Stanisław Lem

Writing

Stanisław Lem

Born September 12, 1921 · Lwów, lwowskie, Polska (obecnie Ukraina)

Died March 27, 2006 · aged 84

Stanisław Lem (September 12, 1921 – March 27, 2006) was a Polish writer of science fiction, philosophy and satire. He was named a Knight of the Order of the White Eagle. His books have been translated into 41 languages and have sold over 27 million copies. He is perhaps best known as the author of the 1961 novel Solaris, which has been made into a feature film three times. In 1976, Theodore Sturge…

Known For

SolarisSolaris · 1972
Solaris
★ 7.81972
MovieDramaScience Fiction
A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
SolarisSolaris · 2002
Solaris
★ 6.02002
MovieDramaScience Fiction
A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.
The CongressThe Congress · 2013
The Congress
★ 6.42013
MovieDramaScience Fiction
An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.
Ikarie XB 1Ikarie XB 1 · 1963
Ikarie XB 1
★ 6.81963
MovieScience Fiction
The year is 2163. Starship Ikaria XB-1 embarks on a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity.
Pilot Pirx's InquestPilot Pirx's Inquest · 1979
Pilot Pirx's Inquest
★ 5.91979
MovieScience FictionDrama
Pirx, an experienced pilot, is hired to go on a top-secret mission to evaluate some 'nonlinears' (an experimental model of android) for use as crewmembers on future space flights. Pirx and this intriguing crew are sent out to launch two satellites into the rings of Saturn, but he is determined to find out and identify a hostile unhuman coworker among them.
TrapTrap · 1962
Trap
★ 9.01962
MovieAnimationScience Fiction
Ijon Tichy arrives on a new planet in a single-person spacecraft. His habits and fantasies are with him. The aliens recreate the sex bomb from the poster that could be found in the cabin of his spacecraft. Then, they present him a live dummy. A male-female evening in space with some pre-war music hits becomes possible.
Trurl's MachineTrurl's Machine · 1975
Trurl's Machine
1975
MovieAnimationScience Fiction
A short animation inspired by the Stanisław Lem short story about Trurl from "The Cyberiad".
RoomRoom · 2021
Room
2021
MovieScience FictionComedy
The year is 2055. The well-known cosmonaut Ijon Tichy is to deliver a speech in the Pan-Slavic Parliament against the introduction of the Polish People's Republic - Extraterrestrial Human Regulations.

Filmography

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Poles PolesPoles Poles · 2003
Poles Poles
★ 7.02003
MovieDocumentary
For decades the photographer Krzysztof Gierłatowski has portrayed eminent Polish figures, thus creating an invaluable visual testimony. This time his "victims" are well-known citizens of Kraków: Stanisław Lem, one of the most brilliant, versatile, and unapologetically cerebral science fiction writers, author of 'Solaris'; Krzysztof Penderecki, one of the most esteemed and widely discussed Polish composers of the 20th century; and Wisława Szymborska, Nobel laureate in Literature in 1996, one of the few women poets who has received the Swedish prize. Gierłatowski assumes the role of a modern Stańczyk, a legendary thinker-jester, prophesying on the historical Polish Republic in his dramatic conviction that History annihilated the intellectual elite of his nation and the future will bring awe and destruction.
Return from the StarsReturn from the Stars · 1989
Return from the Stars
★ 9.01989
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyDrama
Soviet miniseries based on Stanislav Lem's book "Powrót z gwiazd" (Return from the Stars). After 9-year interstellar expedition to Fomalhaut, the astronauts returned home. On Earth 127 years had passed and everything had changed. The Earth no longer has wars, and the society is a safe and comfortable place to live, due to betrization prodcedure that turns off natural aggressive instincts at birth. But the humanity has last something more. In this Uttopian society people don't need deep emotions, a strong character, the ability to overcome oneself and win at incredible odds. Before the main character there is a choice: to accept the new norms of society, or to be seen as a savage. Or maybe to leave the Earth again on another expedition?

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