The writer I want to recommend today, and his works, is not for the children, but for us adults.
If you like science fiction, or you like some novels that explore deep inside, or if you are in the middle of a survival dilemma at the moment, his works may help us open ourselves, open ourselves a little more, and peek into the wider "world".
He is Stanisław Lem, the most dazzling sci-fi titan in Polish literature – an undefinable master who single-handedly elevated Polish sci-fi to the world.
His works have been translated into 52 languages and sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
This year marks the centenary of Lyme's birth. The Polish Embassy in China jointly translated the Lin Publishing House and launched the Chinese the world's first set of "Lyme Collections" in simplified Chinese for a hundred years.
It contains six of his masterpieces: "Solaris Star", "Futurological Congress", "The Voice of its Lord", "Invincible", "Fiasco", and "Eden". Except for the new translation of Solaris Star, the other five are translated and introduced for the first time.
The birth of this set of "Lyme Anthology" showed the charm of this top science fiction writer to Chinese readers for the first time.
Centennial edition of the "Lyme Anthology"
(All 6 volumes)
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Age-appropriate adults
Author: [Poland] Stanisław Lem
(There are reading tips at the end of the article,
Purchase Entrance)
Science fiction is not a popular book, but Lyme's reputation is extremely high:
Anthony Burgess praised him as "the wisest, most erudite, and most humorous of today's active writers";
Kurt Vonnegut praised him, "Whether it is the mastery of language, imagination or the way of shaping tragic characters, they are so good that no one can stand out";
Liu Cixin, the author of "The Three-Body Problem", said that he has a very remarkable imagination and is truly unique;
His science fiction works are even used as textbooks for philosophy departments;
Sturgeon said he is the science fiction writer with the widest readership in the world;
……
However, for Sturgeon's "most extensive reader", Teacher Yue Ran has her own ideas, she believes: "Lyme belongs to those who have a particularly broad heart, a particularly clear soul, and a particularly high intelligence, and this small group of readers has been encouraged by Lem to move forward into the future." ”
If you want to know, Teacher Yue ran's ideas about this set of "Lyme Collections", and the story behind the editors of Yilin Publishing House, now place an order, you can get exclusive audio for free Oh ~ also comes with 6 postcards, as well as a commemorative poster for the centenary of Lyme's birth.
"I didn't
Think of yourself as a science fiction writer."
"When I first started writing, I didn't think of myself as a science fiction writer, I didn't define my work at all, and I didn't even know what genre my work belonged to."
This is a passage that Lem said in a previous interview. It is probably his unrestricted attitude that allows him to freely diversify his imagination.
In traditional science fiction, aliens basically appear in three ways: first, aliens are here to help us, they are our good friends; second, aliens are here to hurt us, they are our enemies; and third, we have to form alliances with aliens to deal with bigger villains. But in Lem's science fiction, we don't find any trace of that.
For example, in the story of Solaris Star, humans are no longer absolute protagonists, but there are no "aliens" in the traditional sense.
Stills from "Flying into Space"
The greatest horror and spectacle in this story is the planet itself. It's a planet so mysterious that it's almost terrifying: it looks lifeless at first glance, but it has a huge gelatinous "ocean."
This ocean can secretly transform countless objects and even human forms. It's like a mirror, and what you give it, it gives back to you. In this way, it presents people's deepest desires, and even uses these "non-human" things to crush people's emotions, morals, and even life and death defenses...
Lem just likes to put the protagonist of his novels in a novel environment, or travel back and forth in a different time and space, or a world of machine rebellion, or a planet crowded with strange creatures.
But he was fond of these programs not because he believed in the scenes depicted in such narratives, but because he wanted to use them to construct and test his own "literary model"; he had no intention of depicting a "real future", but only of outlining its model, which he could use to express his view of the whole world and of mankind.
And we follow Lem's words in fact, in fact, we are completing a counter-answer to "I am to myself, to others, and to the world."
"I am interested in the fate of the whole of humanity,
Not the fate of the individual. ”
"For me, those conventional, realist, or any conventions are not enough. Because they usually limit a writer's vision to the joys and sorrows of the individual, and I am interested in the fate of the whole human race, not the fate of the individual. ”
Lem was not only a famous writer, but also a philosopher and a doctor of medicine. He does not focus on one area, he longs to know everything, to find a universally applicable philosophical answer that interprets the whole universe and the mysteries of life and the mind.
Therefore, in his collection of essays, there are often tortures of human nature, the excitement of brain power, and emotional choices. In his story, both the protagonist and the reader have to face countless emotional choices, constantly torturing themselves, what will I do? What would I do?
What would you do if you came to the strange Planet Solaris and met someone who had passed away, but you had a longing for him and a guilt?
I know she's a replicant, I'm going to beat her to death and throw her away, or I'm going to understand her, I'm going to mend inner wounds, but is it useful for me to use her to mend inner wounds? Or am I going to flee with her, and where can I escape? Can I rebuild the future? Or maybe I don't have a future at all.
This is the real problem that the protagonist Kelvin encounters, because he meets his wife, Harley, who has been dead for 10 years.
Everyone has their own understanding when they see this part. Some people see love, and some people see the weakness of human nature.
And I'm thinking about cloning. Yes, in our real world, we can actually clone the dead Harley. Cloning relatives with cloning techniques and Kelvin's desire to take Harley are the same in nature, selfishness wrapped in love.
Because the cloned have no choice, we selfishly keep them with us in the name of love, but in fact to escape the pain of separation, or to make up for the regrets in our hearts.
I saw a documentary before that there is such an institution abroad where the flesh of your dead loved ones can be kept inside. Why is there such an institution? Because there are many, many people with the good wish to see their loved ones again in a few years. There are babies who have not been born for a long time, and there are also "children" in their prime, whose relatives are pinned on future technology that does not know whether they can create miracles.
Human emotions are so paranoid, so passionate, so heartwarming and heart-wrenching.
But if the cloned person dies again, or Harley dies, do we have to make another backup? Are our human beings, the human emotions we cherish, too cheap?
There are many, many such philosophical reflections in the book. Lem's literature, which is ultimately introverted, is oriented toward man himself, the heart of man.
If you're in trouble right now, be sure to check out the Lyme Anthology. In such a story, you will find parts of yourself that are both painful and resonant, and you will push and deepen your thoughts into the discussions and reflections in the book.
Collectible
On the shelf of the brave reading is an old version of the Star of Solaris.
It was the book that Teacher Yue Ran came into contact with when he was still living in a small apartment in Beijing. By then the collection of books had been scattered, and this thin "Solaris Star" had been with her.
Now, on second-hand book platforms such as Catching Fish, this old version of the book has been fried to 300 yuan a book, but there are still thousands of people lined up.
Therefore, we have reason to believe that this set of Chinese first set of "Lyme Collection" centenary commemorative editions launched by the Polish Embassy in China jointly translated by the Forest Publishing House is extremely collectible!
If you also want to own some books that have the potential to add value in the future, be sure to collect them.
Write at the end
I'm not a true science fiction fan, but I'm still stuck in Lem's writings. His work is somewhere between science and philosophy, very readable, allowing you to taste its connotations over and over again, to dissect your own heart.
Lem is like using his own works to construct a towering edifice of ideas, each work is a floor, and each floor is an independent world, full of all kinds of unexpected things.
You don't know what would trigger in such a world, but what is certain is that it must be a human-related problem. It will hit your heart and, perhaps at some difficult time in the future, give you support.
Brave Reader Lanlan recommended
Courage Reader の讀 Tips
The main direction of this set of books is science fiction and philosophy
Suitable for whom: Adults
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