Memoirs of a Space Traveler - by Stanislaw Lem (Paperback)

About the Book

"Lem had several characters that he retuned to through several novels and many short stories. Ijon Tichy, the narrator and space traveler in this collection of stories, also appears in The Star Diaries, The Futurological Congress, and Peace on Earth. He is an explorer and scientific authority, sometimes the protragonist of the story and sometimes merely the narrator of events. The Ijon Tichy stories usually take a scientific theory or process and spin out a ridiculous series of events. In 'The Eighteenth Voyage' Tichy works to seed the Big Bang in such as way as to 'improve' the universe and human nature (this goes badly). 'Let Us Save the Universe' takes the problem of space pollution and biohacking to absurd extremes. In 'Doctor Diagoras' a scientist explores self-organizing mechanisms and polymers, until he discovers that his 'kybernoids' are using him as a communication device. All of the stories in this current edition were published in the 1971 Polish edition of "The Star Diaries" but were not included in the English-language editions published in 1976. 'Memoirs of a Space Traveler' appeared in English in 1982. This current edition includes a story, 'Professor A. Donda' that was in the original Polish edition, appearing in English for the first time in the 2017 Pro Auctore edition. Four of the stories originally appeared in English in The New Yorker: 'The Eighteenth Voyage,' 'The Twenty-fourth Voyage,' 'The Washing Machine Tragedy,' and 'Let Us Save the Universe.'"

Book Synopsis

Meet Ijon Tichy--a space age adventurer who encounters faulty time machines, intelligent washing machines, and other puzzling phenomena--in this collection from a science fiction legend.

Memoirs of a Space Traveler follows the adventures of Ijon Tichy, a Gulliver of the space age, who leads readers through strange experiments involving, among other puzzling phenomena, faulty time machines, intelligent washing machines, and suicidal potatoes. The scientists Tichy encounters make plans that are grandiose, and strike bargains that are Faustian. They pursue humanity's greatest and most ancient obsessions: immortality, artificial intelligence, and top-of-the-line consumer items.

By turns satirical, philosophical, and absurd, these stories express the most starkly original and prescient notions of a master of speculative fiction.

Review Quotes

"The late Lem (1921-2006) demonstrates his mastery of satirical science fiction in this witty collection of six stories . . . This classic collection will appeal to readers who like their science fiction light and effervescent."
--Publishers Weekly

"The release of these new volumes seems to expand the possibilities of what a university publisher can do."
--LitHub

"Fourteen years after his death, the universe is still struggling to catch up with the vast creative force that was Stanislaw Lem. And for my money, it won't be surpassing him anytime soon . . . Enjoying the genius of Lem requires readerly dexterity and a willingness to go wherever the author takes you . . . These marvelous, absorbing and often hilarious books make our weary universe seem pale and undistinguished by comparison."
--The Washington Post

About the Author

Stanislaw Lem is the most widely translated and best known science fiction author writing outside of the English language. Winner of the Kafka Prize, he is a contributor to many magazines, including the New Yorker, and he is the author of numerous works, including Solaris.