What ticked off Soviet bosses about "Inhabited Island"?

Question

Нет, конечно. Насколько я помню, мы ничего об этом Супермене и не знали тогда. Я уже писал, что Максим был нашим ответом начальству: не хотите серьезной литературы? Пожалуйста! Вот вам залипуха о приключениях комсомольца 22-го века. Почему-то нам, дуракам молодым, казалось, что мы таким образом способны специально раздражить начальство. Впрочем, начальство, действительно, впало в раздражение, но совсем по другому поводу.

Of course not. As far as I remember, we did not know anything about this Superman. I already wrote that Maxim was our response to the authorities: You do not want serious literature? Here you go! Here you have a pulp about the adventures of a 22-century Komsomol member. For some reason, it seemed to us, young fools, that in this way we were able to especially annoy our superiors. However, the superiors, indeed, were irritated, but quite for quite a different reason.

Source: Boris Strugatsky Off-Line Interview, 7/2000, Q#26, discussing why Maksim Kammerer from "Inhabited Island" was such a "superman".

What exactly was that reason that Strugatsky's "superiors" (presumably, publishing/censorship/literature board bosses) were irritated with seemingly wholly pro-Soviet "Inhabited Island"?

Answer 1

I don't think anybody can have a definite answer here.

My understanding is that the same Mak Sim portrayed by someone else (say Adamov of the previous generation, or Kazantzev, or even Efremov) would go unnoticed by both начальство and the audience alike. Начальство was irritated by the authors much more than by a character. Recall how popular were they, and how much non-conformant were they perceived; this is a good enough reason for irritation.

Answer 2

If I recall correctly, Erik Simon wrote in the afterword of his german translation that the novel was deemed too political, especially the criticism of nationalism and mass media. The publishing house of the Komsomol was one of the few venues that would touch SF, the Strugatskies decided to write a story about a Komsomol in space. It's possible the censors were miffed because the story was too political for the young minds they imagined the audience to be.