Five Lems: Jonathan Lethem on Stanisław Lem

How many Stanisław Lems were there? Five (at least), according to Jonathan Lethem. This short film, adapted from Lethem’s recent piece for the LRB, takes a voyage into the Lem cosmos.
Read Lethem's essay on Lem here: lrb.me/lemyt
The Five Lems:
0:08 Lem One: A 20th Century Hard SF writer
1:40 Lem Two: Phantasmagorical Satirist
3:02 Lem Three: Mystery Writer
3:33 Lem Four: The Pure Post-Modernist
4:33 Lem Five: Supreme Armchair Anythingist
Narrated by Jonathan Lethem
Music: Albatros by Krojc - • Albatros
Produced and edited by Anthony Wilks
Subscribe to the LRB and get up to 79% off the cover price: lrb.me/subsyt
Some of the Lem adaptations, and other films, featured in this video:
Tarkovsky’s Solaris: • Solaris 1972 Andrey Ta...
Navigator Pirx: • Дознание пилота Пиркса...
Le Voyage Dans la Lune: • Le Voyage dans la Lune...
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: • 20,000 Leagues Under T...
First Spaceship on Venus: • Video
Voyage to the End of the Universe: • Voyage to the End of t...
Verný robot: • Verny robot 1965
Professor Zazul: • Profesor Zazul - 1965
Ijon Tichy: • IJON TICHY - Kongres f...
Przekładaniec: • Video
Возвращение со звезд: • "Возвращение со звезд"...
Śledztwo: • Video
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[@londonreviewofbooks]

Read Lethem's essay on Lem here: lrb.me/lemyt

[@nautilniemy8374]

There was and always been only one Lem. -you just cannot believe that one guy could write in different styles.

[@hadeseye2297]

Philip K. Dick - Lem can't be one person.

[@chiefshep5885]

By far my favorite writer of all time, Solaris still haunts me to this day)

[@gingerpuz]

More of this! Great stuff.

[@hithere7547]

will hard to be like lem !!! VERY

[@hithere7547]

i study autamatisation and ah lem l e m

[@runagaterampant]

Excellent, thanks! Now I want to read more Lem and also Lethem.

[@_DarkEmperor]

In one of interviews, when asked Lem explicitly said he is not a postmodernist.

[@mrlondon1278]

Please make more of these.

[@Peolorios]

What a good work, great video

[@tenno1981]

First 2, than 4 and finally 5. That's the order they "ignited" in my mind. Now I reread him and explore those texts I previously omitted. And also read biographies that are recently published. Many unknown and extremely interesting facts are being revealed.

[@alexdamman6805]

Intriguing. I might look into this.

[@jayfoo4680]

Excellent

[@jutsie]

Nice one!

[@robertsouth6971]

What if anything seems possible? What constraints underlying possibility itself still hold meaning?

[@hadeseye2297]

You missed Hospital of the Transfiguration.

[@angusorvid8840]

I dig Lethem's take on libertarian hard SF.

[@hithere7547]

fuck i even forget what i study lol.. automatoisation and.. bag fuck lol but its hammered in my brain!

[@marcinwasowski8909]

👌👍

[@hithere7547]

when stop read lem alittle.. its bukowsky time lol

[@manlius]

Way to show off your vocabulary.

[@alexcarter8807]

Those "show off" words are words Lem came up with to describe things we know call other terms like "virtual reality" but when Lem was writing about these things they didn't exist yet so he came up with his own terms. They're neither better nor worse than the ones we use, although some of them sound pretty neat.

[@hithere7547]

@@alexcarter8807 must be a nitemare to translate in100 languages : _DDD

[@hithere7547]

if u not use them here and there u loose em...