Volodymyr Apollinaryovych Zayets¶

Volodymyr Zayets

Birth: September 9, 1949, Velyka Bugayivka, Vasylkiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR
Death: December 20, 2002, Yemen
Occupation: Science fiction writer, editor, translator, pediatrician
Languages: Ukrainian, Russian
Pseudonyms: Veld Chernouz, Vladimir Chernoza
Notable Works: The Machine of Oblivion, Temponauts, The City That Never Was, The Heavy Shadows
Affiliations: Member of the Union of Soviet Writers (1987), Member of the Council of the Ukrainian Science Fiction Fan Club

Biography¶

Early Life and Education¶

Volodymyr Zayets was born into a family of civil servants in Velyka Bugayivka, Vasylkiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast. He pursued a medical career, graduating from the Kyiv Medical Institute in 1972, specializing in pediatrics. After graduation, he worked as a pediatrician at the Vyshhorod Emergency Medical Center.

Literary Career¶

Zayets began his literary career with a humorous short story submitted to the satirical magazine Perec in 1972. His first science fiction work, Byli starogo kosmogatora (1978), marked the beginning of a humorous space adventure cycle featuring Antoniy Endotelius, a cosmic wanderer and storyteller.

Throughout his career, he wrote in both Ukrainian and Russian, publishing in Ukrainian magazines (Perec, Dnipro, Ranok) and the Leningrad-based journal Aurora. He was actively involved in the Ukrainian science fiction community and participated in the famous Maleevka science fiction seminar.

In 1991, Zayets became the chief editor of the magazine "Flint", which only published one issue. During the collapse of the Soviet Union, he compiled an anthology of Ukrainian science fiction, "Zemlya ne obetovannaya" (The Unpromised Land), but it was never published.

Later Years and Mysterious Death¶

In the late 1990s, Zayets relocated to Yemen, working as a pediatrician under contract. He died under mysterious circumstances on December 20, 2002. The official cause of death was reported as methanol poisoning, but suspicions arose that he had been deliberately poisoned to avoid contract payment. His body was initially buried in Yemen, and his wife, Lyudmyla Tkach, struggled for months to have his remains repatriated to Ukraine. He was finally buried in March 2003 in Kyiv.

His son, who also became a doctor, emigrated to the United States over 25 years ago. Lyudmyla later joined their son in the U.S., and no known contacts remain with them.

Literary Works¶

Books¶

1984 – Машина забуття (The Machine of Oblivion)
1986 – Темпонавти (Temponauts)

Novellas¶

1985 – Город, которого не было (The City That Never Was)
1987 – Земля не обетованная (The Unpromised Land)
1990 – Гипсовая судорога (Gypsum Spasm)
1991 – Тяжелые тени (The Heavy Shadows)

Short Stories¶

1973 – Для профилактики (For Prevention)
1974 – Философ (Philosopher)
1974 – Свидание (Date)
1975 – Интуиция (Intuition)
1975 – Пошутил (Joked)
1978-1991 – Цикл «Были старого космогатора» (Tales of the Old Cosmigator)
1980 – Дед Патратий (Grandfather Patraty)
1981 – Темпонавты – так их назовут (They Will Call Them Temponauts)
1986 – И будет день новый... (And There Will Be a New Day...)
1988 – Побег (Escape)
1989 – Некоторые аспекты современного ведьмоведения (Some Aspects of Modern Witchcraft Studies)
1990 – Эффект фараона (The Pharaoh Effect)

Science Fiction Anthologies¶

1990 – Пригоди, подорожі, фантастика-90 (Adventures, Travels, Science Fiction-90) – Editor

Filmography¶

1984 – Встреча (Meeting) – Screenplay for an animated film (Kievnauchfilm Studio, USSR)

Bibliography¶

Notable Collections¶

1991 – Тяжелые тени: Фантастическая повесть, рассказы (The Heavy Shadows: A Sci-Fi Novella and Stories)
2012 – Были старого космогатора (Tales of the Old Cosmigator)

Periodical Publications¶

1978 – Фантастика-78 (Fantastika-78) – Story: Были старого космогатора (Tales of the Old Cosmigator)
1983 – Фантастика-83 (Fantastika-83) – Story: Темпонавты – так их назовут (They Will Call Them Temponauts)
1987 – Молодь (Youth) – Novella: Земля не обетованная (The Unpromised Land)
1990 – Молодая гвардия (Young Guard) – Novella: Гипсовая судорога (Gypsum Spasm)
1991 – Флинт (Flint Magazine) – Story: Марсианский сувенир (Martian Souvenir)

Translations and Editorial Work¶

1991 – Translated Miss Shumway and the Magic Wand by James Hadley Chase
1991 – Editor of Soviet Literature – Temponauts (translated into English)
1983 – Dražba na planetě Gij: Fantastika 83 – Příběhy starého kosmogátora (translated into Czech)

Legacy¶

Vladimir Zayets was a prominent figure in Ukrainian and Soviet science fiction, known for his ironic and satirical style, as well as his deep interest in speculative fiction. His work explored themes of human nature, space exploration, and ethical dilemmas in science. Despite the tragic and mysterious circumstances of his death, his literary contributions remain a significant part of Ukrainian and Russian science fiction history.