Boris and Arkady Strugatsky

The two brothers Arkady (???????, August 28, 1925 – October 12, 1991) and Boris (??????, born April 14, 1933) Strugatsky (??????????; alternate spelling: Strugatski) are Russian science fiction authors who collaborated on their fiction.

Noon Universe

Several of the books written by the Strugatskys take part in the same universe, unofficially known as the Wanderers universe (Russian: ??? ??????????, English transliteration: mir Strannikov) or The World of Noon (Russian: ??? ??????, English transliteration: Mir Poldnya), which is another, perhaps better known, name for the fictional universe serving as a base for many of Strugatskys' texts. The name is due to the title of one of their texts, ???????, XXII ??? (English transliteration: Polden', XXII vek; literal translation: Noon, XXII century), which relates several stories from the universe in question, while providing the background "feel" for its style of life. Among the main characteristics of Noon Universe are a very high level of social, scientific, and technological development, high creativity of the general population, and very significant increase in the level of societal maturity compared to either the modern world, or any of those known to exist. For instance, this world knows no monetary stimulation (indeed, money does not exist), yet every person is engaged in a profession that interests him or her. The Earth of Noon Universe is a governed by a global technocratic council composed of the world's leading scientists, philosophers.

Related Topics:
The World of Noon - Technocratic

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One of the important story arcs of those books is how the advanced human civilisation covertly steers the development of those considered less advanced. Agents of humans are known as Progressors. At the same time, some humans suspect that a very advanced spacefaring race called Wanderers exists and is 'progressing' humanity itself.

Related Topics:
Progressors - Wanderers

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The idea of Progressors is similar to the idea of Special Circumstances organisation in The Culture set of novel by Iain M. Banks.

Related Topics:
Special Circumstances - The Culture - Iain M. Banks

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Not all of Strugatsky's stories occur in the World of Noon; few (most notably ??????????? ?????????? ? ??????? (Ponedel'nik nachinaetsya v subbotu / Monday Begins on Saturday) and its continuation, ?????? ? ?????? (Skazka o Troyke / The Tale of the Troika) take place in the Soviet times, presumably those (or close to those) during which they were written, and some occur in unspecified realms.

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