That´s one of Lem´s weakest works, strangely not including much character perspectives, wit, action, philosophical thoughts, not much of anything he iThat´s one of Lem´s weakest works, strangely not including much character perspectives, wit, action, philosophical thoughts, not much of anything he is ingenuously using in most of his other works, it´s more of a chronological report about the evolution of an alien species with wooden characters watching how it happens. I hope nobody reads this as her/his first encounter with the Lemiverse, because his quality is usually far better than this one.
For an especially sci-fi prone person like me, it´s, of course, a joy to see how different specialists try to deal with the explanations of what is happening around them and how they try to link the possible explanations to their ideology and expertise. A bit of satire could be in there too, but I am not sure about it and just this possibility is nothing that should motivate readers, used to today´s accessible works, to begin the journey with this world buildinggasm.
And then comes the awful end and man, why does the action start felt 5 minutes before the final? There is a long time close to nothing except for worldbuilding, exploring, very short action, talking, debating. Then, (view spoiler)[an alien appears over the last few pages (hide spoiler)] and dies. Lem has written amazing short stories that condense lots of ideas together, he had the potential to write first contact, space opera style works, and I absolutely don´t get why he fails at this attempt.
It´s the first and only of his works that disappointed me a bit, possibly he had to limit the number of pages or something, or there is a mysterious alien conspiracy explanation, maybe he was too close behind something, who knows.
I don´t believe in the possibility that it´s because it was one of his early works, because he wrote the witty Star Diaries 4 years before in 1957 and the masterpiece Solaris just 3 years later, so the man knew his job. I just can´t get what happened here, at least there are some innuendos to human civilization.
It´s important to know one´s sci-fi tropes on rescue and search missions with seemingly invincible human spaceships. It could help to avoid foreseeablIt´s important to know one´s sci-fi tropes on rescue and search missions with seemingly invincible human spaceships. It could help to avoid foreseeable debacles.
Some of the most fascinating sci-fi plot devices are united to one of Lem´s more action and tech focused than philosophical and funny novels, dealing with elements such as:
Nanotechnology in the form of the big, unknown, difficult to understand enemy nobody deems even possible, I don´t know if this is one of the first or the first kind of description of such a form of appearance in the history of sci-fi. There were similar ideas in mythology, but these were more fantasy and psi fueled than with a technological background.
What happened to them, will it happen to us too? Not knowing what, and later why, could have been done to the humans who landed before the protagonists arrived and not being sure where the danger on (view spoiler)[ a seemingly empty world without life could have come from (hide spoiler)] makes the fear, terror, and hence resulting explanation attempts a thriller whodunnit style adventure, a cosmic horror great old Cthulhu mystery.
Paranoia sets in and a seemingly primitive enemy is able to awake different feelings between existential crises and pure fear in the humans, showing that even the (view spoiler)[ oldest artifacts and dysfunctional trash of million year old alien civilizations are enough to easily destroy the best and most sophisticated human tech with simple swarm algorithms and sheer quantity. (hide spoiler)]
I wonder a bit why Lem didn´t write more easygoing, definitively quicker to write and much less exhausting to read, novels that were more similar to movies than to sophisticated, philosophical debates and cynical views on any aspect of human nature and condition. It could be explained by the fact that Lem decided to completely stop writing ever so trivial novels and sci-fi in later life, because society was, is, and will be too lame to motivate ingenious prodigy writers to continue their groundbreaking work, and that he subconsciously somewhat already had the intuitive feeling of having to write as complex and astonishing before, to at least justify that he wastes his time and talent with high brow pulp....more
Join Ijon Tichy´s short trip to the unconventional group meeting therapy sessions called intergalactic politics.
The only ones coming close to Lem´s sJoin Ijon Tichy´s short trip to the unconventional group meeting therapy sessions called intergalactic politics.
The only ones coming close to Lem´s subtility and dark humor are Twain, Capek, and some others I am too procrastinating to remember their names, excluding Clarke, who was epic and philosophical, but didn´t intend to reach the meta cynical level, instead more moving towards philosophical and even positive, utopian visions.
If you like this one, you will love The star Diaries, by far Lem´s best and most important work, because it owns and satirizes anything, faith, politics, ideology, science, etc. Its short stories open up so many ideas, introspections, speculations, hypotheses, and fantasy dreams by giving inspirations to expand these amazing ideas. It seems as if Lem is unable to write a page without superbly dissing someone who truly deserves it, constructing amazing settings, allegories, and deep thoughts, making him an uncomparable marvel of sci-if, it´s most underrated and unknown genius.
Of course, it´s no easy walk to climb the rhetorical mountain Lem, it´s a writing style without compromises to general storytelling conventions, that´s what is anyway enabling these visions a normal novel couldn´t handle with such stylistic ingenuity.
In contrast to The star diaries, it´s a real novel that has and will inspire many authors who are dealing with conscience, politics, satire, and sci-fi themes, because it has a density of action and plots that is amazing for such a short work. Lem goes ironic fully automatic pun fire, hopefully deactivating the filter bubble self deceit cognitive dissonance ignorance shields of as many readers as possible.
That´s especially important nowadays, as many ideals of humanitarianism, ethics, and morals go missing in strengthening conservative and extreme tendencies with backlashes and stuff. If people would get copies of master sarcasts, instead of ideology fueled faith economic politics drivel, into their hands at a young age, they could grow to become the critical, mind opened adults that are desperately needed to stop this lunacy.
The distillation of the short story driven to sarcastic perfection
Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if yThe distillation of the short story driven to sarcastic perfection
Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.
The predicate unique fits for this collection. Not taking himself seriously, blasting the conventions of the short story, Lem introduces a subtle cultural criticism in the form of satirical gems. Alternatively, it can also be interpreted as a look into the soul world and the worldview of the author. But that would leave less room for interpretations that can be seen as a comprehensive reckoning with the upscale literature establishment. It is necessary to differentiate whether the works to which the allusions are aimed deserve such harsh treatment. The subjective taste of every single reader also plays a part in this.
The most significant wound, which Lem continues to tear open with relish, are the so elevated works that alienate themselves. Those are so subtle, profound and full of conclusions that one can not understand them anymore. Because they want to escape the demands and dogmas of usual novels and want to be more. Unique, in a not always positive way. In a sense, a parallel to modern art can be drawn, which can also be interpreted differently by everyone. But not in unison as a masterpiece or, in literature, as a timeless classic.
This arbitrary creative process, which does not bow to any rules, contributes much to the lousy nimbus of reading. Unfortunately, especially in schools, the profound, concerning narratology inadequate works of dusty masters are preferred. At universities the incomprehensible works of new luminaries raised. The damage in form of lifelong aversions against reading is primarily caused by such machinations. If, on the other hand, works that are fun and meshed with media such as film and computer games were read in schools, there would be more readers.
Lem indirectly campaigns against the vain, self-conspicuous and self-styled elite of the literary scene. He satirizes the alleged subtlety and wisdom, revealing them in the light of cold cynicism. And that is due for works that are suited for wanne be intellectuals and literary critics, but not for readers. Because crossing the line between subtle and incomprehensible should not be a guarantee for higher literary consecrations. But a fundamental, serious mistake in the methodical working of the writer, which deserves no praise. Bizarrely, the proponents of such controversial works regard the accessible works of trivial literature as unworthy. But on the contrary, the creation of a universe, accessible to millions, deserves more respect than the incomprehensible juxtaposition of allusions and artificial subtlety. As well as the cultural film, the upscale literature suffers from state stunts and megalomania.
Moreover, a conventional, so called trivial, writer needs lifelong reading, learning, perhaps a master's degree and perfection of skills. A high literate, on the other hand, just needs unraveled, profound thoughts, which he pervades in eternal monologues, dialogues, and descriptions. Imagine music or paintings made with that mentality. Ruthless to the reader and the reading pleasure, he is focused on the glorification of his own intellect. Being an egoist or an empath, what is harder? To delight and inspire millions or just a few of questionable, egocentric minds.
Optimistically, the short stories can be seen as condensed directorial statements, which easily have the potential for whole novels. Lem also shows the reduction of a book to its essential essence, a compelling case of reverse engineering. A finger exercise for him, out of which other authors would roll to a whole novel. He, on the other hand, uses it modestly for a short collection, in which his complex, multi-layered wit bubbles from all sides. Like the author's visionary genius, which manifests itself in the ability to dissect himself, his work and his medium with humorous detachment.
Die Destillation der Kurzgeschichte zur sarkastischen Perfektion getrieben
Das Prädikat einzigartig passt für diese Sammlung. Sich selbst nicht ernst nehmend, die Konventionen der Kurzgeschichte sprengend, legt Lem eine subtile Kulturkritik in Form von satiritischen Kleinoden vor. Alternativ kann man es auch als Blick in die Seelenwelt und auf die Weltsicht des Autors interpretieren. Aber das würde weniger Spielraum für Interpretationen lassen, als es als umfassende Abrechnung mit dem gehobenen Literaturbetrieb zu sehen. Wobei zu differenzieren ist, ob die Werke, auf die die Anspielungen abzielen, eine so harte Behandlung verdient haben. Da spielt auch der subjektive Geschmack eines jeden einzelnen Lesers mit hinein.
Die größte Wunde, die Lem genüsslich weiter aufreißt, sind die so gehobenen Werke, die sich ihrer selbst entfremden. Die so subtil, tiefsinnig und voller Anspielungen sind, dass man sie nicht mehr verstehen kann. Weil sie sich den Vorgaben und Dogmen normaler Romane entziehen und mehr sein wollen. Einzigartig, auf eine nicht immer positive Weise. In gewissem Sinne kann eine Parallele zu moderner Kunst gezogen werden, die auch von jedem anders interpretiert werden kann. Aber eben nicht unisono als Meisterwerk oder, in der Literatur, als zeitloser Klassiker.
Dieser willkürliche, sich keinen Regeln beugende Schaffensprozess, trägt viel zum schlechten Nimbus des Lesens bei. Gerade in Schulen werden leider die tiefsinnigen, narratologisch ungenügenden Werke verstaubter Meister bevorzugt. An Universitäten die unverständlichen Werke neuer Koryphäen erhoben. Der Schaden, lebenslange Aversionen gegen das Lesen zu schüren, wird zu guten Teilen von derartigen Machwerken verursacht. Würden hingegen Werke, die Spaß machen und mit Medien wie Film und Computerspielen verzahnt sind, an den Schulen gelesen werden, gäbe es mehr Leser.
Lem zieht indirekt gegen die abgehobene, sich selbst beweihräuchernde und selbst ernannte Elite des Literaturbetriebs ins Feld. Er persifliert die vermeintliche Subtilität und Weisheit, indem er sie im Licht des kalten Zynismus offenbart. Und das gebührt den, von Intellektuellen und Literaturkritikern, aber nicht von Lesern, geschätzten Werken. Denn die Grenze zwischen subtil und unverständlich zu überschreiten, sollte eigentlich kein Garant für höhere literarische Weihen sein. Sondern ein gründsätzlicher, schwerer Fehler in der methodischen Arbeitsweise des Schriftstellers, der keine Lobpreisungen verdient. Bizarrerweise werden von den Befürwortern so strittiger Werke die zugänglichen Werke der Trivialliteratur als unwürdig erachtet. Dabei ist es im Gegenteil so, dass die Erschaffung eines für Millionen zugänglichen Universums mehr Achtung verdient als die unverständliche Aneinanderreihung von Anspielungen und künstlicher Subtilität. Wie auch der Kulturfilm krankt die gehobene Literatur an Standesdünkeln und Größenwahn, die Lem ihr mit spitzer Feder auf den Kopf fallen lässt.
Noch dazu braucht ein konventioneller Schriftsteller lebenslanges Lesen, Lernen, gern auch ein Masterstudium und eine Perfektion der Technik. Ein Hochliterat hingegen braucht nur nicht entwirrte, tiefsinnige Gedanken, die er in ewigen Monologen, Dialogen und Beschreibungen, durchzieht. Man stelle sich Malerei oder Musik vor, die nach diesem Konzept erschaffen wird. Dem Leser und dem Lesespaß gegenüber rücksichtslos auf die Verherrlichung seines eigenen Intellektes fokussiert. Ein Egoist oder ein Empath zu sein, was ist wohl schwerer? Millionen zu begeistern und zu inspirieren oder einige wenige von fragwürdiger Gesinnung.
Optimistischer gesehen kann man die Kurzgeschichten als komprimierte Regieanweisungen sehen, die leicht das Potential für ganze Romane haben. Lem zeigt damit auch die Reduzierung eines Romans auf seine wesentliche Essenz, ein interessanter Fall von Reverse Engineering. Eine Fingerübung für ihn, die andere Autoren zu einem ganzen Roman auswälzen würden. Er hingegen nutzt sie bescheiden für einen kurzen Erzählband, in dem sein komplexer, vielschichtiger Witz aus allen Seiten sprudelt. Wie auch die visionäre Genialität des Autors, die sich in der Fähigkeit, sich selbst, sein Schaffen und sein Medium mit humorvoller Distanziertheit sezieren zu können, manifestiert.
Lem´s second incredible short story collection besides Ijon Tichy´s Star diaries deals with many philosophical, social, economic, etc. topics in a uniLem´s second incredible short story collection besides Ijon Tichy´s Star diaries deals with many philosophical, social, economic, etc. topics in a uniquely deep, complex, and subtle way.
I couldn´t say whom I prefer, Pirx or Tichy, although meta, plot, and messages transported in dialogues and monologues, are king and the protagonists just secondary, but I would choose Tichy, because the young Lem´s writing has a kind of extra smoothness that kind of got lost later when he tried to be more serious and finally lost interest in sci-fi.
I am not sure what happened and couldn´t find much information about why Lem stopped writing sci-fi at some point in his life, it are just some quotes and comments I´ve read, saying something like: "Writing sci-fi is like meeting a wonderful and beautiful woman and recognizing later that she has severe and advanced tooth decay." He also said that he wanted to focus on philosophical texts, sigh, and even became technophobic, against the internet, and generally kind of seemingly frustrated. I don´t know how great the success until the end of his active career was, if that was the reason, or if he just couldn´t stand the degenerated, anachronistic academics probably making fun of his him for writing seemingly trivial stuff.
It was such a waste, because he could have kept on writing for 2 or 3 decades, not stopping his amazing work around the 70s and 80, when it already had lost most of its momentum. It´s also, as mentioned and assumed, possible that he didn´t like being seen as trivial, the irony, author, and wanted to be taken seriously again after "having wasted time" with sci-fi.
But what he had written until then made him one of the most published, ingenious, and strangely nowadays unknown masters of sci-fi, the funniest and deepest author of this genre I´ve read so far, something I would subjectively call close to unreproducible. Did I mention that he is making fun of everything, that nothing is holy, but that he still avoids being subjective and indoctrinating in contrast to, cough Heinlein, other authors? By the way, he should be named beside Clarke and Asimov, not that strange uncle or Philip K Dick, regarding whom I am not sure if the was a genius or is an overhyped Beatnik beat generation, similar to terrible European culture high brow Nobel prize fantastic realism writing, author. Go, read all of his works, at least 2 times, and play mind games with the huge piles of given inspirations.
Theories about aliens and possible future implications of contacts with them enable Lem to imply and satirize everything out of ridiculous human cultuTheories about aliens and possible future implications of contacts with them enable Lem to imply and satirize everything out of ridiculous human culture.
There are different options on how to deal with this thing, difficult to talk about it, without spoilering, so I will just list a few possibilities: Creating a utopia. Building something good or bad with the help of the information. Finding the origin of life. Destroying oneself with the things built. Understanding the universe. Collapsing or starting a nuclear WW3 because of the ideological and political consequences. Sending back a message. Getting no or the wrong, unexpected answer. In general, what tribal stone age people would to with quantum teleportation, and why they have to hilariously fail trying.
The focus is on the philosophical implications, not much action in this one, but the complex mind games Lem is playing with the reader inspire too many hobby meta thoughts, so that it might be always wise to take notes while reading Lem, because one can´t get this stuff immediately. And rereading feels like, yuck, extra overachiever work. I am just doing it, but please don´t judge, I am not normal.
Lem takes a few of the listed elements and makes fun of the incapability of humankind to use this unique possibility to push cultural and technological evolution. Subjectively, if aliens wouldn´t appear over each large city and contact the whole population, but would think (of course not, because they would hopefully be hyperintelligent and not primitive apes in space, just imagine that, it would be a catastrophe if wild, animalistic, mostly mentally ill or at least a bit bonkers avian mammalians would begin colonizing the solar system or even the universe after having spread like a virus on their home planet) that the elected leaders are the ones to contact to find diplomatic solutions, trade agreements, technological transfers, and traditional wisdom…
Sorry, I just can´t finish that sentence without laughing really hard, all current political leaders would hide immortality, cold fusion, time travel, whatever aliens would offer, forever from the proletariat, be even too stupid to gain these advantages, or start the first big stellar war. I mean, now, autumn of 2020, look at who rules your country and imagine them deciding about the definitively most important step in human history. The politicians would deport them because they have no visa and the population would cheer and praise them for saving their jobs.
One of the best comedic Sci-Fi story collections ever written, incomparable because of its immense complexity, mega length sentence, and intensive astOne of the best comedic Sci-Fi story collections ever written, incomparable because of its immense complexity, mega length sentence, and intensive asteroid trope bombardment, jumping from one astonishing wordplay to the next deep insight, before one can say global enlightenment event.
Some hard science, but most of it is soft. This is fun with a bit of conventional physic and theoretical physical concepts, but mostly social criticism, government style experiments, the insignificance of humankind in contrast to the vastness of space, tons of soft Sci-Fi and space opera ideas and tropes, unbelievable language, and one of the biggest potential treasure chests for Sci-Fi authors, because there are jewels inside these masterpieces I haven´t seen in other works and I´ve read tons of Sci-Fi.
Evolution of a prodigy Lem got better and better, that´s seen when comparing the meh Eden or kind of overrated Solaris with the already better Tales of Pirx the pilot, because it´s the same concept as The star diaries, but not close as brilliant, extremely infodumpy world building and less humor make it not as enjoyable and Lems´ unique sarcastic wit is still warming up to Chuck Norris the heck out of the genre.
Away from infodump and technobabble towards high class criticizing social sci-fi. He transformed over his career, while the hard sci fi and infodump part with, for the time and genre standard, static protagonists was normal in his early works and makes them nothing I would completely recommend, his later social satire mind game expanding any concept to weird conclusions style, made him an immortal sci-fi god emperor. I´ve condensed at least something between 100 to 200 mind game and satire ideas out of his works I´ve read over the years and am currently rereading.
Owning Dick and Heinlein, at the same level as Clarke and Capek He, subjectively, completely owns both Dick and Heinlein, not just because they aren´t universally acclaimed masters, but because reproducing Lem´s work is really truly totally impossible, while reinterpreting the paranoid Dick and the weird uncle Heinlein with their sometimes unsatisfying, illogical, and also really bad works, are nothing in contrast. Often, not even a real plot, premise, or character development would be needed and even Lem´s mentioned, not so great, early works are of a complexity and style these 2 are missing all the time.
Subjective ranting that could be inappropriate for many readers who enjoy and love the stuff that makes me suffer. Damned free speech… I can feel the fanboys troll epic rage s***storm rolling closer with my bookwolf senses, but I have a massive problem with unconventional sci fi writing that isn´t good, but for not understandable reasons hyped as if it was harry pottered, with ist´ worst examples being the Beatnik generation authors, fantastic realism, Noble prize, and close to each ever so culturally important, patriotism fueled European high brow boredom used to torture helpless school kids and students, because nobody else reads that trash except pseudointellectuals who are into self stimulating their mind by interpreting sense in fringe philosophical scam books as if it was the stupid modern art they appreciate so much too, while they are decanting one of their disgusting wines instead of drinking delicious beer and speak like Victorian England snobs. Such mindsets are the reason why some of the best and most astonishing authors with important messages in their works are not read, hardly known, and underrated, while superficial mumbo jumbo culture garbage without deeper social criticism is celebrated by the wannabe intellectual elite.
Calming down and comparing titans Back from the rant, again on the show: On my personal best of list this is at the top, together with The futurological congress, two works that fused so many brilliant, philosophical sci-fi ideas with both simple, slapstick humor and very deep, ironic insights into human nature like no comparable work. Adams is good, but I would just name Carel Capek as the one coming close to Lem. Clarke wasn´t funny, so he is out of the competition in this case, sorry.
Other of Lem´s unknown, but best, works are A Perfect Vacuum His Master´s voice The Invincible
Just read certain works Don´t commit the error of reading any piece of Lem´s work, just take the dozen of pearls that should have legitimized him to widen the trio to a foursome, or possibly exclude Heinlein and take Lem instead who was a, subjectively, much better writer. I would even choose Dick before Heinlein and I am not 100 percent sure about what is genius and what fake and hype around these 2. However, read Lem, whose wisdom should be spread as far as possible.
We´re nothing Solaris is Clarkesque, an epic „we´re so small and stupid“ presentation with epic language and big think moments, a silent masterpiece to make everyone modest when realizing the pettiness of humankind in the endlessness of space.
The fragility of the human psyche Nothing more than some mind penetration my any entity, and the ape brain goes bonkers, it´s just ridiculous. We can´t handle a little bit of psycho terror and it doesn´t even need high tech to defeat us.
Hive mind initiation There have been many variations of collective organisms in sci fi over time and this is one of the first and best ones, because there´s full story focus on it. In many other cases, it´s just a storyline or sideshow, but this time, it´s also an essential part of the philosophical conclusion.
Some cultural pessimism because Lem and Capek aren´t appreciated as the geniuses that they are while Dick and Heinlein are celebrated for no real reason Without stupid ideology made politics much more authors could be read and their work debated without a bitter overtone. That´s especially true for all Russian and ex-Sowjet writers who didn´t write the criticism of mislead and wrongly executed socialism the West wanted to cheer at, but especially for the fictional authors. Lem is the most extreme example of this, because he all together made real life satire (especially when compared with the not closely as good Dick or Heinlein), was one of the rare ones comparable with Capek (unknown for the same, sad reasons), wrote as philosophical as Clarke, and had the unused potential for creating the first space opera (see books mentioned above that could have been made multi protagonist sci fi satire series) Asimov wrote instead.
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