Abstract
Abstract The article explores the emergence of science fiction as a genre in socialist Hungary. By focusing on the origins and role of the science fiction anthology Galaktika [Galaxy] and the book series Kozmosz Fantasztikus Könyvek [Cosmos fantastic books] and exploring the role of their editor, Péter Kuczka, the article argues that book publication from the mid- to late 1960s onward was much more elastic and variable than one would think. Readers’ growing interest in science fiction, and the commercial success of science fiction publications, convinced the state that it needed to accept science fiction as a legitimate literary genre. By examining the intellectual and cultural development that led to this legitimization and by analyzing some of the key publications and their themes and topoi, the article hopes to contribute to a better understanding of Hungarian socialist cultural policy.