March 27, 2006

Stanislaw Lem Dead at 84
posted by Nickdanger 18 years ago
  • ah, crap. May we all listen and learn from His Master's Voice.
  • I've always felt that his books were outstanding examples of translation, over and above being great books. I think the translator I'm remembering was Michael Kandel, but I had to look that up, it's been so long.
  • The only book of his I have read is Solaris, which is absolutely wonderful
  • Props for having one of Science Fiction's best names. .
  • I remember reading Solaris in college and coming away from it with a vastly widened idea of what science fiction could be.
  • The Cyberiad is excellent. Vonnegut without the pragmatic realism.
  • .
  • Bibliography here.
  • Lem, I salute you.
  • RIP, kind sir. One of my five favorite authors at present. Every human should read The Futurological Congress and Peace on Earth (my favorite).
  • .
  • Sad to say: I recall reading his books years ago and being more impressed with him than anyone else in the loosely defined science fiction genre. Eventually I became friends with a Polish woman who reintroduced me to his work and to the legend of the man in Poland and internationally, including his western attackers who branded him an enemy under the sweeping "Communist!" label. Memoirs Found In A Bathtub and his short stories stood out as the best of his work for me. Solaris I did enjoy, but not as much, possibly because I read it much later than other works of his, and had it on a reading list in school. I recall him popping up in philosophy classes as well, much to the bewilderment of some students. Thanks for the many entertaining word arrangements, Mr. Lem.
  • . I was reminded of him recently by those videos of magnetic liquid dancing and forming weird structures.
  • Solaris is the most enjoyable science fiction novel I've ever read. Films weren't half bad either. .