerfully enriching for me, and I hope that a piece of it will stay with my audience.

DA: How did you first get into science fiction or fantasy? What are some of your favorite works today?

MM: The circumstances surrounding my first encounter with science fiction are pretty incongruent, and, looking back at them from the perspective of time, I feel a mixture of nostalgia and embarrassment. It happened when I was around five years old and I was hardly a literary type at that time. One evening I was watching a remake of Flash Gordon from 1980, and I was absolutely amazed by its fast-paced action and visual beauty. However tacky and pulpy this movie appears to me now, to me as a child, it was an immensely intense experience for me at that time. It needs to be noted here that I was more captivated by the variegated scenery and special effects than by the story itself.