Memoirs of a Space Traveler: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy [Paperback]

Stanislaw Lem (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 20, 1983

In this sequel to The Star Diaries, Ijon Tichy, space traveler of future centuries, discovers that "out there" isn't very different from "down here." Throughout these nine wild adventures, surprise follows witty surprise. Line drawings by the Author. Translated by Joel Stern and Maria Swiecicka-Ziemianek. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Polish --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (April 20, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156586355
• ISBN-13: 978-0156586351
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,403,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightfully warped work of sci-fi, March 16, 2003

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memoirs of a Space Traveler: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy (Paperback)

"Memoirs of a Space Traveler: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy," by Stanislaw Lem, has been translated into English by Joel Stern and Maria Swiecicka-Ziemianek. The main text is preceded by a publisher's note, which declares that contents of this book (my review refers to the Harvest edition published by Harcourt, Brace & Co.) appeared in the 1971 Polish edition of the book entitled "The Star Diaries," but not in the British and American editions with the same title. Thus this book could be seen as the second volume of Lem's original Polish "Star Diaries." Despite all this, I believe that this book works fine as a stand-alone literary work, so go ahead and ignore the publisher's note if you like.

The book is divided up into several sections, each of which could stand alone as a short story. Each piece is told in the first person by space traveler Ijon Tichy. He discusses his voyages beyond the Solar System and his encounters with an assortment of eccentric scientists on Earth.

"Memoirs" is a delightful, pungent blend of science fiction, philosophy, satire, and horror. Witty and haunting, funny and frightening, it's spiced by clever wordplay.

Lem deals with such topics as artificial intelligence, time travel, environmental exploitation, the nature of the human soul, and the origins of the universe. He describes many whimsical extraterrestrial species, such as the foul-tailed fetido and bottombiter chair ants. Overall, this wacky, surreal book shows Lem to be a soul brother to Edgar Allan Poe, Dr. Seuss, and Kurt Vonnegut.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Should've been combined with the "Diaries", February 17, 2001

By 

Alex (College Park, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of a Space Traveler: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy (Paperback)

For the love of all that is decent, I don't know why "Further Reminiscences" hasn't been combined with "The Star Diaries" to make one handy volume. First of all, thdestinction is essentially artificial - "Further Reminiscences" contains two journeys which were dropped, for one reason or another, from the American edition of the Diaries, a selection of Earthside "reminiscences", a short called "Doctor Diagoras", and the fantastic "Let Us Save the Universe", all of which were present in the original Polish edition. Even the books' sizes favor an omnibus re-issue (250 and 150 pages, respectively).

The two "new" journies found in this book are the eighteenth and the twenty-eighth. The 18th is essentially a shorter, more readable version of the 20th (found in the parent volume), and the classic, oft-reprinted 28th deals with personal freedoms (the Phools and the Master Machine that was created to mediate their conflicts - and thus decides to refabricate them in stone to stop their chaotic quarrels).

The five "further reminiscences" are essentially humorless essays, each dealing with a specific philosophical idea. In each, Tichy comes into contact with some sort of scientific visionary (be it Corcoran, Decantor, Zazul, or Molteris), and, after ascertaining that they aren't insane, listens to their wild stories: Corcoran constructs mechanical brains whose lives and fate are mere recordings in a large steel drum; Decantor wants to immortalize the soul by encasing it in crystal; Zazul tells the gruesome story of his attempt to clone himself; Molteris produces a functional time machine, and, without examining the possible consequences, tests it on himself. It is apparent that these were written at the same time as the journeys, since the 20th has a direct reference to Molteris. "Doctor Diagoras" is not a certified "reminiscence", although it is essentially identical in spirit, the topic of debate being artificial intelligence (the fifth reminiscence is very similar to the 11th journey, only in reverse and with more legal issues).

The volume closes with "Let Us Save the Universe", which is a detailed petition to conserve intergalactic flora and fauna, with several quite hilarious examples of how we foul up the planets, and how some species manage to retaliate.

In a nutshell? A worthwhile read - far from a worthwhile purchase.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars memoirs of a space traveler, April 18, 2000

By 

james taylor (tillamook, oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of a Space Traveler: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy (Paperback)

A sequel to The Star Diaries, we visit once again with Ijon Tichy in more amusing (mis?)adventures.Is it as good as the prequel? Unfortunately, no--but it comes mighty close.And where else could you find answers to questions such as: Just who created the universe and why'd they foul it up so miserably? Why haven't they gotten all the bugs out of this time travel business? How come clones are so touchy? What does Doctor Diagoras have in those vats anyway? And, perhaps the Eternal Question we've all asked ouselves at one time or another: How do we know we're all not just brains kept in a box by a mad scientist who's feeding us sensory data of what we believe to be the real world? Hmmm. The words themselves are a sheer pleasure to read.(I'm determined to work "entelechy" sometime into a conversation.) There are puns and other word-plays of the kind only Lem does so easily. Even if you've never read a work by Lem, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one.