Wiadomości

16

Forum in English / Re: Lem has died.

« dnia: Marca 30, 2006, 11:49:15 pm »

Lem did not finish his doctoral in medicine because doctors were quickly drafted by the Communists. But he did recieve an honorary doctoral in 2003. I also know that his collegues referred to him as Doctor Lem.

17

Forum in English / Re: science with Lem

« dnia: Marca 28, 2006, 08:50:11 pm »

Lem was a scientific visionary. Which is a very important part of science as well as any other developmental venture.

18

Forum in English / Re: Lem has died.

« dnia: Marca 27, 2006, 11:31:15 pm »

ditto

19

Forum in English / Re: Lem has died.

« dnia: Marca 27, 2006, 10:57:02 pm »

My Lem library.

20

Forum in English / Re: Lem has died.

« dnia: Marca 27, 2006, 09:08:55 pm »

One of the greatest minds of the 20th and 21st century! My deepest condolences to Dr Lem's family. We, the fans, mourn this loss with you.

Rest in Peace Doctor Lem...

21

Forum in English / Re: about the Polish language

« dnia: Lutego 12, 2006, 11:13:46 pm »

This is sort of besides the point, but I just thought it was interesting how some Polish words are very similar in their structure and definition to Russian
e.g. Baika in Russian is a bedtime story
and then there are words like
obwarować is to fortify (in Polish)
but in Russian

obvarovat' means - to rob (a house)

22

Forum in English / Re: Pirx and his Tales

« dnia: Listopada 22, 2005, 02:25:16 am »

I agree with you that the "signing" was almost anticlimactic, but I think that the change was mainly in his psyche. It's just like in life, once in a while you'll wake up in the morning or do something seemingly anticlimactic, or even a rogue thought that just changes your perception of reality for reasons that you only later realize. I guess what I'm trying to say is, what changed in Pirx is what we in Yiddish call "mench" (which is sort of like your perception  and intuition mixed in one)

23

Forum in English / Re: Pirx and his Tales

« dnia: Listopada 04, 2005, 06:16:20 am »

That is an excellent point and that is actually one of my favorite things about Lem's works and especially with Pirx. I truly love that Lem phylosophy (or rather what I believe it to be) technological progress won't necessarily better the human condition. We will remain human and all that comes with being that.

I first read Pirx in a Soviet publication that had "The Test" through "Terminus", but then it also had "The Hunt for Setaur" as the last story of the book. I only learned later that the original publication of Tales was "The Test" through "Terminus" , only. But now that I know what the original encompassed, I think that something happens to Pirx in the end of Terminus that changes Pirx and his life forever. More then any of the other tales before. This however doesn't have to be some great cataclysm, but a realisation. It happens within the time he's thinking before he signs Terminus' scarp order. Something in him dies and something new is born. I think that this last tale (of the first book) closes a chapter in his life and opens a new one (as ironic as that statement is).

24

Forum in English / Pirx and his Tales

« dnia: Listopada 04, 2005, 02:29:56 am »

Some time ago I read up on exactly in which order Dr. Lem wrote the stories that are known as Tales of Pirx the Pilot. The original "Tales of Pirx the Pilot" started with the "Test" and ended with "Terminus". From what I read it looks like Terminus and Ananke were the first Pirx stories that were written. Ananke of course being a story from "More Tales...". Although I also recently found that "On Patrol" was written in 1959 which is a year or so before "Terminus" (which is not dramatically important in this discussion, but never the less I now question the integrity of my sources.) Still, these works were separated by Lem and subsequently put in ; Tales.. and More tales...
What I'm wondering is what do you (the one reading this) think Lem's reasons were for stopping at Terminus in Tales. Besides the obvious uniting chronology of the stories do you believe that the resolution in Terminus is the resolution to the whole book "Tales of Pirx the Pilot"?
I believe that the theme of Man Against Machine is also the obvious connecting theme. But if read as a whole, what do you think are other continuing themes and plots that run throughout the book (encompassing all the stories)? Is "Tales of Pirx the Pilot" and all stories in it a whole book in it self or is it a collection of different "Tales" that do not have a specific plot continuing from one story to the next? Could one combine all the stories in Tales and present it as a single entity?