Stanislaw Lem - The Cyberiad (1974/2012) Fables for the Cybernetic Age

Read by Scott Aiello
9:35 unb  64/24 stereo  263 MB

A brilliantly crafted collection of stories from celebrated science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem.

Trurl and Klaupacius are constructor robots who try to out-invent each other. Over the course of their adventures in The Cyberiad, they travel to the far corners of the cosmos to take on freelance problem-solving jobs, with dire consequences for their unsuspecting employers.

Playfully written, and ranging from the prophetic to the surreal, these stories demonstrate Stanislaw Lem's vast talent and remarkable ability to blend meaning and magic into a wholly entertaining and captivating work.

Among the issues Lem discusses (between the lines of the hilarious fables) is the question of artificial intelligence, moral questions relating to man-made sentient beings, and many more.

The Cyberiad was originally published in 1967, in Polish. The English translation first appeared some seven years later. The translator is Michael Kandel, who does a marvelous job of preserving Lem's unique sense of humor. With all the puns and rhyming, this certainly isn't a simple task. Consider, for example, the story “The First Sally (A), or Trurl's Electronic Bard”, in which Klapaucius challenges the Bard to compose a poem --

"-- a poem about a haircut! But lofty, noble, tragic, timeless, full of love, treachery, retribution, quiet heroism in the face of certain doom! Six lines, cleverly rhymed, and every word beginning with the letter s!!"

To the surprise of both constructors, the machine delivers exactly that, in a wonderful pearl of poetry. But while the machine's effort is fictitious, Kandel's work most certainly isn't.

In conclusion, somewhat like that poem, the book is a noble, timeless piece indeed, highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good, intelligent read.