![]() ![]() This solution mirrors the idea that a future Communist society, considered to be based on reason and philosophy, would solve the world’s problems. In ‘The First Sally of Trurl and Klapaucius’, two inventors avert a war by causing the soldiers of the armies to enter a collective consciousness and explore the many problems of philosophy. That being said, some of Lem’s tales seem to fit very well with Communist theories and ideas. While many of the collection’s mad kings can be seen as parodies of monarchy, they could equally well refer to the excesses of any dictatorial rule, including that of Communist parties. ![]() Although The Cyberiad was published in a less dangerous environment than Lem’s first works, which date from the 1940s and early 1950s – when Stalin was still alive, and Communist states still murderously repressed unorthodox literature – it still has to cloak some of its meanings in fantastical tales. The political allegories in the stories are subtle and playful. Certainly, there are no overt declarations of the superiority of the Soviet system or eulogies to Marx and Engels. Lem’s short stories, translated from the Polish by Michael Kandel, run counter to the general stereotypes of literature from beyond the ‘Iron Curtain’. Last year, a friend of mine dropped this quite unusual collection of short stories in my lap, and I am grateful that they did: Stanis ław Lem’s 1965 collection of bizarre, funny and thoughtful tales was a greatly enjoyable read. ![]()
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