His participation in the local field of science fiction began in during his period studying at the University of Bucharest, when he produced a pioneering paper on the work of Jules Verne.

This policy allowed Hobana to inaugurate a school of Romanian ufology; he also became internationally recognized as an authority on early science fiction, on Verne, on H. G. Wells, and more generally on comparative literature.

Publishing new works of prose, including a World War II-themed novel, he returned to ufology with a monograph on the Roswell incident, leading a Romanian Agency for UFO Studies; he also contributed a national textbook of children's literature, and curated a series of science-fiction classics at Editura Minerva.

His work suffered after 2009, when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness; he died in hospital less than a month after his 80th birthday, having managed to complete a critical overview of French science fiction.

[1] Despite their child being born in the extreme west of the country (in the Banat), the family hailed from the Moldavian city of Bârlad, where, in the 1920s, Ioan had published several issues of a magazine called Freamătul Literar.

[12] He was also attending various of Bârlad's literary clubs, including one headed by George Tutoveanu (to whom he would address one of his poems), he introduced his colleagues to works by Henric Sanielevici and Walt Whitman.

As noted in 2006 by critic and political scientist Ioan Stanomir, Hobana was "not at all innocent" in his subsequent commitment to the science fiction genre: in that context, its "shamanistic worship of technology" had a propaganda function, and closely imitated the Soviet models.

[15] In a 1988 piece for Ramuri, Ioan Lascu proposed that modern Romanian science fiction, and therefore Hobana's stories as well, had "an engaged character, aiming for educational goals—the instilling of scientific knowledge, of atheistic convictions, and of peace as an ideal.

"[17] In 1950–1952, while having his contributions hosted by the magazine Flacăra of Bucharest,[18] Hobana was employed as editor of the cultural page at Scînteia Tineretului, a central newspaper of the Communist Youth.

[18] Active within the Writers' Union of Romania (USR), in May 1956 Hobana performed self-criticism over his poetic output, citing new literary guidelines as published in the Soviet journal Kommunist.

The title story was a mixture of spy and detective fiction, but in a futuristic setting—it described the adventures of a junior cameraman who uncovers a foreign plot against Romanian communism.

Sfîrșitul vacanței was read by Hobana's colleague Gheorghe Achiței as unequal, in that it failed to highlight the "leading role of the working class" within the resistance movement, presenting the latter's acts of sabotage as "mysterious".

[27] That same year, Hobana's own short stories had been collected as Oameni și stele ("Humans and Stars"), signalling his taking up of science fiction as a near-exclusive focus.

His essays therein were accompanied by samples from many other authors, including Kingsley Amis, Isaac Asimov, Roger Caillois, Silvian Iosifescu, Victor Kernbach, Stanisław Lem, and Pierre Versins.

[15] In 1969, he published an anthology, Vîrsta de aur a anticipației românești ("The Golden Age of Romanian Science Fiction"); it won him the USR's annual prize.

[33] Also in 1971, he and his Belgian friend Julien Weverbergh put out a monograph titled: OZN – o sfidare pentru rațiunea umană ("UFO: A Challenge to Human Reason").

[15][33] In addition to prefacing a series of science-fiction classics, Hobana also wrote introductions to Romanian translations of ancient-austronaut theory (Erich von Däniken, 1970) and ufology (J. Allen Hynek, 1978).

[37] His translation work of the time included Navigators of Infinity by J.-H. Rosny aîné (1974) and Cyrano de Bergerac's States and Empires of the Moon (1980), but also Alexander Pushkin's Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish (1975).

Swedish author Sam J. Lundwall relied on Hobana to accuse Gernsback of "cultural imperialism", and to claim "that science fiction actually originated in Europe.

[46] Hobana was also supposed to issue warnings to writers who had trespassed against Ceaușescu's ideological commands: in 1977, he countersigned the official decision to expel Paul Goma, an outspoken anti-communist, from professional life;[47] he later participated in sessions which condemned Bujor Nedelcovici for publishing one of his novels abroad;[48] he also chided the literary critic Geo Șerban, who had attended an unsupervised screening at the Hungarian People's Republic embassy.

On that occasion, Hobana presented a report on "the development of a new, socialist literature", and on the insight gained by his fellow writers through organized, unmitigated contact with "the large masses of working men and women.

[55] Also then, he created and hosted (to 1982) a TVR 1 series, Triumful visătorilor ("The Triumph of Dreamers"), which explored the links between ancient oneiromancy, science fiction, and actual scientific advances.

These are noted by fellow writer Voicu Bugariu for their insight into the science fantasy elements of works by Macedonski and Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as for a "fascinating" review of alien flora as imagined by various authors.

[58] Hobana returned to publishing in 1987 with another volume of sketch stories, called Un fel de spațiu ("A Sort of Space"); these are described by columnist Ioan Holban as bordering on detective fiction, "likable, with obvious literary qualities.

"[59] Lascu also expressed admiration for the book's focus on "infusing aesthetic value to the [science fiction] genre", coming at a time when the Romanian market was already accepting of inferior works.

He gave a speech titled: "The views of the Communist Party and of its general secretary, comrade Nicolae Ceaușescu, regarding the overwhelming role of science and culture in the creation of a multilaterally developed socialist society, and in advancing Romania on the path to communism".

[67] His claims were received with derision by poet Daniela Crăsnaru, particularly after Hobana had asserted that Romania was visited by flying saucers, whereas it took triangles to cover other regions of the world.

[69] In old age, Hobana reconnected with the literary society of Bârlad, which he called his spiritual home; in 1996, the local newspaper Bârladul hosted his essay on Mihai Eminescu.

Appearing in 2007 as Călătorie întreruptă ("Interrupted Journey"), it was largely sympathetic to far-right youths, of the kind that were recruited by the Iron Guard, and who view the pending disaster with "a lovable callousness".

He managed to complete his overview of French science fiction, Peste o sută și o mie de ani ("Over a Hundred and a Thousand Years"), published at Editura Academiei; he survived to his 80th birthday, but his health declined sharply after that date.