TEHRAN (IBNA) -- An
acclaimed science fiction novel ‘Solaris’ (1961) by the late Polish writer and ‎essayist Stanisław Lem which contemplates on the nature of intelligence has been ‎published in Persian and is available Iranian bookstores. ‎
Having been made into a feature film three times, the most notable ones by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972, the book has been translated into Persian by Farmehr Amirdoost. Ketab Saray-e Tandis Publishing has released ‘Solaris’ in 216 pages.
Long considered a classic, Solaris asks the question: Can we understand the universe around us without first understanding what lies within?
When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the living physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others examining the planet, Kelvin learns, are plagued with their own repressed and newly corporeal memories.
The Solaris ocean may be a massive brain that creates these incarnate memories, though its purpose in doing so is unknown, forcing the scientists to shift the focus of their quest and wonder if they can truly understand the universe without first understanding what lies within their hearts.
Translating his works is difficult due to Lem’s elaborate neologisms and idiomatic wordplay. The Polish Parliament declared 2021 Stanisław Lem Year.