Lem, the Prophet

Reading
time 4 minutes

was an Editor at Przekroj.pl/EN. He is also a translator, co-author of a book about the Polish language “Quarks, Elephants and Pierogi”, and a senior staff writer at Culture.pl, where he writes about Polish culture for non-Polish speakers.

How did Stanisław Lem imagine the future? It turns out that we live surrounded by technologies and gadgets, the development, introduction, and workings of which were accurately predicted by the sci-fiction writer half a century ago—from the internet to smartphones and 3D printers. What other formerly dreamed tomorrow still awaits us?

The Internet and Google (Lem: the Trion Library)

“Trion can store not only luminescent images, reduced to a change in their crystal structure, that is images of book pages, not only all kinds of photographs, maps, images, graphs and tables—in other words, anything that can be observed by sight. Just as easily, Trion can store sounds, the human voice as well as music, there is also a way to record scents.”

Obłok Magellana [The Magellanic Cloud] (1955)

Smartphones

“We use it today without even thinking about the efficiency and might of this great, invisible net which enlaces the globe. Whether it

Information

You’ve reached your free article’s limit this month. You can get unlimited access to all our articles and audio content with our digital subscription. If you have an active subscription, please log in.

Subscribe

Mikołaj Gliński:

was an Editor at Przekroj.pl/EN. He is also a translator, co-author of a book about the Polish language “Quarks, Elephants and Pierogi”, and a senior staff writer at Culture.pl, where he writes about Polish culture for non-Polish speakers.

Translation: Agata Masłowska

Publish date: 17.09.2021

Also read:

Stanisław Lem:

is one of the greatest and most frequently translated Polish writers. An asteroid and Poland’s first scientific satellite were named after him. He loved sweets, especially halva and marzipan. According to Philip K. Dick, he never actually existed.

Breaking news, out-of-control teleprinters, and a world-wide network of knowledgeable computers are at the centre of this short story by the master Stanisław Lem. So prepare yourself for a truly surprising mix of sci-fi and supernatural horror!

Gentlemen, for lack of time and by reason of unfavorable circumstances, most people depart this world without ever stopping to think about it. Meanwhile, those who try to do it have a dizzy turn, and then get on with something else. I am one of them. As I built up my career, the column space devoted to my person in Who’s Who grew with the years, but neither the latest edition nor future ones will record why I gave up journalism. That is going to be the subject of my story, which in other circumstances I’m sure I wouldn’t be telling.

The Internet and Google (Lem: the Trion Library)

Smartphones

Also read:

137 Seconds (Part I)

Login

Register