The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age

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A much-loved classic from a giant of european science-fiction. Stanislaw Lem is perhaps the most original and influential European science-fiction writer of the twentieth century. His ornate, phantasmagorical writing probes the furthest reaches of the universe while remaining deeply and particularly human. The Cyberiad, one of Lem's most beloved works, follows the exploits of the Trurl and Klapaucius- two ingenious 'constructors'. In their adventures through a strange medieval universe they encounter a machine capable of creating anything that starts with the letter 'N'; kings who oppress their people with parlour games; and PhD pirates who demand ransom in knowledge rather than gold. It is a world where UFOs land silently on lawns at dawn, and where even the stars can be re-arranged for advertising purposes.

Reviews

A giant of 20th-century science fiction * Guardian *
A Jorge Luis Borges for the Space Age * New York Times *
The linguistic inventiveness is extraordinary ... Lem has created a curious world in which robots and rockets rub shoulders with kings, dragons, witches and pirates * Independent on Sunday *

Author Bio

Stanislaw Lem was a Polish author best known for his 1961 science fiction novel Solaris. He also wrote several other SF works including Eden (1959) and His Master's Voice (1968). Lem's books have been translated into over 40 languages and sold over 45 million copies. He was awarded numerous honours for his writing, including the City of Krak w's Prize in Literature, the Grand Prix de Litterature Polici re and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature. Lem died in 2006, aged 84.