On Friday, 21 November 2025, the documentary "Enguídanos, descriptor que viatjà a les estrelles" was presented by its director Joana Chilet, and the seminar "Saga y sentido de la maravilla" was given by Pedro García Bilbao, professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Sociology at Rey Juan Carlos University, at the López Piñero Interuniversity Institute.

Pascual Enguídanos wrote a science fiction saga between 1950 and 1978. Due to editorial requirements, he signed his work with the pseudonyms George H. White and Van S. Smith. His work captivated many people of the time, as did the illustrations by José Luis Macías.

The session began with the screening of the documentary "Enguídanos, descriptor que viatjà a les estrelles". Director Joana Chilet presented her work and explained the research process involved in making it: writing a script, obtaining documentation and finding people who were familiar with Enguídanos' works. Joana spoke about how some works published by Editorial Valenciana are still missing and how important it would be to recover Pascual's work, as it is part of the history of the Valencian community.

Then, Professor Pedro García Bilbao presented his seminar and mentioned previous works such as that of Dr Michel Barceló and how it was essential for ensuring that Enguídanos' work was not lost. Thanks to this work, it was possible to coordinate the efforts of many people with regard to the saga and the work of Pascual Enguídanos, as it pointed out that it should not be lost from memory. 

Professor Bilbao explained that Pascual, beyond his circle of friends, family and the editor of Editorial Valenciana, was not a well-known figure, as he wrote under a pseudonym and his work was considered popular fiction. However, he said that the publisher of Editorial Valenciana gave him complete freedom to write, but in other collaborations, such as with Editorial Bruguera, this was not the case, and he was restricted by the stipulation that the novels had to be independent and not rely on each other. The greater freedom he had with Editorial Valenciana allowed him to create a complete series, with a saga of characters, thematic lines and, ultimately, a highly successful literary universe in the field of science fiction.  

According to Bilbao, Editorial Valenciana's novels brought light and colour to a time very different from today, marked by the grey atmosphere of dictatorship and scarcity. Therefore, these novels brought a sense of wonder by making people marvel at a work and that wonder continued over time. As he explained, fascination is something that inspires human beings to understand and learn what we do not know. Enguídanos did not do his work just for fame or money; he did it because he liked what he did and took his work beyond what he could have imagined, managing to connect with readers. He offered something different from the science fiction of the time, which is why he was so successful and managed to reach places outside Spain, such as France and Belgium.

As Professor Bilbao explained, science fiction continues to be a less widely read genre than other literary genres, despite appearances to the contrary; however, it can be exploited more thanks to new platforms. He pointed out that readers like science fiction because it presents imaginary worlds that do not seek to explain science, even though they contain some elements of reality. In the Aznar saga, there is a utopian society; however, the novel presents a conflict. The story is dramatic because we see the life and death of the characters, and that is the connection the novel has with readers in the real world. In the case of Enguídanos' novels, the work of illustrator and artist José Luís Macías was also fundamental. Macías was a key figure in the final configuration of the novels and managed to convey and connect with the reader through images.

He concluded the seminar by explaining how fascination is fundamental in science and also in literature. In his words, reading can transport us to many worlds and, despite the fact that reading as a form of entertainment is falling out of favour, many will continue to insist on literature and fascination with unknown worlds. He also pointed out the importance of reading among young people, especially science fiction, which is a genre that has a lot to offer. He said that Pascual had no scientific training, but he was fascinated by what he read and what he did, which is why he always exercised his creative freedom, fascinating his readers as well. 

Link to seminar recording (access cose B.LprAT4)

Ivania Maturana, student completing extracurricular internships from the Interuniversity Master's Degree in History and Communication of Science.