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Lemistry: A Celebration of the Work of Stanisław Lem
A celebration of Polish science fiction writer Stanisław Lem, this anthology brings together writers, critics, and scientists who continue to grapple with Lem’s concerns. Featuring short stories, essays, and especially commissioned translations, this account speculates on Lem’s life and vision while delivering brand-new fiction. From computer games (The Sims was inspired by one of his short stories) to films (the red and blue pills of The Matrix owe much to his Futurological Congress), the presence of this masterful writer can be traced far and wide. Contributors include Brian Aldiss, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Mike Nelson, Jacek Dukaj, and more.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 5, 2012
Goodreads told me I should like this book by Jacek Dukaj - which indeed, from all the descriptions I have found looks like it would appeal to me. While waiting for it to be translated into English, I thought I should seek out those few works of the author that have been translated… hence I bought this for the sake of Dukaj’s contribution. It contains three minor Lem stories (I think previously untranslated) and a nice collection of stories and essays inspired to a greater or lesser degree by Lem.
It takes great chutzpah to assemble a volume of stories in tribute to Stanislaw Lem, who was famously scathing about science fiction. Thus all the contributors are to be commended for their audacity. Bravo!
I felt Dukaj’s story was the only one that truly captured the spirit of Lemmishness. It carries on Lem’s tradition of reviews of non-existent books, taking the form of a review of a book describing the literary output and legal machinations of the various post mortem Lem simulations. I also liked Wojciech Orlinski’s virtual reality caper yarn and Adam Marek’s mysterious vignette of a visit to the defunct terracotta war robot factory. Of the stories by the non-Polish contributors, Sarah Schofield’s story of a mixed human/robot community on the Moon waiting for news from a doomed Earth was the only one that really grabbed me. But I was pleased to find that Andrew and I are not alone; Ian Watson has also written a story that could be considered ‘Cyberiad Fanfic’.
It takes great chutzpah to assemble a volume of stories in tribute to Stanislaw Lem, who was famously scathing about science fiction. Thus all the contributors are to be commended for their audacity. Bravo!
I felt Dukaj’s story was the only one that truly captured the spirit of Lemmishness. It carries on Lem’s tradition of reviews of non-existent books, taking the form of a review of a book describing the literary output and legal machinations of the various post mortem Lem simulations. I also liked Wojciech Orlinski’s virtual reality caper yarn and Adam Marek’s mysterious vignette of a visit to the defunct terracotta war robot factory. Of the stories by the non-Polish contributors, Sarah Schofield’s story of a mixed human/robot community on the Moon waiting for news from a doomed Earth was the only one that really grabbed me. But I was pleased to find that Andrew and I are not alone; Ian Watson has also written a story that could be considered ‘Cyberiad Fanfic’.
March 24, 2013
A fascinating collection. It was great to have some of Stanislaw Lem's own stories in translation, but the short stories inspired by Lem's work were also excellent. One of the highlights of the book, for me, was the weaving together of science fiction and the history of science, with essays and an introduction that painted a picture of the entire, eclectic and eccentric world of an overlooked (at least in the West) writer. Definitely recommended.
January 28, 2023
'Lemistry' is the first book that I read on my new Amazon Kindle, and I think that my choice of reading medium is in some respects appropriate. The Kindle is a futurist device in that it makes books liquid - they now take the shape and volume of their container, and therefore even the thickest volumes can slip inside one's pocket - and I like to think that the legendary Stanislaw Lem would have appreciated what ebook readers offer.
Whether Lem would have appreciated this volume of idolatry is another matter entirely. 'Lemistry' is a love letter to one of Poland's most famous literary exports, combining fresh translations of a few of Lem's minor short stories, literary essays, and short stories that spin off from some of Lem's own. Or, in the case of a pitiable effort by Brian Aldiss, who should have known better, simply some short stories that had not been published elsewhere.
The great problem here is the most obvious one: if Lem was so great, what chance his tribute band? None of the stories in this collection is particularly memorable, and some, such as the aforementioned Aldiss mess, are forgettable in the most active sense.
So, do I regret that my Kindle career got off to such an inauspicious start? Not at all. Despite the relatively low quality of the writing on offer here (and by that I am being harsh, most certainly, but readers of this volume will most likely have an idea of what Lem's writing was like, and will thus judge just as harshly themselves), it was fun to contemplate Lem's work, and there were pleasurable moments to savour, such as the journalist who travelled to meet Philip K. Dick and then took it upon himself to prove the existence of Lem. It's a shame there weren't more such moments, but you take what you can get these days.
Whether Lem would have appreciated this volume of idolatry is another matter entirely. 'Lemistry' is a love letter to one of Poland's most famous literary exports, combining fresh translations of a few of Lem's minor short stories, literary essays, and short stories that spin off from some of Lem's own. Or, in the case of a pitiable effort by Brian Aldiss, who should have known better, simply some short stories that had not been published elsewhere.
The great problem here is the most obvious one: if Lem was so great, what chance his tribute band? None of the stories in this collection is particularly memorable, and some, such as the aforementioned Aldiss mess, are forgettable in the most active sense.
So, do I regret that my Kindle career got off to such an inauspicious start? Not at all. Despite the relatively low quality of the writing on offer here (and by that I am being harsh, most certainly, but readers of this volume will most likely have an idea of what Lem's writing was like, and will thus judge just as harshly themselves), it was fun to contemplate Lem's work, and there were pleasurable moments to savour, such as the journalist who travelled to meet Philip K. Dick and then took it upon himself to prove the existence of Lem. It's a shame there weren't more such moments, but you take what you can get these days.
March 14, 2015
An entertaining and at times thought provoking set of SF short stories. Only a small handful of these are Lem originals. Worth a read if you are a Lem fan but be prepared to give some of the later essays a cursory glance.
October 17, 2011
A lovely book rightly celebrating the brilliance of Polish author Stanislaw Lem.
November 18, 2012
There are some really good bits to this, some worthy of the man himself.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews