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March 27, 2006
Stanislaw Lem, 1921 - 2006
Stanislaw Lem, acclaimed author of postmodern science-fiction books, has passed away, aged 84. The (Ukrainian-born) Polish author wrote the book "Solaris" that was turned into two highly successful films by Andrei Tarkovsky and, much later, by Steven Soderbergh.
Two attributions I made here he didn't seem to like. He didn't particularily care about the label "postmodernist", and he didn't care much for science fiction for a lack of intellectual depth, as he said in an interview, posted on his web site. His books - I read The Star Diaries a while ago - were of extraordinary creativity. They touched some of the fundamental assumptions of our existence. What if were just of brains-in-boxes, swimming in warm liquid, hooked up to a big computer that pretends to be the world?
It's a coherent theme throughout his works. His 1971 novel "The Futurological Congress" examines if we
all could really live from fantasies instead of real things, if we could
lose our senses and only use the ultimate illusion of fantasy. His
existentialist thriller "Solaris" depicts a psychologist sent into outer
space to investigate a ship that has lost contact with Earth, ending up in a place where his memories come back to life. Wouldn't it be great to see our deceased loved ones? Would it? Sure?
Posted by dr at March 27, 2006 8:47 PM
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