What do you think?
Rate this book
Stanislaw Lem: Philosopher of the Future
Stanislaw Lem: Philosopher of the Future brings a welter of unknown elements of Lem's life, career, and literary legacy to light. Part One traces the context of his cultural influence, telling the story of one of the greatest writers and thinkers of the century. It includes a comprehensive critical overview of Lem's literary and philosophical oeuvre which comprises not only the classics like Solaris, but his untranslated first novels, realistic prose, experimental works, volumes of nonfiction, latter-day metafiction, as well as the final twenty years of polemics and essays.
The critical and interpretive Part Two examines a range of Lem's novels with a view to examining the intellectual vistas they open up before us. It focuses on several of Lem's major but less studied books. "Game, Set, Lem" uses game theory to shed light on his arguably most surreal novel, the Kafkaesque and claustrophobic Memoirs Found in a Bathtub (1961). "Betrization is the Worst Solution... Except for All Others" takes a close look at the quasi-utopia of Return From the Stars (1961) and at the concept of ethical cleansing and mandatory de-aggression. "Errare Humanum Est" focuses on the popular science thriller The Invincible (1964) in the context of evolution. "A Beachbook for Intellectuals" is a critical fugue on Lem's medical thriller cum crime mystery, The Chain of Chance (1976).
Stanislaw Lem: Philosopher of the Future closes with a two-part coda. "Fiasco" recapitulates and reflects on the literary and cognitive themes of Lem's farewell novel, and "Happy End of the World!" reviews The Blink of an Eye, Lem's farewell book of analyses and prognoses from the cusp of our millennium.
The critical and interpretive Part Two examines a range of Lem's novels with a view to examining the intellectual vistas they open up before us. It focuses on several of Lem's major but less studied books. "Game, Set, Lem" uses game theory to shed light on his arguably most surreal novel, the Kafkaesque and claustrophobic Memoirs Found in a Bathtub (1961). "Betrization is the Worst Solution... Except for All Others" takes a close look at the quasi-utopia of Return From the Stars (1961) and at the concept of ethical cleansing and mandatory de-aggression. "Errare Humanum Est" focuses on the popular science thriller The Invincible (1964) in the context of evolution. "A Beachbook for Intellectuals" is a critical fugue on Lem's medical thriller cum crime mystery, The Chain of Chance (1976).
Stanislaw Lem: Philosopher of the Future closes with a two-part coda. "Fiasco" recapitulates and reflects on the literary and cognitive themes of Lem's farewell novel, and "Happy End of the World!" reviews The Blink of an Eye, Lem's farewell book of analyses and prognoses from the cusp of our millennium.
- GenresLiterary Criticism
210 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2015
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 9, 2017
As a human being, have you thought about stepping back and seeing human species as a whole in order to think about our abilities and about the limitations of our culture, technology and science? What's our fate in this vast and unknown cosmos? How ans why should human beings probe the universe? Stanislaw Lem is a great 20-century author who wrote in order to explore philosophical themes through speculation on technology, the nature of intelligence, the impossibility of mutual communication and understanding.
Professor Swirski is the most important Lem scholar in the world and in this book he reviews Lem's life and his works but the most importantly he expertly brings out lem's philosophy behind the books. As a critic and philosopher himself, Professor Swirski writes in a thoughtful but very engaging way which let you understand Lem's books better and attracts you to read them yourself, so if you're interested the question with which I opened this review you should read Lem's books, but it will be very helpful if you read this book first.
Professor Swirski is the most important Lem scholar in the world and in this book he reviews Lem's life and his works but the most importantly he expertly brings out lem's philosophy behind the books. As a critic and philosopher himself, Professor Swirski writes in a thoughtful but very engaging way which let you understand Lem's books better and attracts you to read them yourself, so if you're interested the question with which I opened this review you should read Lem's books, but it will be very helpful if you read this book first.
January 26, 2020
To my mind this is the best book on Lem in existence: Biography followed by annotated review of all of Lem's books, both fiction and nonfiction, followed by detailed analysis of several key novels from the 1960's and 1970's, and finally two chapters on books from the 1980's and a book of futurology from 2000 just before Lem died.
Professor Swirski is an acknowledged authority on Lem and he adds information from personal contact with Lem which increases the value of this study even further. I highly recommend it. Thank you for reading my review.
Professor Swirski is an acknowledged authority on Lem and he adds information from personal contact with Lem which increases the value of this study even further. I highly recommend it. Thank you for reading my review.
May 26, 2017
it is a well written book.
October 14, 2018
Wish someone could translate this book into Chinese
June 19, 2019
Too philosophy for me to understand, but it's a good book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2020
Insufferably written & saturated by shallow intelligence-fetishism yet severely slight on substance about Lem's sf
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews