Stanislav Lem facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stanisław Lem
Stanisław Lem and toy cosmonaut in 1966
Born	12 September 1921 Lwów, Poland (now Ukraine)
Died	27 March 2006 (aged 84) Kraków, Poland
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	Polish
Period	1946–2005
Genre	Science fiction, philosophy, satire
Spouse	Barbara Lesniak (1953–2006; his death; 1 child)
Website
http://lem.pl/

Stanislaw Lem (September 12, 1921 – March 27, 2006) was a Polish science fiction writer. His writings are highly philosophical and satirical. His books have been translated into 41 languages. Over 27 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide. At one point he was among the most widely read science fiction authors in the world. Lem's writing is full of intelligent humor, puns, and neologisms, and Michael Kandel's translations into English have been praised by many for capturing Lem's style.

Lem is perhaps best known for his novel Solaris. This novel was published in 1961. It is set into the future. Humans have discovered what they think is intelligent life in space. They want to talk to the alien life form. The only problem they have is that the life form is the size of a planet. It is an ocean. This book has also been made into a film by Andrei Tarkowski in 1972. Steven Soderbergh made another film of the book in 2002.

Lem won various prizes for his novels.

Images for kids

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  House No. 4 on Bohdan Lepky Street in Lviv, where, according to his autobiography Highcastle, Lem spent his childhood

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  Stanisław Lem and toy cosmonaut, 1966

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  Lem signing in Kraków, 30 October 2005.

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  First Polish editions of books by Lem

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  Stanislaw Lem's grave at the Salwator Cemetery, Kraków

See also

In Spanish: Stanisław Lem para niños