Solaris

Despite two films made with panache, Solaris remains a book constantly rediscovered by new generations of readers. A love story for some readers, and a philosophical treatise for others; Stanisław Lem’s inspiring masterpiece defies unambiguous interpretations.

"A novel that makes you reevaluate the nature of intelligence itself."  -  Anne McCaffrey

A scientist examining the ocean that covers the surface of the planet Solaris is forced to confront the incarnation of a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the physical likeness of a long-dead lover, inexplicably created by the ocean. Others suffer from the same affliction and speculation rises among scientists that the Solaris ocean may be a massive brain that creates incarnate memories, but its purpose in doing so remains a mystery . . .

Solaris raises a question that has been at the heart of human experience and literature for centuries: can we truly understand the universe around us without first understanding what lies within? The moving story of contact with alien intelligence serves as a canvas for discussion of our mind’s limitations and the nature of human cognition. 

Stanislaw Lem is the most widely translated and best-known science fiction author of novels, short stories, literary criticism, philosophy, parodies and screenplays. Winner of the Kafka Prize, he is a contributor to many magazines, including the New Yorker and is the recipient of many literary awards, most notably the State Prize for Literature in Poland (1976) and the Austrian State Award for European Literature (1985).