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小芯谢褟褉懈褋. 协写械屑
Russian Book. AST. 480. 2022. Hardcover.
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About the author
Stanis艂aw Lem
449听books4,314听followersStanis艂aw Lem (sta藞刹iswaf l蓻m) was a Polish science fiction, philosophical and satirical writer of Jewish descent. His books have been translated into 41 languages and have sold over 27 million copies. He is perhaps best known as the author of Solaris, which has twice been made into a feature film. In 1976, Theodore Sturgeon claimed that Lem was the most widely read science-fiction writer in the world.
His works explore philosophical themes; speculation on technology, the nature of intelligence, the impossibility of mutual communication and understanding, despair about human limitations and humankind's place in the universe. They are sometimes presented as fiction, but others are in the form of essays or philosophical books. Translations of his works are difficult and multiple translated versions of his works exist.
Lem became truly productive after 1956, when the de-Stalinization period led to the "Polish October", when Poland experienced an increase in freedom of speech. Between 1956 and 1968, Lem authored 17 books. His works were widely translated abroad (although mostly in the Eastern Bloc countries). In 1957 he published his first non-fiction, philosophical book, Dialogi (Dialogues), one of his two most famous philosophical texts along with Summa Technologiae (1964). The Summa is notable for being a unique analysis of prospective social, cybernetic, and biological advances. In this work, Lem discusses philosophical implications of technologies that were completely in the realm of science fiction then, but are gaining importance today鈥攍ike, for instance, virtual reality and nanotechnology. Over the next few decades, he published many books, both science fiction and philosophical/futurological, although from the 1980s onwards he tended to concentrate on philosophical texts and essays.
He gained international fame for The Cyberiad, a series of humorous short stories from a mechanical universe ruled by robots, first published in English in 1974. His best-known novels include Solaris (1961), His Master's Voice (G艂os pana, 1968), and the late Fiasco (Fiasko, 1987), expressing most strongly his major theme of the futility of mankind's attempts to comprehend the truly alien. Solaris was made into a film in 1972 by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky and won a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1972; in 2002, Steven Soderbergh directed a Hollywood remake starring George Clooney.
He was the cousin of poet Marian Hemar.
His works explore philosophical themes; speculation on technology, the nature of intelligence, the impossibility of mutual communication and understanding, despair about human limitations and humankind's place in the universe. They are sometimes presented as fiction, but others are in the form of essays or philosophical books. Translations of his works are difficult and multiple translated versions of his works exist.
Lem became truly productive after 1956, when the de-Stalinization period led to the "Polish October", when Poland experienced an increase in freedom of speech. Between 1956 and 1968, Lem authored 17 books. His works were widely translated abroad (although mostly in the Eastern Bloc countries). In 1957 he published his first non-fiction, philosophical book, Dialogi (Dialogues), one of his two most famous philosophical texts along with Summa Technologiae (1964). The Summa is notable for being a unique analysis of prospective social, cybernetic, and biological advances. In this work, Lem discusses philosophical implications of technologies that were completely in the realm of science fiction then, but are gaining importance today鈥攍ike, for instance, virtual reality and nanotechnology. Over the next few decades, he published many books, both science fiction and philosophical/futurological, although from the 1980s onwards he tended to concentrate on philosophical texts and essays.
He gained international fame for The Cyberiad, a series of humorous short stories from a mechanical universe ruled by robots, first published in English in 1974. His best-known novels include Solaris (1961), His Master's Voice (G艂os pana, 1968), and the late Fiasco (Fiasko, 1987), expressing most strongly his major theme of the futility of mankind's attempts to comprehend the truly alien. Solaris was made into a film in 1972 by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky and won a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1972; in 2002, Steven Soderbergh directed a Hollywood remake starring George Clooney.
He was the cousin of poet Marian Hemar.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 5, 2023
Raamatu lugemise k盲igus juhtus naljakas lugu, ajasin segi Tarkovski filmid, Stalkeri ja Solarise. Liitsin peas kokku Lemi Solarise ja Strugatskite ainetel filmitud Stalkeri. Paralleelselt Lemiga lugesin Uku Masingu ja Kalju Kirde (eesti p盲ritolu Saksamaa f眉眉sik ja kirjandusloolane) ulmekirjanduse teemalist kirjavahetust (Kord kui me unistus uitis, Ilmamaa 2014) ja seal nad siis nendivad, et Lemile Tarkovski interpretatsioon tema raamatust ei meeldinud. Ma olen Stalkerit mitu korda n盲inud, mulje oli kuidagi 盲hmane aga n眉眉d peale Lemi Solarise lugemist hakkas justkui koitma. Et kui Tarkovski Tsoon on Lemi Ookean ja kohe tekkisid veel mingisugused detailid ja paralleelid 鈥� R盲盲kisin sellest s玫braga, kes on lugenud nii Strugatseid kui Lemi ning n盲inud m玫lemat filmi. S玫ber noogutas m玫istvalt kaasa, ei saagi aru mis p玫hjusel, v玫imalik, et viisakusest, umbes, et las laps pusserdab, peaasi, et laps rahul on 鈥� Igatahes, otsustasin, et peaks filmi uuesti 眉le vaatama, kuni siis l玫puks ikkagi mingi kahtlus tekkis ja googel armulikult teatas, et Tarkovskil on kaks filmi. Ma ei ole Tarkovski Solarist n盲inud, k眉ll aga olen lugenud Strugatskite 鈥淰盲ljas玫it rohelisse鈥� (meeles eriti ei ole, filmiga seoseid ei teki).Et siis, n眉眉d tahaks k玫ike (uuesti) ja korraga 馃檪
Raamatust. Raamat koosneb kahest l眉hiromaanist, milleks on Solaris ja Eeden.
Esimeses on inimesed avastanud Maa t眉眉pi planeedi nimega Solaris ning uurinud seda palju aastaid. Solarise ainus ja inimestele ikka veel t盲iesti arusaamatu p玫liselanik on planeeti kattev arukas Ookean.
鈥淭egelikult polnud veel mitte k玫ik sellega p盲ri, et see on 鈥渙lend鈥�, r盲盲kimata sellest, kas v玫ib ookeani nimetada arukaks. Panin raske k枚ite plaksuga riiulile ja v玫tsin j盲rgmise. See koosnes kahest osast. Esimene oli p眉hendatud loendamatute katsete, mille eesm盲rgiks oli kontakti loomine ookeaniga, eksperimendiprotokollide kokkuv玫tetele. See p眉眉d saavutada kontakt ookeaniga andis minu 眉li玫pilasaastail, m盲letan seda liigagi h盲sti, ainet l玫pututele anekdootidele, pilgetele ja vaimukustele; keskaegne skolastika tundus selge, s盲rava t玫elisusena nende d啪unglite k玫rval, mida see probleem tekitas. Teine osa, mis h玫lmas peaaegu tuhat kolmsada lehek眉lge, sisaldas aine bibliograafilist nimestikku. Sest raamatud, mid k盲sitlesid seda probleemi, poleks kindlasti mahtunud tuppa, kus ma istusin.鈥� (lk 19)
Teadlane Kelvin on umbes lapsest peale Ookeani oma peas kandnud, sellest unesid n盲inud ja lugenud selle kohta k玫ike, mida v玫is ja mida ei v玫inud. Lugu algab sellest, et Kelvin stardib 眉hemehe ekspeditsioonina Solarisele ning avastab kohale j玫udes sedamaid, et vaatamata k玫igile oma teadmistele ei ole ta kaugeltki valmis kohtuma Solarise plasmaookeaniga. Ookean osutub omamoodi ps眉hhoterapeudiks sundides Kelvinit sedamaid sukelduma tema enese, Kelvini, alateadvusesse. Pannes ta olukorda, kus ta peab seisma silmitsi oma k玫ige salajasemate soovide ja hirmudega, kohtuma uuesti Harey麓ga, armastatud naisega, kes temaga lahkumineku t玫ttu enesetapu sooritas. Raamatus on Kelvini ja Harey suhtele, Harey inimlikustamisele, palju aega p眉hendatud. Lem n盲itab kaunilt, kuidas inimene armub sisuliselt iseenda kujutelma. Ka p盲riselus, inimene kohtab teist ja ehib ta enda poolt v盲ljam玫eldud omadustega, t玫mbab oma kujutluse kellegi karkassi peale. Ja h盲da neile suhetele, kus kujutlused reaalsusest erinevad rohkem kui pisut.
Teine l眉hiromaan algab sellest, et kuuest teadlasest koosnev ekspeditsioon teeb h盲damaandumise v玫玫rale, t盲iesti tundmatule planeedile nimega Eeden. Nimetud (ja ka isiksuseomadustest, iseloomudest ilma j盲etud, va 眉ksikud konkreetsed seisukohad 眉ksikutes konkreetsetes k眉simustes) Doktor, F眉眉sik, Keemik, Insener, K眉bertehnik ja Koordinaator hakkavad planeeti uurima, p眉眉avad m玫ista selle toimimist, 眉hiskonnakorraldust, elu ja olu ning luua kontakti sealsete arukate kohalikega..
M玫lemad romaani s眉啪ee ei ole omaette teab mida v盲盲rt, tegu on pigem kontseptuaalsete, filosoofiliste teostega. Eriti Solaris, mis on kihilisem ja meeldis mulle Eedeist rohkem. Eeden meeldis ka, aga alles alates hetkest, kui toimus kontakt kohalikega. Loo algus minu jaoks venis, putitati muudkui kosmoselaeva ja seda viisil, et isegi mina sain aru, et tehnoloogia seisukohalt (aga ainult selles osas) on lugu lootusetult vananenud.
Solaris tundub tehniliselt tugevamana. Hea kujutlusv玫ime korral on v玫imalik kaasa kolada m枚枚da t眉hje, kajavaid, kosmosejaama koridore, kohtuda millegi t盲iesti arusaamatuga, m玫ista, mis toimub Kelvini peas ja tunda, kuidas ihukarvad ligihiilivast 玫udusest liigutavad 鈥edenis on ka hirmu盲ratavaid kohti, kuid minus v玫rreldavat emotsiooni ei tekitanud.
Suures plaanis arutleb Lem m玫lemas lood 眉hest ja samast: inimese/ inimkonna kontakti v玫imalikkuse 眉le m玫ne teise, meist t盲iesti erineva, aruka olendi v玫i substantsiga. Solaris tekitab m玫tlemisainet mitmel teemal. Nt et inimesel on loomulik kujutleda, et arukas olend on indiviid ja seda, et meie oleme need, kes uurivad. Aga kui ei ole, kui arukas olend on substants, mis individuaalsust ei evi? Kui kogu tema olemus, nii f眉眉siline kui mentaalne, on hoopis teine? Kui meie f眉眉sika ja loogika ei t枚枚ta, mis siis? Mul l盲heb m玫istus katki juba 眉ksi sellele m玫eldes, r盲盲kimata olukorrast, kui m玫istmisest midagi s玫ltub. Eeden on selles m玫ttes lihtsam, et seal ongi p玫liselanikud indiviidid ja 眉hine keel leitakse. Seal on peamine k眉simus mu meelest selles, et hullult tahaks selle vanainimese n眉眉d 眉le t盲nava aidata, vahet ei ole, kas tal sinna teisele poole asja ka on. Ehk et kas peab sekkuma, kui tundub, et peaks kuid tegelikult ei m玫ista (nt v玫玫rliigi v玫i v玫玫ra tsivilisatsiooni elukorraldust, selle kujunemist, ajaloolisi vm p玫hjusi jpm). Et oma reeglitega v玫玫rasse kloostrisse 鈥�
Solarises on veel see ka, et tekib k眉simus, kes keda seal 眉ldse uuris. Kui vaadata Ookeani seisukohalt, siis 鈥� siis saabusid mingid mini-satikad lendava kilukarbiga. Kas nad on arukad? Kas nad on ohtlikud? Kui sa oled planeedi ainus elusolend, siis tegelikult tahaks ju k眉lalistega maha istuda ja teed juua, uurida, kuidas seal on, kerast paremal ja vasakul, kaugel, 眉眉ratus pimeduses. Aga kuidas? V玫ibolla Ookean proovis, v玫ibolla olid fantoomid tema viis k眉lalistele kingitus teha? V玫i siis ikka ei olnud, v玫ibolla hoopis inimesed sundisid teda selleks kuidagi, sundisid (alateadlikult) ilmutama oma (alateadlike) soove. St 鈥� ilmselt peab seda raamatut lugema rohkem, kui korra. Selles on palju ja rohkem veel. Mulle v盲ga meeldis.
Raamatust. Raamat koosneb kahest l眉hiromaanist, milleks on Solaris ja Eeden.
Esimeses on inimesed avastanud Maa t眉眉pi planeedi nimega Solaris ning uurinud seda palju aastaid. Solarise ainus ja inimestele ikka veel t盲iesti arusaamatu p玫liselanik on planeeti kattev arukas Ookean.
鈥淭egelikult polnud veel mitte k玫ik sellega p盲ri, et see on 鈥渙lend鈥�, r盲盲kimata sellest, kas v玫ib ookeani nimetada arukaks. Panin raske k枚ite plaksuga riiulile ja v玫tsin j盲rgmise. See koosnes kahest osast. Esimene oli p眉hendatud loendamatute katsete, mille eesm盲rgiks oli kontakti loomine ookeaniga, eksperimendiprotokollide kokkuv玫tetele. See p眉眉d saavutada kontakt ookeaniga andis minu 眉li玫pilasaastail, m盲letan seda liigagi h盲sti, ainet l玫pututele anekdootidele, pilgetele ja vaimukustele; keskaegne skolastika tundus selge, s盲rava t玫elisusena nende d啪unglite k玫rval, mida see probleem tekitas. Teine osa, mis h玫lmas peaaegu tuhat kolmsada lehek眉lge, sisaldas aine bibliograafilist nimestikku. Sest raamatud, mid k盲sitlesid seda probleemi, poleks kindlasti mahtunud tuppa, kus ma istusin.鈥� (lk 19)
Teadlane Kelvin on umbes lapsest peale Ookeani oma peas kandnud, sellest unesid n盲inud ja lugenud selle kohta k玫ike, mida v玫is ja mida ei v玫inud. Lugu algab sellest, et Kelvin stardib 眉hemehe ekspeditsioonina Solarisele ning avastab kohale j玫udes sedamaid, et vaatamata k玫igile oma teadmistele ei ole ta kaugeltki valmis kohtuma Solarise plasmaookeaniga. Ookean osutub omamoodi ps眉hhoterapeudiks sundides Kelvinit sedamaid sukelduma tema enese, Kelvini, alateadvusesse. Pannes ta olukorda, kus ta peab seisma silmitsi oma k玫ige salajasemate soovide ja hirmudega, kohtuma uuesti Harey麓ga, armastatud naisega, kes temaga lahkumineku t玫ttu enesetapu sooritas. Raamatus on Kelvini ja Harey suhtele, Harey inimlikustamisele, palju aega p眉hendatud. Lem n盲itab kaunilt, kuidas inimene armub sisuliselt iseenda kujutelma. Ka p盲riselus, inimene kohtab teist ja ehib ta enda poolt v盲ljam玫eldud omadustega, t玫mbab oma kujutluse kellegi karkassi peale. Ja h盲da neile suhetele, kus kujutlused reaalsusest erinevad rohkem kui pisut.
Teine l眉hiromaan algab sellest, et kuuest teadlasest koosnev ekspeditsioon teeb h盲damaandumise v玫玫rale, t盲iesti tundmatule planeedile nimega Eeden. Nimetud (ja ka isiksuseomadustest, iseloomudest ilma j盲etud, va 眉ksikud konkreetsed seisukohad 眉ksikutes konkreetsetes k眉simustes) Doktor, F眉眉sik, Keemik, Insener, K眉bertehnik ja Koordinaator hakkavad planeeti uurima, p眉眉avad m玫ista selle toimimist, 眉hiskonnakorraldust, elu ja olu ning luua kontakti sealsete arukate kohalikega..
M玫lemad romaani s眉啪ee ei ole omaette teab mida v盲盲rt, tegu on pigem kontseptuaalsete, filosoofiliste teostega. Eriti Solaris, mis on kihilisem ja meeldis mulle Eedeist rohkem. Eeden meeldis ka, aga alles alates hetkest, kui toimus kontakt kohalikega. Loo algus minu jaoks venis, putitati muudkui kosmoselaeva ja seda viisil, et isegi mina sain aru, et tehnoloogia seisukohalt (aga ainult selles osas) on lugu lootusetult vananenud.
Solaris tundub tehniliselt tugevamana. Hea kujutlusv玫ime korral on v玫imalik kaasa kolada m枚枚da t眉hje, kajavaid, kosmosejaama koridore, kohtuda millegi t盲iesti arusaamatuga, m玫ista, mis toimub Kelvini peas ja tunda, kuidas ihukarvad ligihiilivast 玫udusest liigutavad 鈥edenis on ka hirmu盲ratavaid kohti, kuid minus v玫rreldavat emotsiooni ei tekitanud.
Suures plaanis arutleb Lem m玫lemas lood 眉hest ja samast: inimese/ inimkonna kontakti v玫imalikkuse 眉le m玫ne teise, meist t盲iesti erineva, aruka olendi v玫i substantsiga. Solaris tekitab m玫tlemisainet mitmel teemal. Nt et inimesel on loomulik kujutleda, et arukas olend on indiviid ja seda, et meie oleme need, kes uurivad. Aga kui ei ole, kui arukas olend on substants, mis individuaalsust ei evi? Kui kogu tema olemus, nii f眉眉siline kui mentaalne, on hoopis teine? Kui meie f眉眉sika ja loogika ei t枚枚ta, mis siis? Mul l盲heb m玫istus katki juba 眉ksi sellele m玫eldes, r盲盲kimata olukorrast, kui m玫istmisest midagi s玫ltub. Eeden on selles m玫ttes lihtsam, et seal ongi p玫liselanikud indiviidid ja 眉hine keel leitakse. Seal on peamine k眉simus mu meelest selles, et hullult tahaks selle vanainimese n眉眉d 眉le t盲nava aidata, vahet ei ole, kas tal sinna teisele poole asja ka on. Ehk et kas peab sekkuma, kui tundub, et peaks kuid tegelikult ei m玫ista (nt v玫玫rliigi v玫i v玫玫ra tsivilisatsiooni elukorraldust, selle kujunemist, ajaloolisi vm p玫hjusi jpm). Et oma reeglitega v玫玫rasse kloostrisse 鈥�
Solarises on veel see ka, et tekib k眉simus, kes keda seal 眉ldse uuris. Kui vaadata Ookeani seisukohalt, siis 鈥� siis saabusid mingid mini-satikad lendava kilukarbiga. Kas nad on arukad? Kas nad on ohtlikud? Kui sa oled planeedi ainus elusolend, siis tegelikult tahaks ju k眉lalistega maha istuda ja teed juua, uurida, kuidas seal on, kerast paremal ja vasakul, kaugel, 眉眉ratus pimeduses. Aga kuidas? V玫ibolla Ookean proovis, v玫ibolla olid fantoomid tema viis k眉lalistele kingitus teha? V玫i siis ikka ei olnud, v玫ibolla hoopis inimesed sundisid teda selleks kuidagi, sundisid (alateadlikult) ilmutama oma (alateadlike) soove. St 鈥� ilmselt peab seda raamatut lugema rohkem, kui korra. Selles on palju ja rohkem veel. Mulle v盲ga meeldis.
May 18, 2022
Kuidas suhelda v玫玫raga?
July 27, 2020
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
10 out of 10
Albeit familiar with the adaptations for the big screen, the first one by acclaimed Andrei Tarkovsky and the second with George Clooney in the leading role, and the BBC play based on the original work by Stanislaw Lem, this reader was still fascinated, almost haunted and severely impressed by what is an extremely complex, challenging, supposedly Science Fiction story but ultimately could be classified as a meditation on religion, our place in the universe, the possibility that the aliens are not like E.T. or anything envisaged before, but possibly could take the shape of an ocean, a thinking 鈥榖eing鈥� 鈥� though that is not the word, entity might be more appropriate, which could create its own climate and weather on Solaris, but also be somehow an image, a projection of a failing god, a notion that appears in the mind of the hero, psychologist Kris Kelvin, who arrives in the beginning of the narrative on the Solaris Station, that is located near the Ocean, the entity of the planet which earthlings have concluded it is inhabited, though by a single 鈥榠nhabitant鈥�, the mass of gel that scientists had tried to analyze.
In the effort to 鈥榗ommunicate鈥� with the alien, the envoys from earth might have provoked unintended consequences, with the bombardment of rays they used and thus they see 鈥榞hosts or is it their projections, people that inexplicably show on the station鈥欌€octor Kelvin sees a large, black Aphrodite in the first place and knows, or perhaps imagines that Snaut, one of the initial three members of the crew on the Station has a visitor, but does not see it, her or him, whichever the right label would be, just as there is a theory that the Ocean does not see the people from earth, much like an elephant is not aware of the presence of ants and little bugs that crawl on it skin, too insignificant to be noticed and the results of the efforts to establish a connection appear to be more related to the psychology of the earthlings, who are haunted by their own visions, dreams and anxieties or regrets.
Kris Kelvin had had a relationship with Harey, a woman that would commit suicide in the aftermath of a conflict with her lover, and the 鈥榙ead woman鈥� returns on the station, clearly not because Buddhism or the reincarnation or another theory proves right in this shape and form 鈥� or maybe not evidently, but it is not what seems the more plausible explanation 鈥� but given the strange happenings near the planet, and especially on account of the special powers of the Ocean, Harey is 鈥榤anufactured鈥� as a potential instrument that could help defend the entity against the intruders in the worst case scenario for the humans and in one of the other alternatives, she would engage with the psychologist and provide information, like a king of sophisticated, insightful spy, capable to get not just close to the 鈥榯arget鈥�, but deep inside him.
This wonderful magnum opus appears to be also about love, if that is not the main theme of the thought provoking novel, for the reader is invited to meditate on what love is, perhaps especially after the first phase of the encounter with the specter of the dead woman, for doctor Kelvin sends into space and what looks like oblivion the first apparition of Harey, aware that this is not beneficial for his state of mind and he is better off without an apparition living with him on the station 鈥� further on, the prospect of returning to earth with the Reloaded Ghost is presented, he knows that if he returns home, she will be separated from him and the only place where they could possibly live together is the Solaris Station.
After he will have sent the first 鈥榲isitor鈥� into outer space, Doctor Kris Kelvin is again faced with Harey, jocularly we could call her Harey II or Harey Reloaded, who is such an impressive creation that she 鈥� if that is the word and not It 鈥� begins to have an awareness of what is going on, making the under signed think of his鈥acaws, how they became 鈥榗onscious鈥� that what they see in the mirror is their own reflection and not another parrot鈥ell, if not on first sight, after some heavy thinking for small brains they get the picture, just like animals with some level of IQ appear to have this ability to some extent.
Harey is very upset that her presence appears to be speculated and she can become the means through which the Ocean or something, or is it somebody else, can influence and potentially harm Kris 鈥� this of course raises the question of how has she come to such 鈥榙evelopment of emotions鈥�, does she love him and is it possible to have this interaction, shared affections between aliens and humans, to which the answer might be yes in this case, since she was based on the premise of an evolution, a process of learning what the man is, his intricate functioning and what he feels and thinks and then grow a structure based on that body of neutrinos that seem indestructible, even after she takes liquid oxygen鈥�
Snaut argues at one point 鈥� was it him, or this is a mistake- that what Doctor Kelvin is infatuated with is just a mirror and he just has nice memories that are served back to him and it is his own thoughts and imagination that work to create that atmosphere 鈥� we could also think of the excellent Her wherein the character played by strange Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with an OS, an operating system, a software that has managed to know everything about him, music, movies, words, all that he likes and engage with him, using the erotic, luscious Scarlett Johansson voice and thus wrap him good in a veil, atmosphere, Ocean of pleasure that he gets addicted to, together with billions of others, in what is a distant replica of the Ocean of Solaris.
Stanislaw Lem appears to have been puzzled by the adaptations of his masterwork and did not see the close connection between his Solaris and those on the big screen and he has been very dissatisfied with the first translation of his work that has been replaced with another, apparently approved by his children.
It is extraordinary to see the 鈥榳oman鈥�- for maybe Harey does suffer the ultimate transformation an she become a woman in that she feels for her man and is ready to commit the ultimate sacrifice and commit suicide for him and the love she clearly feels for him 鈥� ready to drink liquid oxygen and perhaps try other means to prevent Kris Kelvin from being harmed through her and that is maybe the most beautiful aspect of this chef d鈥檕euvre鈥�
10 out of 10
Albeit familiar with the adaptations for the big screen, the first one by acclaimed Andrei Tarkovsky and the second with George Clooney in the leading role, and the BBC play based on the original work by Stanislaw Lem, this reader was still fascinated, almost haunted and severely impressed by what is an extremely complex, challenging, supposedly Science Fiction story but ultimately could be classified as a meditation on religion, our place in the universe, the possibility that the aliens are not like E.T. or anything envisaged before, but possibly could take the shape of an ocean, a thinking 鈥榖eing鈥� 鈥� though that is not the word, entity might be more appropriate, which could create its own climate and weather on Solaris, but also be somehow an image, a projection of a failing god, a notion that appears in the mind of the hero, psychologist Kris Kelvin, who arrives in the beginning of the narrative on the Solaris Station, that is located near the Ocean, the entity of the planet which earthlings have concluded it is inhabited, though by a single 鈥榠nhabitant鈥�, the mass of gel that scientists had tried to analyze.
In the effort to 鈥榗ommunicate鈥� with the alien, the envoys from earth might have provoked unintended consequences, with the bombardment of rays they used and thus they see 鈥榞hosts or is it their projections, people that inexplicably show on the station鈥欌€octor Kelvin sees a large, black Aphrodite in the first place and knows, or perhaps imagines that Snaut, one of the initial three members of the crew on the Station has a visitor, but does not see it, her or him, whichever the right label would be, just as there is a theory that the Ocean does not see the people from earth, much like an elephant is not aware of the presence of ants and little bugs that crawl on it skin, too insignificant to be noticed and the results of the efforts to establish a connection appear to be more related to the psychology of the earthlings, who are haunted by their own visions, dreams and anxieties or regrets.
Kris Kelvin had had a relationship with Harey, a woman that would commit suicide in the aftermath of a conflict with her lover, and the 鈥榙ead woman鈥� returns on the station, clearly not because Buddhism or the reincarnation or another theory proves right in this shape and form 鈥� or maybe not evidently, but it is not what seems the more plausible explanation 鈥� but given the strange happenings near the planet, and especially on account of the special powers of the Ocean, Harey is 鈥榤anufactured鈥� as a potential instrument that could help defend the entity against the intruders in the worst case scenario for the humans and in one of the other alternatives, she would engage with the psychologist and provide information, like a king of sophisticated, insightful spy, capable to get not just close to the 鈥榯arget鈥�, but deep inside him.
This wonderful magnum opus appears to be also about love, if that is not the main theme of the thought provoking novel, for the reader is invited to meditate on what love is, perhaps especially after the first phase of the encounter with the specter of the dead woman, for doctor Kelvin sends into space and what looks like oblivion the first apparition of Harey, aware that this is not beneficial for his state of mind and he is better off without an apparition living with him on the station 鈥� further on, the prospect of returning to earth with the Reloaded Ghost is presented, he knows that if he returns home, she will be separated from him and the only place where they could possibly live together is the Solaris Station.
After he will have sent the first 鈥榲isitor鈥� into outer space, Doctor Kris Kelvin is again faced with Harey, jocularly we could call her Harey II or Harey Reloaded, who is such an impressive creation that she 鈥� if that is the word and not It 鈥� begins to have an awareness of what is going on, making the under signed think of his鈥acaws, how they became 鈥榗onscious鈥� that what they see in the mirror is their own reflection and not another parrot鈥ell, if not on first sight, after some heavy thinking for small brains they get the picture, just like animals with some level of IQ appear to have this ability to some extent.
Harey is very upset that her presence appears to be speculated and she can become the means through which the Ocean or something, or is it somebody else, can influence and potentially harm Kris 鈥� this of course raises the question of how has she come to such 鈥榙evelopment of emotions鈥�, does she love him and is it possible to have this interaction, shared affections between aliens and humans, to which the answer might be yes in this case, since she was based on the premise of an evolution, a process of learning what the man is, his intricate functioning and what he feels and thinks and then grow a structure based on that body of neutrinos that seem indestructible, even after she takes liquid oxygen鈥�
Snaut argues at one point 鈥� was it him, or this is a mistake- that what Doctor Kelvin is infatuated with is just a mirror and he just has nice memories that are served back to him and it is his own thoughts and imagination that work to create that atmosphere 鈥� we could also think of the excellent Her wherein the character played by strange Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with an OS, an operating system, a software that has managed to know everything about him, music, movies, words, all that he likes and engage with him, using the erotic, luscious Scarlett Johansson voice and thus wrap him good in a veil, atmosphere, Ocean of pleasure that he gets addicted to, together with billions of others, in what is a distant replica of the Ocean of Solaris.
Stanislaw Lem appears to have been puzzled by the adaptations of his masterwork and did not see the close connection between his Solaris and those on the big screen and he has been very dissatisfied with the first translation of his work that has been replaced with another, apparently approved by his children.
It is extraordinary to see the 鈥榳oman鈥�- for maybe Harey does suffer the ultimate transformation an she become a woman in that she feels for her man and is ready to commit the ultimate sacrifice and commit suicide for him and the love she clearly feels for him 鈥� ready to drink liquid oxygen and perhaps try other means to prevent Kris Kelvin from being harmed through her and that is maybe the most beautiful aspect of this chef d鈥檕euvre鈥�
February 13, 2025
Solaris ennem kui Eeden, aga m玫lemal oli poeesiat ja inimese kimbatust parajal m盲盲ral. Samas mimoidide ja v盲ledike kirjeldused kippusid tempot alla v玫tma; sama maastike ja mehhanismide l玫igud Eedenis. T玫lge oli leidlik, aga lihtsalt ei k盲ivitanud alati kujutlusv玫imet. L盲bivaks on inimeste komme m玫玫ta, tajuda ja anal眉眉sida k玫ike l盲bi iseenda.
February 26, 2020
Kaks natuke eri-ilmelist lugu, mis m玫neti on sarnased. V玫ibolla need intelligentsed olendid, kes v盲ljaspool Maakera on 盲kki olemas, on hoopis teistsugused kui me oskame m玫elda. Kas me saame neid haarata oma m玫ttemaailma juures. v盲ltides n盲htuste kirjeldamist oma tausts眉steemist.
September 1, 2023
This novel deserves more readers imho. Very interesting story of contact with alien civilization given that the technology of the story isn鈥檛 very advanced by modern standards.
December 9, 2020
The book contains Solaris and Eden by Stanislaw Lem.
Solaris, of course, is one of the most famous works of sci-fi. The eponymous planet is inhabited by a sentient ocean which, after decades of study, remains completely incomprehensible to humanity. The main character arrives at an orbital research station, to find it in a dilapidated state, and the inhabitants on the verge of insanity. He finds out why when he is visited by his long dead wife.
A great start. Spooky and weird, although hampered by the awkward prose. But then, nothing happens. The main character does nothing, either related to his job or to the plot, and just sort of waits for the events to sort themselves out. It's meant to be a "psychological" novel, I imagine, but unfortunately our hero is not a very interesting case study due to being an apathetic sponge. When he arrives he finds out that all the robots have been stashed away into storage, and that is touted as a potential plot point, so he makes up his mind to investigate what that's about. Then doesn't. He finds a recording from a dead man addressed to him, which is bound to shed some light on the whole affair. Doesn't listen to it. He realises he likes his ghost wife more than the real thing, and vows to spend his life with her. Then, does nothing to bring those plans to fruition.
The other characters aren't much better. Everyone seems to be visited by the object of their yearning, which I suppose would be a bit unsettling, but their reaction -- hide the visitor from everyone until they figure out a way to kill it -- seems a bit odd. If the visitor hinted at some dark, terrible secret in their lives, perhaps that would be a valid response, but there is very little in the book to indicate that.
Ultimately, I believe it is the idea of Solaris, rather than the book itself, that has staying power. A giant, sentient ocean. Neither friendly nor malevolent nor even uncaring. Simply beyond our comprehension, as we are of its. I feel it could have made for a better story than it did.
Eden tells the tale of a group of astronauts stranded on a planet called Eden. They are stock characters, referred to by their trade -- Doctor, Coordinator, Physicist, etc -- rather than their name. Except the Engineer, who is also called Heinrich. It is not clear whether the fact that he alone has a name is plot significant or not. The prose is even clunkier, and I had to reread many a passage several times to figure out what was going on, and the characters (especially the Doctor) are asinine. However, the weirdness of the setting to a great extent makes up for it.
Unfortunately, as the events get ever weirder and the remaining pages ever thinner, it inevitably dawns on the reader that the author has no idea where he is going with this, and there won't be a satisfactory denouement. And indeed, in the end it all turns out to be 1984. Unfortunately, putting a mediocre novel in space does not make it any more interesting.
Solaris, of course, is one of the most famous works of sci-fi. The eponymous planet is inhabited by a sentient ocean which, after decades of study, remains completely incomprehensible to humanity. The main character arrives at an orbital research station, to find it in a dilapidated state, and the inhabitants on the verge of insanity. He finds out why when he is visited by his long dead wife.
A great start. Spooky and weird, although hampered by the awkward prose. But then, nothing happens. The main character does nothing, either related to his job or to the plot, and just sort of waits for the events to sort themselves out. It's meant to be a "psychological" novel, I imagine, but unfortunately our hero is not a very interesting case study due to being an apathetic sponge. When he arrives he finds out that all the robots have been stashed away into storage, and that is touted as a potential plot point, so he makes up his mind to investigate what that's about. Then doesn't. He finds a recording from a dead man addressed to him, which is bound to shed some light on the whole affair. Doesn't listen to it. He realises he likes his ghost wife more than the real thing, and vows to spend his life with her. Then, does nothing to bring those plans to fruition.
The other characters aren't much better. Everyone seems to be visited by the object of their yearning, which I suppose would be a bit unsettling, but their reaction -- hide the visitor from everyone until they figure out a way to kill it -- seems a bit odd. If the visitor hinted at some dark, terrible secret in their lives, perhaps that would be a valid response, but there is very little in the book to indicate that.
Ultimately, I believe it is the idea of Solaris, rather than the book itself, that has staying power. A giant, sentient ocean. Neither friendly nor malevolent nor even uncaring. Simply beyond our comprehension, as we are of its. I feel it could have made for a better story than it did.
Eden tells the tale of a group of astronauts stranded on a planet called Eden. They are stock characters, referred to by their trade -- Doctor, Coordinator, Physicist, etc -- rather than their name. Except the Engineer, who is also called Heinrich. It is not clear whether the fact that he alone has a name is plot significant or not. The prose is even clunkier, and I had to reread many a passage several times to figure out what was going on, and the characters (especially the Doctor) are asinine. However, the weirdness of the setting to a great extent makes up for it.
Unfortunately, as the events get ever weirder and the remaining pages ever thinner, it inevitably dawns on the reader that the author has no idea where he is going with this, and there won't be a satisfactory denouement. And indeed, in the end it all turns out to be 1984. Unfortunately, putting a mediocre novel in space does not make it any more interesting.
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