Solaris
By Stanisław Lem
Reviewed by Ted Gioia
The science fiction establishment has gradually learned to love
Stanisław Lem. But Lem hardly returned the favor. He dismissed
most science fiction as poorly written,
ill conceived and too focused on the
clichés of adventure stories. The “Lem
affair,” as the resulting controversy
came to be known, grew so heated that
the author was expelled from the
Science Fiction Writers of America
in 1976.
But sci-fi guru Philip K. Dick was even
harsher in his critique. He sent a letter
to the FBI denouncing Lem, and ac-
cusing him of being a communist party
functionary and a “composite committee
rather than an individual.” In all fairness
to Dick, he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time, and may
have had his own psychological composite committees with which
to contend. But his heated antagonism toward the brilliant Polish
writer was shared by many colleagues.
With the passing of the years, and with Lem’s own passing—he
died of heart failure in 2006 at the age of 84—tempers have
calmed, and the sci-fi world can appreciate this masterful writer
who deservedly ranks among the finest half-dozen authors of
speculative fiction in modern times. In a series of works, Lem cut
through the stale formulas of the genre. In time, his reputation
would also transcend the sci-fi label—usually avoided like the
triffids by authors who hope that their work will be taken
seriously—and as a result Lem earned awards and attracted
admirers who would hardly acknowledge Heinlein or Asimov,
Sturgeon or Clarke.
Solaris is Lem’s most famous work, and an excellent starting-
point for readers who want to make the acquaintance of this
seminal writer. What would happen, Lem asks, if an encounter
with intelligent alien life took place on a biological level beyond
our comprehension? What if the life form was so different that it
no longer matched our pre-conceptions of how organisms look
and act?
The planet Solaris is apparently uninhabited, except for the
scientists from Earth who operate a small research station. The
surface of the planet is covered by water, and the visitors marvel
at the range of patterns and forms taken by the waves, which act
in an awe-inspiring and sometimes frightening manner. But
cryptic events start taking place among the researchers, and the
only possible explanation is that the ocean is responsible. Can a
geographic fact, a part of the landscape, really be a life form? Or
can some other explanation be found?
Here, as in Lem’s best works, the limitations of human intelligence
play an important role in defining the drama and tension of the
narrative. (For another provocative example, check out Lem's
His Master's Voice, reviewed here.) The naïve positivism of the
sci-fi genre is replaced by a hard-nosed scepticism that
challenges many of our most basic assumptions. And Lem
achieves all this with a body of water? Yet, with the possible
exception of Steven Spielberg's Jaws no story has made an ocean
seem quite so disturbing as Solaris.
Critics of sci-fi often point out that the genre focuses on
spectacular surface effects, while leaving the psychological
depths untouched. This charge can hardly be applied to Solaris.
The “contact” with alien intelligence—if that is, in fact, what is
happening on the planet—takes on the appearance of an external
manifestation of the scientists' inner lives. The psychological is
made real, often in surprising and disturbing ways. As a result, the
exploration of this strange world takes on a dreamlike quality, a
haunting that the human visitors cannot escape since it seems
grounded in their own minds.
In Lem’s universe, heroism is usually suspect and adventure
inadvertent. "Behind every glorious facade," this author once
lamented, "there is always hidden something ugly." Such
pessimism is rare even among highbrow literary fiction, but in the
genre category where Lem made an uncomfortable home, it is still
a revelation and no doubt one of the reasons why this author has
inspired such mixed feelings among others in the field. Yet
readers should have no such qualms, and will do well to
familiarize themselves with this exceptional book and thought-
provoking author.
By Stanisław Lem
Reviewed by Ted Gioia
The science fiction establishment has gradually learned to love
Stanisław Lem. But Lem hardly returned the favor. He dismissed
most science fiction as poorly written,
ill conceived and too focused on the
clichés of adventure stories. The “Lem
affair,” as the resulting controversy
came to be known, grew so heated that
the author was expelled from the
Science Fiction Writers of America
in 1976.
But sci-fi guru Philip K. Dick was even
harsher in his critique. He sent a letter
to the FBI denouncing Lem, and ac-
cusing him of being a communist party
functionary and a “composite committee
rather than an individual.” In all fairness
to Dick, he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time, and may
have had his own psychological composite committees with which
to contend. But his heated antagonism toward the brilliant Polish
writer was shared by many colleagues.
With the passing of the years, and with Lem’s own passing—he
died of heart failure in 2006 at the age of 84—tempers have
calmed, and the sci-fi world can appreciate this masterful writer
who deservedly ranks among the finest half-dozen authors of
speculative fiction in modern times. In a series of works, Lem cut
through the stale formulas of the genre. In time, his reputation
would also transcend the sci-fi label—usually avoided like the
triffids by authors who hope that their work will be taken
seriously—and as a result Lem earned awards and attracted
admirers who would hardly acknowledge Heinlein or Asimov,
Sturgeon or Clarke.
Solaris is Lem’s most famous work, and an excellent starting-
point for readers who want to make the acquaintance of this
seminal writer. What would happen, Lem asks, if an encounter
with intelligent alien life took place on a biological level beyond
our comprehension? What if the life form was so different that it
no longer matched our pre-conceptions of how organisms look
and act?
The planet Solaris is apparently uninhabited, except for the
scientists from Earth who operate a small research station. The
surface of the planet is covered by water, and the visitors marvel
at the range of patterns and forms taken by the waves, which act
in an awe-inspiring and sometimes frightening manner. But
cryptic events start taking place among the researchers, and the
only possible explanation is that the ocean is responsible. Can a
geographic fact, a part of the landscape, really be a life form? Or
can some other explanation be found?
Here, as in Lem’s best works, the limitations of human intelligence
play an important role in defining the drama and tension of the
narrative. (For another provocative example, check out Lem's
His Master's Voice, reviewed here.) The naïve positivism of the
sci-fi genre is replaced by a hard-nosed scepticism that
challenges many of our most basic assumptions. And Lem
achieves all this with a body of water? Yet, with the possible
exception of Steven Spielberg's Jaws no story has made an ocean
seem quite so disturbing as Solaris.
Critics of sci-fi often point out that the genre focuses on
spectacular surface effects, while leaving the psychological
depths untouched. This charge can hardly be applied to Solaris.
The “contact” with alien intelligence—if that is, in fact, what is
happening on the planet—takes on the appearance of an external
manifestation of the scientists' inner lives. The psychological is
made real, often in surprising and disturbing ways. As a result, the
exploration of this strange world takes on a dreamlike quality, a
haunting that the human visitors cannot escape since it seems
grounded in their own minds.
In Lem’s universe, heroism is usually suspect and adventure
inadvertent. "Behind every glorious facade," this author once
lamented, "there is always hidden something ugly." Such
pessimism is rare even among highbrow literary fiction, but in the
genre category where Lem made an uncomfortable home, it is still
a revelation and no doubt one of the reasons why this author has
inspired such mixed feelings among others in the field. Yet
readers should have no such qualms, and will do well to
familiarize themselves with this exceptional book and thought-
provoking author.
| conceptual fiction |
Follow Ted Gioia on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/tedgioia
Conceptual Fiction:
A Reading List
(with links to reviews)
Home Page
Abbott, Edwin A.
Flatland
Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Allende, Isabel
The House of the Spirits
Amis, Martin
Time's Arrow
Apuleius
The Golden Ass
Asimov, Isaac
The Foundation Trilogy
Asimov, Isaac
I, Robot
Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid's Tale
Banks, Iain M.
The State of the Art
Ballard, J.G.
Crash
Ballard, J.G.
The Crystal World
Bester, Alfred
The Demolished Man
Bradbury, Ray
Dandelion Wine
Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
The Illustrated Man
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Bulgakov, Mikhail
The Master and Margarita
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
Chabon, Michael
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chiang, Ted
Stories of Your Life and Others
Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood's End
Clarke, Arthur C.
A Fall of Moondust
Clarke, Arthur C.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Clarke, Susanna
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Danielewski, Mark Z.
House of Leaves
Delany, Samuel R.
Babel-17
Delany, Samuel R.
Dhalgren
Delany, Samuel R.
The Einstein Intersection
Dick, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Dick, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle
Dick, Philip K.
Ubik
Doctorow, Cory
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Esquivel, Laura
Like Water for Chocolate
Fuentes, Carlos
Aura
Gaiman, Neil
American Gods
Gibson, William
Burning Chrome
Gibson, William
Neuromancer
Grass, Günter
The Tin Drum
Haldeman, Joe
The Forever War
Hall, Steven
The Raw Shark Texts
Harrison, M. John
Light
Heinlein, Robert
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heinlein, Robert:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough for Love
Helprin, Mark
Winter's Tale
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Dune
Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
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The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Lathe of Heaven
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Leiber, Fritz
The Big Time
Leiber, Fritz
Conjure Wife
Leiber, Fritz
Swords & Deviltry
Leiber, Fritz
The Wanderer
Lem, Stanislaw
His Master's Voice
Lem, Stanislaw
Solaris
Lethem, Jonathan
The Fortress of Solitude
Lewis, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Link, Kelly
Magic for Beginners
Márquez, Gabriel García
100 Years of Solitude
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The Road
Miéville, China
Perdido Street Station
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Millhauser, Steven
Dangerous Laughter
Mitchell, David
Cloud Atlas
Murakami, Haruki
1Q84
Niffenegger, Audrey
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niven, Larry
Ringworld
Noon, Jeff
Vurt
Obreht, Téa
The Tiger's Wife
Okri, Ben
The Famished Road
Pohl, Frederik
Gateway
Pynchon, Thomas
Gravity's Rainbow
Rabelais, François
Gargantua and Pantagruel
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Rushdie, Salman
Midnight's Children
Saramago, José
Blindness
Shelley, Mary
Frankenstein
Silverberg, Robert
Dying Inside
Silverberg, Robert
Nightwings
Simak, Clifford
City
Simak, Clifford
The Trouble with Tycho
Smith, Cordwainer
Norstrilia
Smith, Cordwainer
The Rediscovery of Man
Stephenson, Neal
Snow Crash
Stross, Charles
Glasshouse
Sturgeon, Theodore
More Than Human
Sturgeon, Theodore
Some of Your Blood
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit
Updike, John
The Witches of Eastwick
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Mixed Men
Van Vogt, A.E.
Slan
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle
Van Vogt, A.E.
The World of Null A
Verne, Jules
Around the Moon
Verne, Jules
From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Vonnegut, Kurt
Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut, Kurt
The Sirens of Titan
Vonnegut, Kurt
Slaughterhouse-Five
Wallace, David Foster
Infinite Jest
Wells, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon
Wells, H.G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells, H.G.
The Time Machine
Zelazny, Roger
Lord of Light
Special Features
Notes on Conceptual Fiction
Ray Bradbury: A Tribute
The Year of Magical Reading
Remembering Fritz Leiber
Samuel Delany's 70th birthday
The Sci-Fi of Kurt Vonnegut
Curse You, Neil Armstrong!
Robert Heinlein at 100
A.E, van Vogt Tribute
Links to related sites
The New Canon
Great Books Guide
Postmodern Mystery
Ted Gioia's web site
SF Site
io9
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Los Angeles Review of Books
Big Dumb Object
Jospeh Peschel
The Misread City
Reviews and Responses
SF Signal
True Science Fiction
Disclosure: Conceptual Fiction
and its sister sites may receive
review copies and promotional
materials from publishers,
authors, publicists or other
parties.
www.twitter.com/tedgioia
Conceptual Fiction:
A Reading List
(with links to reviews)
Home Page
Abbott, Edwin A.
Flatland
Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Allende, Isabel
The House of the Spirits
Amis, Martin
Time's Arrow
Apuleius
The Golden Ass
Asimov, Isaac
The Foundation Trilogy
Asimov, Isaac
I, Robot
Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid's Tale
Banks, Iain M.
The State of the Art
Ballard, J.G.
Crash
Ballard, J.G.
The Crystal World
Bester, Alfred
The Demolished Man
Bradbury, Ray
Dandelion Wine
Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
The Illustrated Man
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Bulgakov, Mikhail
The Master and Margarita
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
Chabon, Michael
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chiang, Ted
Stories of Your Life and Others
Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood's End
Clarke, Arthur C.
A Fall of Moondust
Clarke, Arthur C.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Clarke, Susanna
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Danielewski, Mark Z.
House of Leaves
Delany, Samuel R.
Babel-17
Delany, Samuel R.
Dhalgren
Delany, Samuel R.
The Einstein Intersection
Dick, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Dick, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle
Dick, Philip K.
Ubik
Doctorow, Cory
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Esquivel, Laura
Like Water for Chocolate
Fuentes, Carlos
Aura
Gaiman, Neil
American Gods
Gibson, William
Burning Chrome
Gibson, William
Neuromancer
Grass, Günter
The Tin Drum
Haldeman, Joe
The Forever War
Hall, Steven
The Raw Shark Texts
Harrison, M. John
Light
Heinlein, Robert
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heinlein, Robert:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough for Love
Helprin, Mark
Winter's Tale
Herbert, Frank
Dune
Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
Kundera, Milan
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Lathe of Heaven
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Leiber, Fritz
The Big Time
Leiber, Fritz
Conjure Wife
Leiber, Fritz
Swords & Deviltry
Leiber, Fritz
The Wanderer
Lem, Stanislaw
His Master's Voice
Lem, Stanislaw
Solaris
Lethem, Jonathan
The Fortress of Solitude
Lewis, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Link, Kelly
Magic for Beginners
Márquez, Gabriel García
100 Years of Solitude
McCarthy, Cormac
The Road
Miéville, China
Perdido Street Station
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Millhauser, Steven
Dangerous Laughter
Mitchell, David
Cloud Atlas
Murakami, Haruki
1Q84
Niffenegger, Audrey
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niven, Larry
Ringworld
Noon, Jeff
Vurt
Obreht, Téa
The Tiger's Wife
Okri, Ben
The Famished Road
Pohl, Frederik
Gateway
Pynchon, Thomas
Gravity's Rainbow
Rabelais, François
Gargantua and Pantagruel
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Rushdie, Salman
Midnight's Children
Saramago, José
Blindness
Shelley, Mary
Frankenstein
Silverberg, Robert
Dying Inside
Silverberg, Robert
Nightwings
Simak, Clifford
City
Simak, Clifford
The Trouble with Tycho
Smith, Cordwainer
Norstrilia
Smith, Cordwainer
The Rediscovery of Man
Stephenson, Neal
Snow Crash
Stross, Charles
Glasshouse
Sturgeon, Theodore
More Than Human
Sturgeon, Theodore
Some of Your Blood
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit
Updike, John
The Witches of Eastwick
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Mixed Men
Van Vogt, A.E.
Slan
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle
Van Vogt, A.E.
The World of Null A
Verne, Jules
Around the Moon
Verne, Jules
From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Vonnegut, Kurt
Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut, Kurt
The Sirens of Titan
Vonnegut, Kurt
Slaughterhouse-Five
Wallace, David Foster
Infinite Jest
Wells, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon
Wells, H.G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells, H.G.
The Time Machine
Zelazny, Roger
Lord of Light
Special Features
Notes on Conceptual Fiction
Ray Bradbury: A Tribute
The Year of Magical Reading
Remembering Fritz Leiber
Samuel Delany's 70th birthday
The Sci-Fi of Kurt Vonnegut
Curse You, Neil Armstrong!
Robert Heinlein at 100
A.E, van Vogt Tribute
Links to related sites
The New Canon
Great Books Guide
Postmodern Mystery
Ted Gioia's web site
SF Site
io9
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Los Angeles Review of Books
Big Dumb Object
Jospeh Peschel
The Misread City
Reviews and Responses
SF Signal
True Science Fiction
Disclosure: Conceptual Fiction
and its sister sites may receive
review copies and promotional
materials from publishers,
authors, publicists or other
parties.