History Creator / STANISLAWLEM

* BlackComedy: The entire point, really of the Ijon Tichy stories is darkly humourous satire. Whenever Lem is being funny, it's either wonderfully [[SurrealHumor absurd]] or black comedy. Or both. [[CrossesTheLineTwice And it gets very black]]. One summer vacation, he was helping his nephew improve his ortography by the tried-and-true method of "dyktando" (dictation) exercises that Lem improvised on the spot. The nephew later published the contents of his exercise book as ''Dictations, or Rather How Uncle Staszek Taught Then Michaś, Now Michał, to Write Without Errors''. Those contents are full of ''BlackComedyCannibalism'', among other things.

** In ''Return from the Stars'', the astronaut protagonist returns to Earth after 120 years. While trying to find a partner (and succeeding, after a fashion), he ultimately stays isolated in a society that has changed too much to re-integrate him.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: ''Return from the Stars''. The world the protagonist [[ColdSleepColdFuture ends up in]] is colourful and, above all, ''safe'', to the point of treatments everyone receives that make people risk-averse and nonviolent. And he is an astronaut, for whom risk had been the reason of his existence. And ''The Futurological Congress'' even more so [[spoiler:but it was all a dream.]]

* HumansAreCthulhu: ''Mortal Engines'' sometimes treats humans like this. Other times the robots just consider them mythical beasts.

* StarfishAliens: A recurring theme in his works is the portrayal of profoundly alien civilizations, and the impossibility of understanding them.

* CrazyCulturalComparison: ''Wizja Lokalna'' (''Observation on the Spot'') is a veritable feast of complex and multilevel cultural jokes and comparisons. Craziest of which is the discussion of the mating rituals during his visit to some university -- both sides are thoroughly baffled by the experience: locals by the closed and intimate nature of Earthlings reproduction (for them it's [[BizarreAlienBiology the most public thing possible]]), and Tichy by the outlandish theories they invent to give this behavior a logical explanation.

* ''Peace on Earth'' (Pokój na Ziemi, 1987; trans. 1994)

* SceneryPorn: Quite often. Lem could go for pages about strange, alien, beautiful planetary landscapes.

Stanisław Lem (12 September 1921 – 27 March 2006) was a Polish novelist, most credited for his ScienceFiction writings. His works range from philosophical books and analyses to "tall tales", to light and [[BlackHumor darkly comic]] satire; and he enjoyed subverting many common genre tropes. He is one of the most recognized and respected Polish writers, as well as one of the most prolific science-fiction writers. In 1996, he was named a Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland's highest decoration).

* ''Eden'' (1959; trans. 1989)

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

Lem had [[SturgeonsLaw a low opinion of most of science fiction]], and thought that the existence of the SciFiGhetto was justified, not because the genre is inherently worthless, but because the authors haven't used the possibilities in it. The only contemporary author he considered worthwhile was Creator/PhilipKDick; Dick did not return his respect, and considered Lem's attacks on American science fiction to be unjustified and insulting. At the same time, he also became a target of Dick's increasing paranoia.[[note]]It stemmed from a series of publishings of foreign science-fiction in communist Poland, signatured by Lem - Dick received payment, but in Polish złotys, which he couldn't exchange for dollars. He was already extremely paranoid, so it added fuel to the fire. Note, Creator/BrianAldiss, having been paid in złotys a couple of years later, and visiting Poland at the time (just how, we have no idea) simply ''bought beer for the entire fantasy convention'' and was done with the problem.[[/note]] Despite Lem's views, he was defended by Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin in his conflict with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

** And in ''The Sexplosion'' (from ''A Perfect Vacuum'', the sex drive (after roboporn took it UpToEleven) is accidentally wiped out, but since nature abhors a vacuum (sorry), the end result is literal FoodPorn.

* BlackComedy: A large part of the Ijon Tichy stories is darkly humourous satire.

[[PungeonMaster He loved word-plays]], making up new words and divining the future of civilisation from them; it was one of the many ways in which he subjected plot to paradoxical associations rather than to the straight and narrowly reasonable prognoses. He was particularly fond of satirizing religion, technology, and human foibles, typically with a sharp and incisive wit. Later in his career, he grew increasingly critical of technology, particularly the Internet, which he considered little more than a gathering of idiots. Many of his works, both novels and short stories, feature the recurring character Ijon Tichy, an intelligent, accident-prone, adventurer who varies between being the OnlySaneMan, and an UnreliableNarrator, occasionally veering into ParodySue.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: A recurring theme.

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: He produced works on both ends of the scale. In his serious stories, he worked hard to be accurate, in his comedic ones, anything goes.

* UnbuiltTrope: Lem's writings contain many motifs that would be instantly recognizable by a SF enthusiast nowadays (FirstContact and TheSingularity are just two examples), and he usually discussed them thoroughly years before they became popularized.

Lem had [[SturgeonsLaw a low opinion of most of science fiction]], and thought that the existence of the SciFiGhetto was justified, not because the genre is inherently worthless, but because the authors haven't used the possibilities in it. The only contemporary author he considered worthwhile was Creator/PhilipKDick; Dick did not return his respect, and considered Lem's attacks on American science fiction to be unjustified and insulting. At the same time, he also became a target of Dick's increasing paranoia.[[note]]It stemmed from a series of publishings of foreign science-fiction in communist Poland, signatured by Lem - Dick received payment, but in Polish złotys, which he couldn't exchange for dollars. He was already extremely paranoid, so it added fuel to the fire.[[/note]] Despite Lem's views, he was defended by Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin in his conflict with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

** ''Literature/TheStarDiaries'' are full of robots that act exactly like humans, in once case [[spoiler: actually humans who think they're hiding among robots, but the [[FlockOfWolves robots turn out to be humans]], too]].

** Also averted in ''Literature/{{Solaris}}'', where the protagonist is not technically married, but encounters a copy of his fiancee (or possibly wife, it's unclear) who died ten years prior, and, after some hesitation, takes up the relationship.

* HumansAreCthulhu: ''Mortal Engines'' treats humans like this.

* CrapsackWorld: Often. Lem was not an opitimist.

* NoPaperFuture: PlayedForLaughs in the introduction to ''Memoirs Found in a Bathtub''. Seems to be averted otherwise (protagonists read books a lot), although in ''Literature/ReturnFromTheStars'' books have been replaced by DataCrystals and television rules the place, which may be for the ColdSleepColdFuture effect.

* CrapsackWorld
* CrapsaccharineWorld: ''Return from the Stars''. And ''The Futurological Congress'' even more so [[spoiler:but it was all a dream.]]

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: A recurring theme in his work.

* NoPaperFuture: PlayedForLaughs in the introduction to ''Memoirs Found in a Bathtub''. Seems to be averted in most of his other works.
* {{Pun}}: Quite a lot in his less serious works. Especially ''Literature/TheStarDiaries''.

* RecycledInSpace: He wrote several short stories that are fairy tales [-IN SPACE! WITH ROBOTS!-]

* TakeThat: Half of ''A Perfect Vacuum''. Lem doesn't like modern literature, and his reviews of fictive books [[AuthorTract make that clear.]] Especially [[Creator/JamesJoyce James Joyce]] gets outpunned to hell and back.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: His work is usually loaded with science and philosophy.

** Also averted in ''Literature/{{Solaris}}'', where the protagonist is not technically married, but encounters a copy of his fiancee (or possibly wife, it's unclear) who died ten years prior.

** Subverted with [[Literature/TalesOfPirxThePilot Pirx]]. Sort of. Also averted in ''Literature/{{Solaris}}''. [[spoiler:The main protagonist's "guest" is his dead girlfriend. "Guests" of the others are implied to be their [[AllMenArePerverts sexual fantasies]].]]
** [[spoiler: Or the people they have [[MyGreatestFailure failed (or thought they failed)]] in some way.]]

* RiddleForTheAges: In ''Literature/{{Solaris}}'', why did the planet send the replicas of people? The main theme of the novel is that we can't find out, because humans can't comprehend a truly alien intelligence.