Newbie questions

[thither]

Hi!  I have some newbie questions about Lem.  

1.  Can someone tell me the correct pronunciation of his first name?  (I don't know anything about Polish / Czech pronunciation, sorry, dumb yank here.)  I've been just saying "STAN-is-law."  It's not like I talk to a lot of Polish speakers anyways but I'd like to get it correct.

2. Can someone recommend some titles to start with?  I've been hearing a lot of good things about Lem from some fellow P K Dick fans, but with 40+ books I'm not sure where to begin.  Does he have books that are considered "classics" by his fans?

Thanks!

[Socrates]

Welcome to Lem's World - you just made the right choice by getting interested in Lem.  Lem is highly respected (and oftentimes seen as a writing model) by writers such as Vonnegut, Bradbury and others.  Check out the site; it has many interesting bits of information about Lem and the sci fi scene of the past.  

Try "Sta - niece - Roy - v " (the ROY is just like the pronounciation of the name of the hockey player Patrick Roy).

As for books - I have no idea.  There are so many good choices.  You could try "The Star Diaries" if you want some hilarious short stories (or the Tales of Pirx the Pilot if you want something more serious).  "Memoirs found in a Bathtub", "Solaris", or "Eden" are some of my favorite books.  Wait around and see what people smarter and more knowledgable than me recommend.  

Cheers, Socrates

[innate]

yes, welcome, welcome!

Socrates, for those of us who have not lived in the land of hockey, Roy sounds something like 'wah', right? Also, I thought you are supposed to devoice an ending consonant...?

In general, I like to push The Cyberiad on people, since it's a lot of fun and there's plenty of meaning for those who want it. For a PK Dick fan, maybe The Futurological Congress would be a good start.

Lem is hard for a newbie to get a handle on because he has so much range.  You can't read just one or two and come away with a good idea of what he can do.

[oh, and if you plan to read Solaris in English, I hear that it's best to speak with Socrates first]

[Deckert]

Hi,

I definitelly recommend Solaris as a first book.


Socrates: Is Roy really pronounced as /ła/ or rather as /rła/. (sorry for using Polish letters here... ;-))


CU
Deck

[Terminus]

Who? Roy?

[Deckert]

Yes, Roy Termi... but it's pronounced as though it was Franch name.

I guess... ;-)

CU
Deck

[Terminus]

Ok, I get it now, though it's not a part of my sport knowledge.

I know nothing about hockey, even though the team from my city (GKS Tychy) is the best one in Poland. At least as far as I know... They won a Poland Cup lately... or something.

Never heard of Roy, anyway.

But anyway, his name is interesting. Am I wrong guessing that it has something to do with the partly English- part French character of the Canadian society?

[Deckert]

But anyway, his name is interesting. Am I wrong guessing that it has something to do with the party English- part French character of the Canadian society?

I guess it has... let's wait for Socrates to answer that question.

CU
Deck

[innate]

I just looked it up, and Patrick Roy is indeed Québécois.

[Terminus]

Hah, I knew it

[Socrates]

Yeah, quebecois.  Pronounced kind of sort of like woa.
Cheers, Socrates