Conference noted::sf

	The only Lem I've read is a collection of short stories titled "Tales
from the Ciberiad"  (or something close).  I thought it was excellent.  I 
forget who translated it, but my brother who has read a couple of his books 
says that they don't all come across as well in translation,  dependant mostly
on the person or persons who did the translating.  Well, I'm sure there are
some others out there who know a little more about the topic.  But for my 2�,
I enjoyed his writing because of the humorous edge.

	-Jonathan

    There are, at a guess, at least a dozen Lem books in English
    translation. I tried to read a couple back about 15 years ago,
    but found them too strange for my tastes. However, my tastes have
    changed since then, and I've been meaning to give him another
    try. His most well-known work is probably SOLARIS, from which a
    rather controversial film was made by Russian director Andrei
    Tarkovsky.
    
    --- jerry

    	Jerry, why was the SOLARIS film controversial?  That is one SF
    film I have yet to see.
    
    	As for SOLARIS, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in
    Lem.  It has what must be one of the most "alien" aliens in SF - 
    a being that covers an entire planet like a living ocean - and it
    is so alien that the scientists studying Solaris take years to learn 
    little more than it is alive and intelligent (some great speculation 
    on its makeup, behavior, ect. is made, though).
    
        Larry
    

    He's brilliant and innovative and funny.  He's never been too weird
    for me.  I especially like his Ijon Tichy stories.  The man knows
    his science and has the most wonderful way of playing the the truisms
    of science and human nature.
    
    My personal favorite of his was _The Futurological Congress_ merely
    because he did some language generation in there that was especially
    funny to me (ex-lit. major).  He's very playful and his translators
    must love him dearly.
    
    I was introduced to his writings the same year I discovered
    _Cosmicomics_ by Italo Colvino--another weird and wonderful book.
    
    Cat
    

    
    Re: .4  Yeah, "Cosmicomics" was terrific.  So is "T-Zero" by Calvino. 
    That's my kinda sci-fi, though Calvino is not strictly speaking a
    science fiction writer.  I figure I can get my fill of the usual sci-fi
    by seeing every sci-fi movie.  Since you mentioned Calvino and liked
    it, I gotta give Lem a try.  Thanks.   - Jim
        

	I've been a Lem fan for many years. Read almost everything that's
	been translated. The Cyberiad and the Futurological Congress are
	two of my many favorites. 
	I have a (very) complete bibliography on Lem, which I will gladly
	forward to any who send mail and (chat a bit). I also enjoy Calvino,
	but have found/read very little. Again, I have a bibliography on him
	also, but cannot vouch for its completeness.

						Brent

    One warning, though - try to get the books that are translated 
    directly from the Polish by Michael Kandel.  These include the 
    aforementioned "Futurological Congress" and "The Cyberiad".  
    Kandel has also been translating some more recent works such as 
    "A Perfect Vacuum", which consists entirely of reviews of 
    non-existent books.  There is a lot of wonderful word play in 
    these.  For example, one piece in the Cypberiad has a pastoral 
    love poem done entirely in terms of higher mathematics.  It's 
    brilliant.  Either Kandel is putting it in or he is somehow 
    translating the equivalent Polish into English.  Either way, it's 
    an extraordinary translation job.  I've found that the Lem books 
    that are not done by Kandel are dry and lifeless.

    /jlr

    re:.3
    
    It's controversial because there seems to be very little middle
    ground of opinion on it. Some people think it's one of the finest
    sf films ever made, others think it a tedious piece of garbage
    (Tarkovsky's films in general seem to evoke these extremes of
    opinion). Few people seem indifferent about it. I haven't seen
    it in too long a time (and when I did, it was a horribly cut
    version), so I can't really render an honest opinion about it.
    
    --- jerry

    	For a good book on Lem and his works, please read STANISLAW LEM,
    by Richard E. Ziegfeld, Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., Inc., New York,
    1985.  ISBN 0-8044-2994-4 (hardcover), ISBN 0-8044-6992-X (paperback).
    It is part of the RECOGNITIONS series.  
    
    	The book has an excellent biography of Lem, plus in-depth reviews
    of all his works up to 1985.
    
    	Larry
    

    
    	I read Cyberiad in Spanish and loved it, I also thought it was
    a great translation, and you could notice how there were a lot of
    made up words being translated and keeping the idea perfectly.
    
    	I once saw Lem's work being described as some kind of fables
    and it made perfect sence to me, but I cannot remember the term,
    it was something like Space-Fables or Science-Fables or some other
    thing.
    
    								Mauricio
    

>>    	I once saw Lem's work being described as some kind of fables
    and it made perfect sence to me, but I cannot remember the term,
    it was something like Space-Fables or Science-Fables or some other
    thing.
  	___________________________________________________________

	"Fables for the Space Age" (an apt term)    

    Although there are spaceships and scientists, there is little "science"
    in it.  As with the "2001" finale, I think it would be difficult to
    come up with a science fiction context for what happens without outside
    help from the novel or from reviews.
    
    I've seen it three times and like it quite a bit, but not as much as
    Tarkovsky's other movies.  I believe Tarkovsky used SF (as he used
    "historical" movies) only as a way to sneak his own religious ideas and
    images past the Soviet censors.  He seems to have no interest in the
    science fictional aspects of the story. 
    
    Many SF fans might be irritated by the film for that reason (and
    because of its pessimism), but probably not as many as would be
    irritated by "Stalker".  "Stalker" is another Tarkovsky film with
    elements of SF but with even less attention paid to SF-style
    explication. 
    
    Ray

	Just saw Lem's "Eden" in the local library. This is one book I am
	not familiar with. Can anyone fill me in (without giving away any
	surprises!)?

						Brent

I've only read 1 Lem book.  I believe it is called 'The Detective'.  I tend
to bounce back and forth between science fiction and mystery so I picked it
up because it looked like a mystery book being sold in the science fiction
section.  It was the most unusual book I have read in a long time.  Definitely
more a mystery book than anything else.  I was thinking about it and talking
about it for weeks.  If you are looking for something different, something
unusual, read this book.  But I can't guarantee you will like it.  The ending
came as a complete suprise to me - it is not what I have come to expect from the
books I read - but if the events in the book had happened in real life, I
believe it would have ended this way.

Are all his books like this one?

-Michelle

< Note 808.14 by TFH::MMARTIN >

I've only read 1 Lem book.  I believe it is called 'The Detective'.  

Are all his books like this one?

-Michelle

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

		I _think_ the book you're referring to is "The Investigation".
The only other title that comes to mind in a similar vein is his "Chain of
Chance". Thus, the answer to your second question is no. A better sample of his
usual fare would be "The Cyberiad" or "Solaris": two very different books, but
a bit more representative of Lem's work. I would personally recommend "Memoirs
Found in a Bathtub" -- very paranoid and scary, yet full of humour (!).
	Do yourself a favor, and sample more of Lem.

								Brent

>		I _think_ the book you're referring to is "The Investigation".

Yes, that's the one I described in .14.  Thanks for the recommendations, I'll
give them a try.

-Michelle

    Re: "Memoirs Found in a Bathtub"
    
    I found this to be a great book - it deals with deceit, confusion,
    paranoia, and the government.  One of the themes of the book seems
    to be true to this day - if a governmental system were to be completely
    random, everything would eventually get where it belongs, given
    time is not an issue...
    
    A truly interesting work!
    
    - Steve
    
                      

        re .17 and "deceit, confusion, paranoia" and "the government"
        - no need to be redundant.

    My apologies for the mistake... 
    
    But then, was it a mistake?
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Despite my redundancy, I strongly recommend this book - it is
    government, government, government, and government, and the government
    aspect of it is thought-provoking as well.
    
    Government.
    
    - Steve

    I know this note has been quiet for awhile, but I'm new here....
    
    I read one of Lem's books in college.  Its hero was a man returning
    from a deep space mission.  While he was in space 5 years, 127 years
    had passed on Earth.  Society was very mechanical and very comfortable
    for humanity.  The character was the proverbial bull in a china shop.
    
    Does anyone remember the title of this book?
    
    
    BJ
    
    
    PS  it was an EXCELLENT read
    

    Do you possibly mean "Jhereg"? (Or was it "Jherig"?)
    
    	It's been a long time...
    
- MM
    

    re:.21
    
    JHEREG is a fantasy novel by Steven Brust.
    
    --- jerry

    It's "Return from the Stars".  Excellent book, and one of Lem's
    more straightforward works.  As .20 said, it's about an
    expedition that returns after relativistic interstellar
    exploration.  No one seems to care very much about them any more,
    though.  In fact, something seems to be very different about
    humanity, which the protagonist takes some time to discover. 
    Great ending.  
    
    /jlr