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A review by slow_spines
Star Diaries: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy by Stanisław Lem
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
This one took me a while. A series of loosely connected adventures, written over 20 years, most of them readable in around 30 minutes or so. Due to this, it was inevitable that the quality would dip every now and then. For me that came at around the half way mark, where I struggled to stay motivated. Generally I found the shorter voyages more focused and compelling.
The voyages themselves are humorous and inventive but I feel that some of the 60s Polish humour is definitely lost in translation, and that many of the ideas - while still brilliant - have probably lost some of their lustre due to being endlessly retrod since. They are absolutely still worth reading if you enjoy Lem's work or high concept sci-fi generally.
I suspect the editors notes have been pushed to the back of the book so as not to clash with the fictional editor's introductions. Makes sense, but its a shame to only realise in the literal last paragraph of the book that I had been mispronouncing the protagonists name the whole time! Maybe read this first.
Speaking of which, Tichy is a good character. A well-meaning Everyman who commits diplomatic faux pas at every turn, and somehow bumbles his way out of the absurd situations he finds himself in. Although he is intelligent and puts his best foot forward - he almost always chooses his voyage and embarks with a plan - there is the unshakable feeling that he is still a passive agent. What other kind of agency is there in such a bizarre and vast universe? (Its not hard to see how any political points Lem was making could be read into this tension). He is a sympathetic and recognisable character, with a lighthearted curiosity at the profound weirdness his existence. It sounds obvious, but behind all the dazzle and discombobulation he is the secret star of the show.
The voyages themselves are humorous and inventive but I feel that some of the 60s Polish humour is definitely lost in translation, and that many of the ideas - while still brilliant - have probably lost some of their lustre due to being endlessly retrod since. They are absolutely still worth reading if you enjoy Lem's work or high concept sci-fi generally.
I suspect the editors notes have been pushed to the back of the book so as not to clash with the fictional editor's introductions. Makes sense, but its a shame to only realise in the literal last paragraph of the book that I had been mispronouncing the protagonists name the whole time! Maybe read this first.
Speaking of which, Tichy is a good character. A well-meaning Everyman who commits diplomatic faux pas at every turn, and somehow bumbles his way out of the absurd situations he finds himself in. Although he is intelligent and puts his best foot forward - he almost always chooses his voyage and embarks with a plan - there is the unshakable feeling that he is still a passive agent. What other kind of agency is there in such a bizarre and vast universe? (Its not hard to see how any political points Lem was making could be read into this tension). He is a sympathetic and recognisable character, with a lighthearted curiosity at the profound weirdness his existence. It sounds obvious, but behind all the dazzle and discombobulation he is the secret star of the show.