“Each factory will be making Robots of a different color, a different nationality, a different tongue; [...] they'll no longer be able to conspire with one another...” –– Karel Čapek, R.U.R., 1920.
“How do you expect to communicate with the ocean, when you can’t even understand one another?” ― Stanisław Lem, Solaris, 1961
One of my all time and for many years now favorite authors is Polish Science Fiction writer, Stanislaw Lem. Originally made famous to me when I first heard in High School he had coined the term, "Robot". Many believe it was Isaac Asimov. I owe Isaac a lot from my young readings of his works, but sadly, it was not him.
Stanislaw Lem
However, I later found out it also wasn't Lem, Actually it was Karel Čapek, a Czech writer who coined the term "robot" ("robota"), or rather made it popular. He introduced and made popular the frequently used international word robot, which first appeared in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) in 1920.
We had read his play in high school back in 1970, which was when I originally was introduced to him being the originator of the term, "robot", and to Stanislaw Lem. The word robot comes from the word robota, or "drudgery", or "work of a
villein", in literary Czech and "work", or "labor" in literary Slovak. I'm half Slovak (and Irish/Scottish) myself.
HOWEVER, the true inventor of the term "robot" was actually Karel's brother Josef Čapek. While Karel Čapek is frequently acknowledged as the originator of the
word, he wrote a short letter in reference to the Oxford English Dictionary etymology in which he named his brother, painter and writer Josef Čapek as its true inventor."
Still, once I heard that that Lem had coined the term, I originally had to look him up and from time to time revisit his writings. It was only shortly after I started looking into Lem that I found the mistake and corrected it in my mind. But that then lead to my finding the 1972 Russian film by Andrei Tarkovsky called, Solaris, from the Lem novel of the same name. That lead me to finding Tarkovsky's other films which I came to appreciate.
Solaris was a fascinating novel that the two films, both Tarkovsky's and the newer 2002, Steven Soderbergh , American remake with George Clooney, has yet to fully explore. They always seem to focus on the primary Human interactions, rather than the planet's (Solaris being the name of the planet, though the story in the films takes place on the orbital space station).
Wikipedia describes the differences between literary and cinematic like this: "In the literary Solaris, Stanisław Lem describes human science’s inability to handle an alien life form, because extra-terrestrial life is beyond human understanding; in the cinematic Solaris, Tarkovsky concentrates upon Kelvin's feelings for his wife, Hari, and the impact of outer space
exploration upon the human condition. Dr. Gibarian’s monologue [from
the novel’s sixth chapter] is the highlight of the final library scene,
wherein Snaut says, “We don’t need other worlds. We need mirrors”."
"What appears to be waves on its surface is later revealed to be the equivalent of muscle contractions. The scientists there have studied the planet and its ocean for many
decades, a scientific discipline known as Solaristics, which over the
years has degenerated to simply observe and record the complex phenomena
that occur upon the surface of the ocean. Shortly before psychologist Kelvin's arrival, the crew has exposed the
ocean to a more aggressive experimentation with a high-energy X-ray
bombardment. Their experimentation give unexpected results and becomes psychologically traumatic for them as individually flawed humans." - Wikipedia
An apt description. Thus the story goes into how Humans begin to degenerate into complacency when they do not understand something within their short time frames of interest. Everyone wants to keep their jobs, but don't know what to do. Rather than explore the actual planet, to use Phenomenology, or other forms unused to this point, they more or less give up and start trying to irritate the planet, causing them much grief and confusion.
The book is a great indictment of our natural inclinations and a warning for us to beware and look beyond when we become lost. To not remain lost, but find another way to understand the universe around us. Although Lem's construct is that we cannot understand a very alien lifeform, which may be extremely relevant, it also points out our need to understand what we cannot understand.
There is a great scene in the book, where they land a helicopter like craft on one of the creations of the Solaris mind. It is like an island of white, made from something chalk like, buildings, structures, as if you walked into a Mediterranean village, with no people, no color. These things last only a few hours and so, at some point, it began to dissolve, and they had to leave, to watch from above is it was assimilated into the vast liquid planet. It is a fascinating scene that never finds its way to the silver screen.
There is much to be explored in this novel, the films to come based upon it, Lem and Karel Čapek's stories (though I prefer Lem). Also, check out Tarkovsky's films. Though slow by modern and American standards, have a bottle of wine and some snacks and settle in for an interesting intellectual journey.
Still, once I heard that that Lem had coined the term, I originally had to look him up and from time to time revisit his writings. It was only shortly after I started looking into Lem that I found the mistake and corrected it in my mind. But that then lead to my finding the 1972 Russian film by Andrei Tarkovsky called, Solaris, from the Lem novel of the same name. That lead me to finding Tarkovsky's other films which I came to appreciate.
Russian Film Director, Tarkovsky
Solaris was a fascinating novel that the two films, both Tarkovsky's and the newer 2002, Steven Soderbergh , American remake with George Clooney, has yet to fully explore. They always seem to focus on the primary Human interactions, rather than the planet's (Solaris being the name of the planet, though the story in the films takes place on the orbital space station).
On Tarkovsky's flm style, from The Calvert Journal:
"Tarkovsky's poetic style is far from accidental. As he expressed in his two books, Sculpting in Time and Time Within Time, he believed that the purpose of film was to break with narrative norms to capture the passage of time and elicit a strong emotional response in the audience."
On Soderberg's film style, from Premium Beat:
"For many of his films, Soderbergh employs what’s called a “multi-narrative” or “hyperlink cinema” style. This cinema style begets complex narratives full of diverse perspectives, complicated plot twists, and intertwined storylines that jump both backward and forward in time."
For a commentary on both films see: Seeing double with Stanislaw Lem’s “Solaris” (1972/2002)…
Russian Solaris film version poster
A symmetriad, one of the structures produced by Solaris
What I would like to see is an interpretation of the planet research, rather than those researching the planet extrapolating their experiences so much. It's a fascinating story either way, but we've done the Human elements to death and it would be interesting to see the alien elements explored a bit more.
An apt description. Thus the story goes into how Humans begin to degenerate into complacency when they do not understand something within their short time frames of interest. Everyone wants to keep their jobs, but don't know what to do. Rather than explore the actual planet, to use Phenomenology, or other forms unused to this point, they more or less give up and start trying to irritate the planet, causing them much grief and confusion.
The book is a great indictment of our natural inclinations and a warning for us to beware and look beyond when we become lost. To not remain lost, but find another way to understand the universe around us. Although Lem's construct is that we cannot understand a very alien lifeform, which may be extremely relevant, it also points out our need to understand what we cannot understand.
There is a great scene in the book, where they land a helicopter like craft on one of the creations of the Solaris mind. It is like an island of white, made from something chalk like, buildings, structures, as if you walked into a Mediterranean village, with no people, no color. These things last only a few hours and so, at some point, it began to dissolve, and they had to leave, to watch from above is it was assimilated into the vast liquid planet. It is a fascinating scene that never finds its way to the silver screen.
There is much to be explored in this novel, the films to come based upon it, Lem and Karel Čapek's stories (though I prefer Lem). Also, check out Tarkovsky's films. Though slow by modern and American standards, have a bottle of wine and some snacks and settle in for an interesting intellectual journey.
I love both film versions of Solaris and very much the book. I just wish someone would do a film on the book that includes much more of the story of Solaris. Like the scenes on the surface, which seem so ridiculous they were not in some way included. Though I admit, cost and time would limit that. Still, now that these films have been done, there is room for this to explore. And there is so very much TO explore.
I would very much like to see a film that shares much more of the book, Showing us "Solaris" and not just such specific slices of it on the orbiting space station. Which miss so much of what is in that great book.
At least in the Tarkovsky film there is a passing reference to other parts of the book, as in mentioning an expedition to the surface by balloon and helicopter. With a first hand observation delivered of what was seen (and experienced) at the "planet's" surface by a very nervous/disturbed pilot back on earth. They even show a film of the planet's surface. Not that it shows much, but at least it was referenced.
From Wikipedia on this:
"Psychologist Kris Kelvin is being sent on an interstellar journey to evaluate whether a decades-old space station, positioned over the oceanic planet Solaris, should continue to study it. He spends his last day on Earth with his elderly father and retired pilot Burton. Years earlier Burton had been part of an exploratory team at Solaris but was recalled when he described strange happenings, including seeing a four-meter-tall child on the surface of the water on the planet. These were dismissed as hallucinations by a panel of scientists and military, but now that the remaining crew members are making similarly strange reports, Kris' skills are needed."
Finally, I'll leave you with this...
Though I do very much like both films, Tarkovsky's & Soderbergh's/Clooney's, to exemplify my fond feelings of this, I opened my own epic horror/SF book, "Death of heaven", with a reference, an homage to Stanisław Lem's great book, "Solaris". The book opens far in the past and then in the first chapter, leaps to modern times.
From the opening of the book, "Death of heaven" by JZ Murdock (2014, Rev.2):
The Steppes
In the year 1259 on the Russian Steppes, under a clear, crisp sky on these massive flat plains, two men are arguing. They are Mongols. They are War Lords. Both are dressed as Mongols have dressed for a very long time. Both stand facing one another holding the reins of their horses that stand behind each of them. Behind the War Lords and their horses stand a large horde of men, vicious fighters all.
A general murmur comes from such a large group as would be expected: horses snorted, men on horseback moved about and talked quietly among themselves. But the two Lords were focused solely upon each other. One of them, Hulegu, wears a red hat. He is in a heated dispute with Mengu, who is wearing no hat at all but has the bearing of a very powerful leader.
The men seem to find no agreement between them. Mengu is calm, and doing his best not to smile. Finally, Hulegu walks to his horse, frustrated. He mounts his horse, glances back at his brother and rides off in anger at full speed. As he rides away, Mengu watches as his younger brother grows smaller with the distance. After a few minutes, Mengu shakes his head and walks back toward his men, leading his magnificent horse behind him.
As he reaches his second in command, he notices the look on the man’s face. It stops him dead in his tracks. He turns to look after his brother in the distance, to see what had captured his subordinate’s attention. He notices high above them how the very air above Hulegu is swirling far up into the sky in a terrifying display of extraordinary insanity.
Finally, it began to take a form.
The air transformed and then solidified until an entire cliff side appeared in the middle of the massive, flat plain. Where only moments before there had been nothing, there was now a series of white, square buildings littered all along the side of a cliff, where no mountainside had ever existed. The man who had been riding through those Steppes was no longer there, having apparently been wholly absorbed by the materialization of a village along a steep rock face. To add even more to the surreal event, it was all a stark white defined only by shadows here and there.
Mengu stood there staring, in shock. It took a few minutes, but he started to realize that there was absolute silence surrounding him. He closed his eyes, blocking out the terrifying image before him and realized that if he hadn’t known how many men and horses were behind him, he would have no idea that they were even there.
The silence of his men was a vast chasm pulling him backward. He opened his eyes, but to all his hope, the solid white monstrosity was still before him. He turned almost expecting not to see his men. But there they all were, silent and mostly with mouths hanging open in awe.
He turned back around and the cliff side was still there.
Then as suddenly as it had appeared, the village buildings started to dissolve. The cliff began shatter and crashed to the plains with immense sounds and a slight delay from the distance. It began to melt and finally the remnants of all that had appeared began to blow about as dust swirling in the winds until it had all completely dissolved out of existence.
Once again the Steppes were empty as they had been for all of history. And the rider, who had been there before, was no more.
Chapter One: The Conqueror Worm
On Amazon
nice pictures
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