Stanislav Lem biography briefly. Lem Stanislav - biography. Scandal in America

Stanislav Lem- Polish science fiction writer, genre - scientific and philosophical fiction. Stanislav Lem was born on September 12, 1921 in Lvov, in the family of a laryngologist.

(Stanislaw Lem was most likely born on September 13, 1921... However, the date September 12 was written down on the birth certificate in order to avoid misfortune in accordance with superstition.

Lem, in a letter to Virgilius Cepaitis dated April 6, 1985, writes that the true date of his birth was most likely September 13, but the previous day was recorded on the birth certificate in order to avoid misfortune in accordance with superstition.)

“At the age of four I learned to write. However, I couldn’t really use this skill. The first letter I wrote to my father from Skole, where I went with my mother, was a short description of my adventures in a real village toilet. Yes, yes, the same one - with a hole in the wooden floor. There are some things I didn't mention, though. I threw a bunch of our owner’s keys into this very hole...” (“Stanislav Lem about himself”) Since 1932 he studied at the II Men’s Gymnasium. K. S. Szajnochy, received a certificate of secondary education in 1939.

In 1939-1941 he studied at the Lvov Medical Institute, which he “got through a roundabout route, because first he took the exam for polytechnics, which he considered much more interesting. I passed the exam successfully, but, being a representative of the “wrong social class” (my father is a wealthy laryngologist, that is, a bourgeois), I was not accepted... My father used his connections and, with the help of Professor Parnas, a famous biochemist, I was assigned to study medicine, without the slightest enthusiasm from my sides." (“Stanislaw Lem about himself”). During the German occupation, Stanislaw Lem worked as an assistant mechanic and welder in the garages of a German company that processed raw materials. In 1944, when the Soviet army re-entered Lvov, Lem continued his studies at medical school. In 1946, Lviv ceased to belong to Poland, and Stanislav, as part of the repatriation campaign, moved to Krakow, where he also began to study medicine. In 1948 he graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Wydziale Medycznym Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego). Stanislaw Lem received a certificate of completion of medical education, but refused to take the final exams to avoid a career as a military doctor. In 1948-1950 Lem worked as a junior assistant at the Konwersatorium Naukoznawczym.

He began publishing in 1946. Lem's first novel, The Man from Mars (Czlowiek z Marsa), was published in the weekly magazine Nowy Swiat Przygod. In 1951, Stanislaw Lem's first science fiction book, Astronauts, was published. In 1953 Lem married Dr. Barbara Lesniak. “...I met her, it seems, in 1950, and after 2 or 3 years of siege, she accepted my proposal. We didn’t yet have our own home: I huddled in a tiny room, the walls of which were covered with mold, while my wife, about to finish her medical education, lived with her sister on Sarego Street...” (“Stanislav Lem about himself”). Traveled to East Germany, Prague, and the Soviet Union. In 1982, after martial law was introduced in Poland, Stanislaw Lem left his homeland. In 1983 he moved to Vienna. In 1988 he returned to Poland. In the 90s, Lem mainly wrote futurological forecasts, collaborated with the Catholic weekly Tygodnik Powszechy, the monthly Odra, and the Polish version of PC Magazine.

In 1973, the Science Fiction Writers of America recognized the literary achievements of Stanislaw Lem, but Lem did not stay in the ranks of this Society for long: he was expelled for critical statements about the low level of American science fiction. Following Lema's expulsion, Michael Moorcock and Ursula Le Guin also demanded their "resignation" in protest. Stanislaw Lem is a member of the Polish Association of Writers and Polish Pen-Club, honorary doctor of the Wroclaw University of Technology, member of PAU (Polska Akademia Umiejetnosci; 1994), winner of many national and foreign awards, including the Polish state prizes (1976), Austrian State Prize for the European Culture; 1986), laureate of the Franz Kafka Prize, Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (The Medal of the White Eagle; 1996), holder of several academic degrees (Warsaw Polytechnic, Opole University, University of Lvov, Jagiellonian University). Since 1972, Stanislaw Lem has been a member of the Poland 2000 Committee, operating under the protectorate of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

LEM Stanislav (b. 09/12/1921). A prominent Polish writer, playwright, critic, literary critic and original philosopher, also known for his work. other genres (detective literature, poetry), leading author of the national. NF liters, modern classic. NF. Born in Lvov (now Ukraine). He was forced to interrupt his studies at Lvov (now Ukraine) med. in connection with the beginning. Second World War; during the German years During the occupation, he worked as a car mechanic, a welder, and participated in the Polish Resistance movement. After the end of the war, he repatriated to Poland with his family and graduated from medical school. Faculty of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and for some time worked in his specialty; from the beginning 1950s - prof. writer. He made his literary debut in 1946; in SF - at the same time (the films “Alien” and “The Story of a Discovery”, as well as the story “The Man from Mars”). After the establishment of martial law in Poland in 1980, he left for the West. Berlin, also lived in Austria, Italy; returned home in the late 1980s. Honorary Doctor of the Wroclaw University of Technology. Laureate plural national and foreign lit. awards, including State. Prize of the People's Republic of Poland (1976), State. Austrian Prize (1956). SF and the philosophical TV of L. (one, apparently, of the last thinkers - encyclopedists), usually closely linked in most of his works, is a unique lit. and a general cultural phenomenon of the 2nd gender. XX century Usually in SF novels and writer's works, plural. of which are included in the modern gold fund. SF, “tested out” his original and bold philosophical concepts regarding the prospects of various. sciences, from cybernetics to space civilizing activities in general. To the most famous SF productions. L. include: early novels - “Astronauts” (1951; Russian 1955) and “Magellan Cloud” (1955; Russian 1958); satirical cycles - “Star Diaries of Iyon the Quiet” (1957; Russian 1961), subsequently continued by stories and even novels, and “Cyberiad”, which also amounted to several. Sat; cycle about the space pilot Pirx - Sat. “Stories about the Pilot Pirx” (1968) and others, the late novel “Fiasco” (1987); novels - “Eden” (1959; Russian 1967), “Solaris” (1961; Russian abbreviated 1963; additional 1976), “Return from the Stars” (1961; Russian 1965), “Invincible” (1964; Russian . 1964), etc. One of the stories about Pirx and the novel “Solaris” were filmed, and the second film adaptation by A. Tarkovsky is one of the masterpieces of world cinema science fiction. L. is also known for the original philosophical and futurological book “The Sum of Technology” (1964; Russian 1968), and a number of philosophical and literary critical works.

Having begun his creative activity as a science fiction writer (with occasional ventures into “pure” philosophical essayism), L., on the contrary, has recently been better known as a philosopher, lit. critic and publicist returning to art. literature from time to time and clearly burdened by its “limitations” (the need to construct a plot, composition, psychological development of characters, etc.). However, NF prod. L. 1960-70s. still retain his title as a leading science fiction writer, a living classic of this literature.
Plots and issues of early works. L., among which the story "The End of the World at Eight O'Clock" (1948; Russian 1974) stands out, are more or less connected with weapons, military. inventions and discoveries and are certainly inspired by the war that just ended. Personal impressions of the military. The writer reflected his years in the trilogy “Unlost Time” (1955) - practically the only non-fiction book. prod. L. Success came to L. after the publication of his first SF book - the novel "Astronauts" (1951; Russian 1955), dedicated to the first space flight to Venus, the aggressive inhabitants of the swarm first made an unsuccessful attempt to invade Earth (the explosion of the Tunguska meteorite "), and then self-destructed in a nuclear war, leaving behind a meaninglessly functioning "automatic civilization"; filmed. Despite the schematism and overload of scientific. "justifications", the novel played in the development of the national SF role, similar to the role of “The Andromeda Nebula” by I. Efremov - in the Soviet Union. literature (“explosive” expansion of the prospects of science fiction, a breakthrough into sciences that were then forbidden in socialist countries - cybernetics, the theory of relativity, etc., social issues). Track. L.'s book - the novel "The Magellanic Cloud" (1953-54; 1955; Russian 1958; 1960) - strengthened the writer's position as one of the leading authors of SF Poland and the entire socialist camp; The storyline - the flight of a giant "stellar ark" to the Centauri system (with the prospect of contact) - serves as a convenient background for the author to construct a wide panorama of a communist utopia on Earth, also filmed.

Subsequently, L. radically moved away from utopian themes, concentrating his attention precisely on philosophy. problems that made it difficult (or even made it an impossible task) to build a utopia. In his TV, satirical motifs begin to play a significant role, which is primarily associated with the image of Yon (or Iyon) the Quiet, who “has not let go” of the writer for more than half a century and has become a kind of modern myth. NF. Diaries of the “famous space explorer, captain of long-distance galactic voyages, hunter of meteors and comets, tireless explorer and discoverer of eighty thousand three worlds, doctor honoris causa of the Universities of both Ursae, member of the Society for the Protection of Minor Planets and many others about -v, Knight of the Orders of the Milky Way and Nebulae", begun by the "Twenty-fourth Journey" (1953), were included in the collection. "Star Diaries of Iyon the Quiet" (1957; Russian 1961); part of Russian new translations r-call of the cycle is included in the collection. "Selected" (1976). The image, conceived as a "cosmic Munchausen", has undergone a noticeable evolution over the past decades, reflecting changes in the views and moods of his alter ego - L. himself. The first (at the time of writing) "Travels" are flavored with a good dose of humor, the later ones are an example not harmless satirical. SF in the traditions of D. Swift, Voltaire and others, as well as philosophy. parables and grotesque, absurdist SF.

In parallel with the “Diaries”, L. also added “Memoirs of Iyon the Quiet”, which includes the following: “Strange Boxes of Professor Corcoran” (1960; others - “From the Memoirs of Iyon the Quiet. I”; Russian 1963) , “The Inventor of Eternity” (1960; other - “From the Memoirs of John the Quiet. II”; rus. 1962 - “Immortal Soul”), “The Concerns of the Inventor” (1960; other - “From the Memoirs of John the Quiet. III”; rus 1962 - “The Missing Time Machine”), “From the Memoirs of Jon Tikhy. IV” (1961; Russian 1963), “From the Memoirs of Jon Tikhy. V (Washing Tragedy)” (1962; Russian 1962), “Clinic” Doctor Vliperdius" (1964; Russian 1965; others - "Institution of Doctor Vliperdius", "Institution of Doctor Vliperdius", "Sanatorium of Doctor Vlipedrius", "Doctor Diagor" (1964; Russian 1967), "Save the Cosmos! John the Quiet" (1964; Russian abbr. 1964; additional 1965), as well as the story "Lymphather's Formula" (1961; Russian 1962; 1963) dedicated to the problems of biology and evolution; all these products dedicated to various science fiction inventions. and discoveries (as well as their authors - eccentric scientists). Adjacent to the cycle are 4 plays about John the Quiet’s companion and his publisher, Prof. Tarantoga: "The Strange Guest of Professor Tarantoga" (1963; Russian 1965), "The Travels of Professor Tarantoga" (1963; Russian 1964), "The Black Room of Professor Tarantoga" (1963; Russian 1968), "Office Hours of Professor Tarantoga" ( 1975; Russian 1987).

In production About Jon the Quiet in recent decades, L.’s desire to use his favorite hero simply as a convenient plot bridge (recognizable and not requiring serious development) to a new one is noticeable. problems and topics that concern the writer. The hero of the story “Professor A. Donda” (1976; Russian 1988) is another “mad” scientist (whose fate intersected with the line of Jon Tikhy), who discovered an “information bomb” that does not bode well for modern times. technol. civilization. The story "Futurological Congress" (fragments 1970; 1971; Russian fragments 1972 - "Congress of Futurologists"; 1987) is a witty escapade on the theme of phantomatics invented by L. the philosopher (the predecessor of the "virtual reality" of today's "cyberpunks") - designed to make society happy, but as a result of random “experimental use” it leads humanity, immersed in a sweet hallucinogenic dope and not noticing the approaching global catastrophe, to degeneration. In the novel “On-Site Inspection” (1982; Russian fragment. 1988 - “At the Institute for Environmental Improvement”; 1990), Jon Tikhiy inspects the planet he has already visited once (“The Fourteenth Journey”), and observes with his own eyes the result of another attempts to build technol. utopia. Created with the help of microchips dispersed in the atmosphere, the “ethicosphere” serves as a reliable protection against any crimes - however, it is just an “ethical prosthesis” that is not capable of making people happy against their will. One of the latest artists. prod. L., also related to the “Memoirs of John the Quiet” - the novel “Peace on Earth” (German 1986 - Germany; 1987 - Poland; Russian 1988; 1988) - is dedicated to the prospects of the new. weapons systems being developed on the Moon. A number of early "Memoirs of John the Quiet" in Russian. translations compiled Sat. "Lymphather's Formula" (1963); all of them, together with new ones. (including large industries), combined into a collection. "From the memoirs of Jon the Quiet" (1990).

Dr. pop. L.'s cycle - "Cyberiad", which began in 1963 and continues to this day, is dedicated to the universe of robots and cyberorganisms (although in a number of projects a person is present under the name "palenotik") and is a witty intellectual parody of evolution, religion, SF literature itself; The success of the cycle was brought about by the elegantly stylized language of myth and folklore. The works of the cycle, a number of which are united by funny heroes - cybernetic "gods" - Designers Trurl and Klapaucius, compiled a collection. - “The Book of Robots” (1961), “Tales of Robots” (1964), “Cyberiad” (1965); translations into Russian language partially presented in the collection. "Invincible. Cyberiad" (1967) and "The Hunt for Setaur" (1965). The cybernetic camouflage of this original SF world does not hide the “anthropocentricity” of the whole undertaking, which only appears to be lit at first glance. "mind game": satirically show the world of people from the outside. In the later parts of the cycle - “Altruisinus, or the True Story of how the hermit Dobricius wished to make the cosmos happy and what came of it” (1965; Russian 1969; 1990), “Blessed” (1971; Russian 1989; 1990) and “Repetition” (1976; Russian 1979; 1990) - L. again turns satirical arrows on technocratic utopianism, demonstrating the next fiasco of the so-called. "felicitology" - the science of "happiness".

In Russian language The parts of this cycle have also been translated:

"Altruisin" (1965, Russian 1989),

"Education of Tsifrusha" (1974, additional 1976; Russian 1993),

“How Mikromil and Gigatsian laid the foundation for the retreat of nebulae” (19.., Russian 1964),

“How Erg the Self-exciter defeated the pallidum” (19.., Russian 1964; other - “How Erg the Self-exciter defeated the pallidum”),

"About Prince Ferritz and Princess Crystal" (1965, Russian 1989, 1990),

"The Tale of King Murdas" (1963, Russian 1988, 1990),

"The Tale of the Three Storytelling Machines of King Genialon" (19.., Russian 1993),

"Treasures of King Biscalar" (19.., Russian 1965, 1993),

"Uranium Ears" (19.., Russian 1964, 1993).

Finally, another favorite “serial” character of L. was the space scientist. navigator Pirx from the same name. cycle. The action of the call and stories about Pirx, written in 1959-71. and compiled Sat. "Tales of Pilot Pirx" (1968), unfolds in close. the future on Earth and in the solar system; a number of early calls are included in the collection. "Invasion from Aldebaran" (1959; Russian 1960); rus. translations are also included in the collection. - “The Hunt for Setaur” (1965), “Navigator Pirx. Voice of Heaven” (1971). In production cycle, the author set out to trace the profession. the evolution of the hero, for which he constantly puts him in extreme conditions, allowing Pirx to reveal himself from unexpected sides - both as a person and as a professional. The story “Inquiry” (1968; Russian 1970; other - “The Court”) stands out, which is an example of detective SF, in which Pirx “tests” a professional. the suitability of an android astronaut, at the same time revealing the fundamental difference between him and a person; filmed; r-z "Conditioned Reflex" (1963; Russian 1963; 1965; others - "Moonlit Night"). In one of the latest productions. L., the novel “Fiasco” (1987), dedicated to the problem of contact, Pirx dies, although the author leaves for himself a saving “loophole” for the future resurrection of his beloved character.

"Non-serial" SF works and L.'s stories were compiled in a collection. - “Sesame” (1955), “Meeting in Orbit” (1962), “The Hunt” (1965), “Save Space” (1966), “Mask” (1976). One of the artists max. perfect production writer - a short story "Mask" (1974; Russian 1976; 1990) - is a capacious and stylistically verified (under the Gothic novel) story of "finding oneself", self-knowledge of the heroine - created to destroy the daring scientist of the killer machine, which along with artificial intelligence and personality came love for its victim. Also notable are: Pravda (1964; Russian 1966), which presents an interesting example of “energetic” extraterrestrial life, a witty pamphlet on the topic of future transplantation and cyborgization - Do You Exist, Mister Jones? " (1955; Russian 1957); later converted into a film script - "Layer Pie" (1971; Russian 1972; others - "Sandwich", "Mosaic"); as well as the play "The Faithful Robot" (1963, Russian 1965). In addition, in Russian. language translated: "Car Interview" (1962; Russian 1964), "Invasion from Aldebaran" (1958; Russian 1960; others - "Invasion"), "Two Young Men" (1965; Russian 1965), " Friend" (1958; Russian 1960), "Exodus" (1959; Russian 1960), "God's Client" (1954; Russian 1960), "Rat in the Maze" (1956; Russian 1963), "Hammer" ( 1959; Russian 1960), “One minute” (1984; Russian 1988), “Provocation” (1984; Russian 1990; 1990 - Israel), “137 seconds” (19..; Russian 1973), “Darkness and mold" (1959; Russian 1960), "Crystal Ball" (1954; Russian 1960), "OEDIPUS" (1954; Russian 1955). A number of translations are included in the collection. "Mask" (1990).

L.'s contribution to the development of such a traditional (and in many cases, a common plot cliché) SF theme as contact with another Mind is significant: in the work. writer this is not a utopian idyll and not a trivial dilemma of “fight-trade”, but first of all philosophical, psychological. and moral drama, a conceptual revolution that touches and rethinks the very foundations of human civilization and culture. L.’s catchphrase “Among the stars the Unknown awaits us” was found by the artist. embodied in the writer’s significant novels of the 1960s. - “Eden” (1958; 1959; Russian 1966; 1967), “Solaris” (1961; Russian fragment. 1962; abbr. 1963; additional 1976); in Russian language both novels (the second - in the abbreviated version) are combined into one volume - "Solaris. Eden" (1973); "Invincible" (1963; 1964; Russian 1964). These books present various options for failed contact with others, absolutely not similar to the earthly, cosmic. civilizations. L. was able to visually present unusual examples of extraterrestrial (intelligent) life: in “Eden” these are victims of an unsuccessful attempt at biol. reconstruction; in "Solaris" - an ocean planet, a single mind, one of the most memorable SF worlds; in "Invincible" - a cybercivilization of electronic "flies" uniting into a kind of collective intelligence; - and substantiate the possibility of the existence of such exotic homeostats. However, the mystery and unpredictability of their behavior, motives and actions remains just as convincing for the reader.

The pinnacle of television in L. and all modern times. NF pl. critics consider the novel "Solaris", peculiarly filmed by A. Tarkovsky, artist. and philosopher The significance of which is not limited to the problem of contact. A gigantic lonely mind in the Universe, occupied with the incomprehensible planetary. engineering, trying to extend a “thread of understanding” to the earthly scientists studying it - by sending to them “phantoms”, people in flesh and blood, constructed on the basis of information drawn from the subconscious of earthlings (and bringing them humiliation, drama, tragedy) - this is not only natural sciences. problems of "solaristics". Thanks to the SF technique, L. poses serious philosophies. and moral problems, among which not the least place is occupied by the “earthly” problem of conscience, moral responsibility, a distorted mirror-reminder of which earthlings unexpectedly found in space. Researchers have repeatedly noted the metaphysical and theological context of the novel; It's no coincidence that it's full. Russian translation option language, containing the author’s deep and paradoxical thoughts about the “baby god”, “the god who does not know what he is doing”, “the loser god”, came out very late - in the collection. "Selected" (1976).

L. is characterized by a constant return to his own old productions, but to a qualitatively new one. level. The utopian world of the distant future, which in no way resembles the world of the “Magellan Cloud,” appears to the gaze of an astronaut who has returned to Earth after long wanderings among the stars in the novel “Return from the Stars” (1961; Russian abbreviation 1965; additional 1991); in Russian language novel first published. in one volume with the "Star Diaries of Jon the Quiet" - collection. "The Star Diaries of Jon the Quiet. Return from the Stars" (1965). Dazzling cities, a scattering of science fiction. inventions and discoveries, of which the most significant is “betrization” (the universal preventive elimination of centers of aggression in the human mind), which rid the world of wars and crimes, phantomatics, which replaced art, sports and leisure, and, to a large extent, sex and eroticism, - all these technol. the wonders of the “brave new world” hide the obligatory reverse side of any utopia: the price for peace and prosperity. With the disappearance of the aggressiveness inherent in the genes, other characteristic features of homo sapiens are irreversibly abandoned: risk, enterprise, the ability to self-sacrifice, scientific. search, romance of the unknown; A spiritually “fat” humanity is doomed to degradation. Dr. social option degradation resulting from the self-isolation of the society and turning its existence into a phantom, a myth, is presented in the novel “The Diary Found in the Bath” (1961; Russian 1995), written in the spirit of F. Kafka and containing elements of dystopia and absurdist SF. From other significant novels of L. of the 1960s. One can note “The Voice of God” (1968; Russian 1970 - “Voice of Heaven”), which characterizes the new. a stage in a writer’s life when the prose writer increasingly begins to supplant the essayist-philosopher. The storyline is about scientists deciphering signals from another cosmic planet. reason - serves for L. only as a means to reflect on modern times. civilization (which, according to the author, is in its infancy), about the problem of communications, language of communication, the boundaries of science. knowledge, etc. problems.

Starting already in the 1970s. experience constant "intellectual time pressure" - the inability to adequately, in artistic terms. images to reflect all the problems that concern L. the thinker, the desire to speed up their transmission to the reader (and at the same time expand the boundaries of traditional SF) - pushed L. the writer to an active search for new ones. lit. forms These searches were embodied in an original genre, in which the highly revered L. H. Borges had already successfully worked: recitals, abstracts, prefaces, responses to unwritten books, as well as departments. fragm. of them. Dept. Such works, even if they cannot be unconditionally called “artistic literature,” still represent vivid examples of bold and liberated (but “bridled” logic, scientific methodology, richly flavored with humor) thought; they are all combined into Sat. - “Perfect Vacuum” (1971), “Imaginary Greatness” (1971). Particularly notable are: “Culture as an Error” (1970; Russian 1976), “New Cosmogony” (1971; Russian 1976), “Alfred Zellermann “Gruppenführer Louis XVI” (1970; Russian 1972), “Sexplosion” (1973; rus. 1988, 1990), "Extelopedia of Westrand in 44 magnets" (1973; rus. 1978, 1990), "Eruntika" (1973; rus. 1975); link to the "reviewed" book - "Weapon systems of the twenty-first century, or Evolution Upside Down" (1986; Russian 1990 - "Weapon Systems of the Twenty-First Century") is contained in the novel by L. - "Peace on Earth"; a long fragment. "Golem XIV" (1973; Russian 1980), which is part of the appeal to the humanity of the super-computer - the messiah, later rewritten in a separate book - "Golem XIV" (1981). (1971; Russian 1973; 1990), “Do yourself a book” (1971; Russian 1979; 1979; others - “Write books yourself”), “Cuno Mlatje “Odysseus from Ithaca” (1970; Russian 1972) , "Enterprise Life" (1970; Russian 1972; others - "E. Wainwright. "Being inc."), "C. Kouska. "De impossibilitate vitae; De impossibilitate prognoscendi" (1971; Russian 1971; 1990; others - "About the book by Benedikt Kouski "Preface to the Autobiography", "Another Review").

Standing apart in TV L. are “ontological detectives”, combining detective SF and intellectual “investigation” of philosophy. novel (in which it is not a criminal who is wanted, but a scientific truth) - the early novel "Investigation" (1959; Russian 1989; 1990; others - "Investigation") and one of the latest stories, "Runny nose" (1976; Russian . 1978; 1982). In these productions. the external plot outline - an investigation into a chain of strange phenomena suggestive of the presence of the supernatural (resurrection of the dead, mysterious deaths for no apparent reason) - is only the background for another “investigation” - a scientific one, leading the scientist to conclusions that contradict modern ones. ideas of science and philosophy; in "Runny Nose" the mystery is solved not by a detective, but by an astronaut, Div. character traits reminiscent of the pilot Pirx.
Large NF productions. L. in Russian translations are also combined in the collection. - "Novels" (1978), "Selected" (1981), "Magellan Cloud. Solaris" (1987), "Solaris. Invincible. Star Diaries" (1988).

His philosophy is organically connected with SF TV. and literary essayistics, in scientific. In the writer's works one can find the origins of many. science fiction themes and plots that later migrated to fiction. books. L. is the author of 4 fundamental works: “Dialogues” (1957) - about control systems and cybernetic principles; "Sum of Technology" (1962-63; 1964; Russian 1968) about the ways of development of civilization in the distant future, possible dead ends on its path and promising directions, in particular, phantomatics; "Philosophy of Chance" (1968) - about the culture and ethics of technology. civilizations. Finally, this is a voluminous 2-volume study (conducted mainly by methods of structural analysis) of modern. zap. SF - "Science Fiction and Futurology" (1970); the last book, as well as a number of literary articles by L., which sharply criticized plot primitivism and the general “benevolent-parochial” atmosphere in Amer. SF, led to the scandalous exclusion of L. from the Association of American Science Fiction Writers (which in turn led to the withdrawal - (in protest) - of such authors as M. Moorcock and W. Le Guin).

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From Poland, Lem Stanislaw won the love of readers around the world with works in the genre of scientific and philosophical fiction. The writer became the laureate of many Polish and foreign awards, including state prizes of Austria, Poland, and the Kafka Prize. He also became a Knight of the Order and an honorary doctorate from several universities. The magnificent film "Solaris" was created based on the work of the same name, written by Stanislav Lem.

Biography

An extraordinary science fiction writer was born in the Polish city of Lviv in September 1921 into the family of a doctor respected by Lviv residents. He graduated from the men's gymnasium in September 1939. And then Lviv became a Soviet city. Lem Stanislav wanted to study technical sciences, but he failed to enter a polytechnic university. With the help of his father, he was accepted into medical school and began studying there without any enthusiasm.

Two years later, Lviv became a German city, and educational institutions ceased their work. He was not so simple, a future writer. His obvious Jewish origin made his life in the occupation full of every minute danger. He could have ended up in the ghetto and died there, as happened with almost the entire Lviv intelligentsia. The documents, however, were corrected, according to which Lem Stanislav got a job as a mechanic in a German metal processing company. In 1944, Lviv again became a Polish city, and the future writer continued his studies at a medical institute.

To Poland

However, in 1946, Lvov again became a Soviet city, where the unfinished remnants of Bandera’s gangs cut out the Polish population to the roots - entire villages, and even in the cities it was very restless. The Poles responded by destroying Ukrainian villages on their territory.

Therefore, Joseph Stalin resolved these issues by repatriation. Within a few days, almost all Poles from western Ukraine left for Poland, and almost all Ukrainians from Poland went to western Ukraine. Lem Stanislaw also found himself in this great migration and continued his studies at the University of Krakow - at the Faculty of Medicine, which he did not treat differently.

Start

I didn’t even take the final exams, receiving only a certificate, but not a diploma. Maybe because he was afraid to do something he didn’t like, or maybe he turned away from the army, because with a diploma he would have to make a career as a military doctor. In 1948, after graduating from university, he got a job in a scientific laboratory as a junior assistant and was very happy about it.

He was no longer attracted to any job except one, and it was no longer engineering. Since 1946, he began publishing his fantastic works, that is, he became a writer. Stanislav Lem, whose photo has now probably been seen by everyone, and many always keep it on their desk, it was at that moment that he found within himself what he was looking for.

"Man from Mars" and "Astronauts"

His first novel, Czlowiek z Marsa, was published in Nowy Swiat Przygod, a weekly magazine. Readers were inspired by the idea, literally from the first works Stanislaw Lem became a cult writer in Poland, although a large book did not appear so soon.

It was already 1951, when his newly published Astronauci (“Astronauts”) almost instantly disappeared from the shelves. Now Stanislav Lem was writing, reviews of whose works were already replete with pages throughout the world’s periodicals, almost without ceasing.

No peace

Lem traveled a lot in Germany and Czechoslovakia. He often traveled to the Soviet Union, although he never liked it in the slightest degree, under any political system (and he saw almost everything). However, when it was really necessary, he said and wrote that he loved and respected...

In 1982, when the smell of war again began in Poland, Stanislaw Lem, quotes from whose works were already used by people regardless of citizenship, place of residence, gender and age, moved to Austria, although at that moment any country would have been happy to see him. He lived to be eighty-four years old, despite the troubles of the first half of his life. However, his heart was unhealthy, which is why he died in March 2006.

Style

Stanislaw Lem, whose works most often speak about the failed communication of humanity and extraterrestrial civilizations, also wrote a lot about the technologies of the future. Later works are marked by an idealization of social aspirations, close to the genre of utopia, where a person is bored due to technological overdevelopment.

The texts are full of humor, satire, and philosophy. Quotations from the Star Diaries of Ijon the Quiet, for example, by witty science fiction fans who were charmed by Stanislaw Lem, have been used everywhere for many decades. It was not for nothing that the writer was interested not only in science fiction, but also in futurology.

Glory

Lem's books have been translated into more than forty languages, and an extremely large number of them have also been sold - well over thirty million copies. More than twenty film adaptations of his works have been made, most of which were filmed in Poland and the USSR, but Czechoslovakia, Germany, England, the USA and even Azerbaijan were also noted. The best of the films is, of course, Solaris, directed by Tarkovsky, although Stanislav Lem, whose best works were both accepted and understood in the USSR, did not appreciate this masterpiece enough. Moreover, he called Tarkovsky an “idiot” for incorrectly conveying the main idea.

However, I only winced at the American film of the same name with Clooney. Indeed, there are no main ideas there at all. Lem was widely disliked and criticized to the point that he was expelled from the Science Fiction Society of America. Not recognizing Bradbury and Sheckley, Clark and Asimov, he spoke well only of the Strugatskys, especially praising Roadside Picnic. It even seemed strange to him that it was not he who wrote it.

Dictionary

Stanislav Lem is a writer who is characterized by word creation. The number of neologisms created by him and used by his followers exceeded nine thousand. The Poles and Russians were the luckiest in this regard. The translators who worked on Lem’s works were very talented, and the proximity of the languages ​​contributed to the translation, so we can fully enjoy the writer’s humor.

Translations into non-Slavic languages ​​have been much less fortunate; it is unlikely that Americans or French will get as much pleasure from reading the works of Stanislaw Lem. Probably, without explanation, it is clear what kind of medicine is “altruisin”, what kind of room is “infuriation”, why intelligent robots called a person “palenotik” and how “bumba” and “blumba” differ from an ordinary bomb. And a wonderful term - “false animals”, it’s immediately clear - synthetic. “Postmentum” with “sepulkas” are no less witty.

The writer very aptly and wittily puts his thoughts into words: “A machine, stupid, ingenuous, unable to use its mind, does what it is ordered. But a smart one first figures out what is more profitable: to solve the proposed problem or try to get out of it?” "The scope of moral responsibility is much wider than the scope of judicial codes." “The thing about getting old is that you gain experience that you can’t use.”

Subjects

Along with such subtlety of linguistic images, what is striking is the breadth of the creativity’s coverage of universal realities and non-realities: utopias, dystopias, light fairy tales about space, a difficult alternative present and a very clouded future, a little world around the corner full of drug addiction, and victorious humanity, conquered the universe...

And there are certain cues scattered throughout that force the reader to think, and not necessarily in the way Stanislaw Lem supposedly thought. His bibliography is so extensive that it makes it possible to dwell only on the most iconic works.

"137 seconds"

This is a classic science fiction story where the idea is the main character - a super-intelligent computer network. Futurology, which the author adhered to in many works, appears here in the aspects of foresight, prediction of events that have not yet occurred. The plot is unpretentious, but is compensated by philosophical problems, for example, how time is reflected in the human mind. Time appears to be the most difficult dimension to perceive.

"Absolute Emptiness"

This series is written in the first person, where the author acts as a literary critic who reviews unwritten works. There is a lot of philosophy, humor, daring satire in relation to even one’s own ideas about the world in which the literary hero lives. This is a book about vain dreams and the flow of great thoughts into absolute emptiness, since that is where everything unfulfilled is located.

"Altruisin"

Even among robots there are hermits, if this is a fantasy story. A certain Dobricius, a robotic hermit, pondered in the desert for sixty-seven long years, and then decided to make his neighbors happy. Then his fellow designer Klapaucius told a most interesting story from the life of the ENESers, the very ones who had reached the NSR (the highest stage of development). They, too, once wanted to make the whole world happy - with wealth, satiety, an abundance of goodness. And what came of it? Everyone understands happiness in their own way...

"Return from the Stars"

This novel hardly possesses the purity of the genre that is usually characteristic of the author. This is not science fiction by and large, rather the opposite: its issues concern sociology, ecology, and the relationship between nature and man. Following in the footsteps of H.G. Wells ("The Time Machine"), Stanislaw Lem raises the topic of humanity's adaptation to the environment when the hero finds himself in an era thousands of years distant from the one where he was born. Here, too, there is irony, serious relationships, fantasy, reality, sarcasm, and phantasmagoria. There are no spaceships here, but there is the versatility and unpredictability of human psychology.

"Education of Tsifrusha"

Klapaucius had no time for Trurl, the rector of the university is a troublesome position, and Trurl, in anguish, designed a machine, named it Tsifrusha and began to educate it. The boredom gradually disappeared, Trurl got busy and stopped feeling lonely. However, it so happened that a gap appeared in the process of education, since three meteorites in a row fell into Trurl’s garden, where his classes with Tsifrusha took place, which turned out to be the tail of an ice comet that flew past. These meteorites contained unexpected guests: a robot drummer, a drum and an android holding a glass of poison in his hand. Trurl and Tsifrusha immediately defrosted and revived their guests, and then listened to interesting stories...

(1921 - 2006) Polish science fiction writer

Lem spent his childhood in Lvov, where his father was a successful doctor. At school, Stanislav was seriously interested in natural science, as well as philosophy. According to family tradition, he was going to become a doctor and even entered the medical faculty of Lviv University. But this dream came true only after several decades. The outbreak of World War II ruined all his plans.

Like many of his peers, Stanislaw Lem was mobilized. However, due to severe myopia, he ended up not at the front, but in a car repair shop. There he found himself in a completely new working environment, which he learned with great difficulty. Later, the writer recreated his experiences in the autobiographical dilogy “The High Castle” and “Unlost Time.”

During the war, Stanislaw Lem becomes a member of the Resistance and fights for the liberation of Poland. In 1945 he moved to Krakow and finally entered the Faculty of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University. There he took up literature. While still a student, he published his first science fiction story, “The Man from Mars” (1946), and followed it with the novel “Astronauts” (1951).

Despite the fact that both works immediately brought him popularity not only in Poland, but also abroad, Stanislaw Lem did not dare to devote himself entirely to literature and for several years became an employee of the psychology department. He is writing a dissertation on the methodology of science and regularly publishes in scientific journals. Only four years later, after the publication of the novel “The Magellanic Cloud” (1955), Stanislav Lem finally left scientific work and devoted himself entirely to literature.

He writes many stories, later compiled into the collection "Sesame", as well as the story "Invasion from Aldebaran". It becomes a kind of prologue, or rather, a test of the pen before the writer began work on one of his most significant works - the novel "Solaris", which turns him into a leading science fiction writer not only in Poland, but throughout Eastern Europe.

He creates the image of a fantastic planet, the only inhabitant of which is a giant thinking substance - the Ocean. Lem talks about how, step by step, the contacts of the Ocean with the expedition of earthlings are strengthened. The author believes that in any situation we must strive to achieve mutual understanding. The biggest crime, according to the writer, is the senseless destruction of nature. The novel "Solaris" was filmed by director A. Tarkovsky in 1972. This film was a great success and was awarded the Grand Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival.

After such a tremendous success of his novel, Stanislav Lem wrote only stories for several years. They are united by the images of the main characters: the pilot Pirx, the space traveler Ion the Quiet and Professor Tarantoga. But Lem’s favorite character was the first hero, the pilot Pirke, whose image is also included in some novels.

The writer shows the gradual evolution of his characters, their ability to navigate in a difficult situation, to find a way out of any situation, as can be seen in the work “Peace on Earth” (1986).

Another cycle of the writer’s works has also become popular, on which Stanislav Lem is still working. It's called Cyberiad. Its action takes place in a peculiar world inhabited by robots. Through their images, the writer shows the human world from the outside. His heroes, robot constructors Trurl and Klapoutius, fail only because they approach people as very complex machines. Lem constructs the poetics of the cycle in a very original way, combining the techniques of traditional skaz with modern patter. Many expressions from his stories have entered the colloquial language: “It banged, it banged, a pile of slag remained - and it became quiet.”

A special feature of Stanislaw Lem's work is that he constantly returns to his early works. A writer never completely remakes what has already been written, but simply achieves greater expressiveness of individual figurative characteristics, a well-written plot, and refined language.

After the introduction of martial law in Poland in 1980, Stanislaw Lem left the country and moved to Western Europe for almost ten years, settling first in Austria and then in Germany. It was only in 1988, after the collapse of the communist regime, that he returned to Poland and settled again in Krakow.

Along with science fiction, Lem also writes philosophical works. Thus, in the book “Philosophy of Chance” (1968) he examines the process of literary creativity and the place of science fiction in modern culture. His next book, Science Fiction and Futurology (1980), is devoted to the same topic. In it, the writer seeks to determine the features of the predictive function of science fiction and show the significance of such forecasts. For this book he was awarded the title of honorary doctor of the University of Wroclaw.

Stanislaw Lem was one of the first to use science fiction elements in works of other genres, for example, detective stories. The novel “Investigation” (1959) and the story “Runny Nose” are built on the canons of a classic detective story; their hero investigates a sequence of strange phenomena and enters into a duel with the forces of the other world.

The writer works a lot on stories and autobiographical works.

Stanislaw Lem died on March 27, 2006 in Krakow at the age of 84 after a long history of heart disease.

Stanislaw Lem (1921-2006) is a world-famous Polish writer, science fiction writer, philosopher, futurist and satirist. He was born on September 12, 1921 in the city of Lviv, which was then part of Poland. The father of the future writer, Samuel Lem (1879-1954), worked as an otolaryngologist. Mother - Sabine Voller (1892-1979) was a housewife. The boy learned to read and write at the age of 4. He practiced on his father's medical books, which he constantly reviewed. The child wrote his first “literary work” at the age of 6 while on vacation with his mother in the city of Skole. It was a letter to his father, which described local attractions.

In 1932 - 1939, the boy studied at the gymnasium of the city of Lvov. Once there, students were tested for IQ. Stanislav scored 185 points. After this, he began to be considered one of the smartest high school students in Poland. Lem wrote an autobiographical novel about his childhood called The High Castle. These are the remains of a medieval fortress and the name of the mountain on which it was located.

This book was first published in 1966. It not only contained a detailed description of childhood, but also raised philosophical questions regarding the formation and development of personality. The mechanism of memory was discussed and an attempt was made to explore the phenomenon of the creative process.

From 1939 to 1941, the young man studied at the Medical Institute until the occupation of Lviv by the Germans. During the occupation, with the help of forged documents, the Lemov family managed to avoid deportation to the Jewish ghetto. The family remained in Lvov. During the day, the young man worked as a car mechanic in a garage, and after work he went to a meeting of the cell, which was part of the resistance group against the fascist occupiers.

The Soviet army liberated Lvov in 1944, and the future writer continued his studies at the Medical Institute. When the city officially seceded from Poland, the young man left it as part of the repatriation program. He settled in Krakow, where he continued to study medicine at a local higher education institution.

This happened in 1946. And in the same year Stanislaw Lem made his debut as a writer. New World of Adventure magazine published his story "The Man from Mars." Then came the turn of poems and stories. They were published in periodicals. These are “Universal Weekly”, “Polish Soldier”, “Forge”, etc.

In 1948, the young man completed his studies at a higher educational institution, but received not a diploma, but a certificate of medical education. This happened because Stanislav refused to take his final exams in order to avoid a career as a military doctor.

In 1947-1950, the future famous writer worked as a junior assistant in a medical laboratory and at the same time worked closely with the journal Life of Science.

In 1950 he met Barbara Lesniak. In 1953 she became his wife. The woman had a medical education and worked as a radiologist. In 1968, the couple had a son. He was given the name Tomas. Currently he is a translator and writing memoirs.

In 1951, Lem achieved his first literary success with the publication of the science fiction novel The Astronauts. From that time on, Stanislav actively began to write. His books can be purely divided into two categories:

1. Novels and short stories written in the science fiction genre:
"Eden" (1959);
"Solaris" (1961);
Return from the Stars (1961);
"Invincible" (1964);
"Tales of Pilot Pirx" (1968);
“The Voice of the Lord” (1968) and many others.

2. Grotesque works filled with sparkling live humor:
"Star Diaries" (1957);
"Manuscript Found in a Bathtub" (1961);
"Robot Tales" (1964);
"Cyberiad" (1965);
"On-Site Inspection" (1982);
"Peace on Earth" (1987), etc.

In 1964, a collection of philosophical and futurological essays, “The Sum of Technology,” was published. In this work, Stanislav Lem predicted the emergence of virtual reality, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology. In his book, the writer outlined the idea of ​​​​creating artificial worlds, the evolution of humanity and other philosophical topics inextricably linked with human civilization.

In 1973, Stanislaw Lem was elected an honorary member of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA). But after 3 years they were expelled, as the Polish writer criticized the level of American literature in the genre of science fiction. However, some SFWA members did not agree with this decision and organized a protest against the exclusion. Then the Association offered Stanislav regular membership, but he refused.

The famous writer traveled a lot around the world. He visited the Soviet Union, the GDR, and Czechoslovakia. From 1983 to 1988 he lived permanently in Vienna. In the 90s, he collaborated with the Polish version of RS Magazine, the monthly Odra and a number of other periodicals. Lem made several futurological predictions in the field of culture and technology. Some of these predictions turned out to be correct.

The books of the Polish writer have been translated into 41 foreign languages. Some novels have been filmed. And the total circulation of books sold in the world amounted to more than 30 million copies. Stanisław Lem received several international and Polish orders and academic degrees. An asteroid (3836) was named after the famous science fiction writer. It was discovered in 1979 by astronomer Nikolai Chernykh.

On March 27, 2006, at the age of 85, the famous writer died. The cause of death was heart disease. The body was buried at the Salwator Cemetery in Krakow.

Alexey Starikov