"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 ...
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"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.'"
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Seller's Description:
Stanislaw Lem. Fine. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Front Cover Lightly Chipped; Edge Lightly Marked. SUB-TITLE: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy. ALSO KNOWN AS: Translation of: Dzienniki gwiazdowe (Polish). TRANSLATED BY: Joel Stern and Maria Swiecicka-Ziemianek (from Polish). COVER ILLUSTRATION BY: David Diaz. CONTENTS: The Eighteenth Voyage; The Twenty-fourth Voyage; Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy I (The Washing Machine Tragedy); Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy II (The Washing Machine Tragedy); Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy III (The Washing Machine Tragedy); Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy IV (The Washing Machine Tragedy); Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy V (The Washing Machine Tragedy); Doctor Diagoras; Let Us Save the Universe (An Open Letter from Ijon Tichy). PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The pieces in this book--the two Voyages of Ijon Tichy, his reminiscences, his open letter-all appeared in the 1971 Polish edition of Dzienniki gwiazdowe (The Star Diaries) but were not included in the British and American editions titled The Star Diaries and published in 1976. The present book, in effect, constitutes the second volume of Lem's work of that name. SYNOPSIS: In this widely acclaimed sequel to Return from the Stars, Ijon Tichy, space traveler of future centuries, discovers that "out there" isn't very different from "down here." Especially when he finds a galactic society over which the Plenum Moronicum presides, which appoints as ruler a ruthless Machine; the inhabitants, docilely cooperating in their own destruction, go by the name of Phools. Tichy seems to attract inventors of splenetic genius, such as the madman who has invented the soul, or another who invents kitchen appliances so good at their jobs they might as well be wives or slaves. Throughout these nine wild adventures, surprise follows witty surprise for the discerning reader of riotously imaginative fiction.
