Posted by Peter on April 04, 2006 at 11:43:02:
In Reply to: Stanislav Lem posted by Webmaven Maggie on March 29, 2006 at 16:27:09:
: Despite all the science fiction I've read, I managed to miss Lem altogether - should I correct this?
I read Lem's works back in the 1970s and early 1980s, and I'd say it depends on which ones you read and where your tastes in science fiction lie. If you can only read science fiction if it's full of blood and thunder and BEMs getting shot up, then don't bother with Lem. But if you have a taste for philosophy and stylistic writing in your fiction to greater or lesser degrees, then by all means try Lem.
If you've never tried Lem, I'd suggest starting with "The Cyberiad" for its humor, particularly the tales of the rivalry between the inventors Trurl and Klapaucius. "Memoirs Found In a Bathtub" is great for its absurdist bureaucratic paranoia, set inside the Pentagon at a time when some outside force (I forget what) destroys paper. "The Star Diaries" mixes straight-forward adventure and philosophical fiction in various proportions. One story concerns hero Ijon Tichy going through a series of time fields where he winds up encountering various versions of himself at various points in time. Another concerns Tichy's chance to remake the world for the better, except the opportunity gets blown by academic politics. "A Perfect Vacuum" is a collection of introductions to non-existent books. There is no "beginning-middle-end" type tale here, but the premise does allow Lem to show his more philosophical bent.
A good translator helps too, so Michael Kandel's translations of Lem are top of the line. Joanna Kilmartin and Steve Cox (I think) did "Solaris"' translation, which was said to be serviceable.
Hope this helps.