„Memoirs Found in a Bathtub” is one of the most intriguing books by Lem. The ostensibly funny satire of contemporary intelligence, scarred by betrayal of trust, in reality is – as is the case with everything in spies' world – an encrypted text. Attentive reader will discover critique of a totalitarian state, but also a parable of a man lost in the cosmos of signs generated by society, culture, literature, the physical world and biology. Hence grotesque softly turns to philosophy.
I opened a door bearing the sign BY APPOINTMENT ONLY and entered an empty reception room, from there went through a side door marked KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING and into a conference room full of moldering mobilization plans. Here I ran into a problem - there were two doors. One said NO ADMITTANCE, the other CLOSED.
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Theodore Sturgeon, The New York Times Review of Books
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