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The Cyberiad
Trurl and Klaupacius are constructor robots who try to out-invent each other. They travel to the far corners of the cosmos to take on freelance problem-solving jobs, with dire consequences for their employers. “The most completely successful of his books... here Lem comes closest to inventing a real universe” (Boston Globe). Illustrations by Daniel Mr—z. Translated by Mich...more
Paperback, 312 pages
Published
June 26th 1985
by Mariner Books
(first published 1967)
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If you're only going to read one Lem in your life...
...seek medical help. There are several essential Lem books and stories.
And this is one of them. Both of them. Something like that. It's an essential Lem book of essential Lem stories.
The basic outline is simple: two robot inventors (they are robots and they invent robots... whether they invented themselves is indeed an open question) appear, one or the other or both, in some fashion, in a series of stories set in a universe of robots. The inve...more
...seek medical help. There are several essential Lem books and stories.
And this is one of them. Both of them. Something like that. It's an essential Lem book of essential Lem stories.
The basic outline is simple: two robot inventors (they are robots and they invent robots... whether they invented themselves is indeed an open question) appear, one or the other or both, in some fashion, in a series of stories set in a universe of robots. The inve...more
One of the most brilliant pieces of translation I've ever come across. You can hardly believe that all these wonderful jokes and word-games weren't originally composed in English. I wish I knew some Polish, so that I could compare with the original.
The most impressive sequences, which have been widely quoted, come from the story where one of the inventors builds a machine that can write a poem to any specification, no matter how bizarre. "A poem about love, treachery, indomitable courage, on the...more
The most impressive sequences, which have been widely quoted, come from the story where one of the inventors builds a machine that can write a poem to any specification, no matter how bizarre. "A poem about love, treachery, indomitable courage, on the...more
22 likes · like · see review
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I first came across Stanislaw Lem by way of an absolutely fantastic book called The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul in which three of his short stories were featured. His stories touched on issues in philosophy, topics having to do with artificial intelligence, consciousness, physics, mathematics programming, and more. Upon reading these my thoughts were something along the lines of, "this is one of the most fabulous authors I've ever come across, how have I never heard of h...more
4 likes · like · see review
I want to start off by saying that I rarely enjoy reading short fiction. I find it hard to commit or give a damn and I just want to get it all over with...like most people would feel about a common household chore. So many are nothing more than whispers of plots involving under-developed, overly-melodramatic characters that will be left behind after 20 pages, so why bother. Others seem to serve as nothing more than an author's literary masturbation (trademarked, not to be used without written pe...more
Originally I was just thrilled to find a SF book by an author actually in Poland. But, after I read the book, I was amazed. Still one of the funniest books I have ever read. Two competing robots (Trurl and Klaupacius) who try to out-invent each other, create some of the most wild constructs that anyone could ever imagine.
One being the machine Trurl creates that can make anthing that starts with the letter 'N'. Things really get wild when Klaupacius tests the machine by asking it to create 'nothi...more
One being the machine Trurl creates that can make anthing that starts with the letter 'N'. Things really get wild when Klaupacius tests the machine by asking it to create 'nothi...more
Short form SciFi at it's best. Stanislaw Lem departs from his occasionally dour disposition (see: Solaris) with a series of very funny but also deeply philosophical "journeys" of a pair of Cybernetic engineers (Trurl and Klapacius). Each journey is a short story that stands alone, yet the whole collection is a complete consistent work. Lem uses absurdist plots and situations to poke fun at politics, religion, romance, war and even science.
The translation into English is phenomenal, keeping an i...more
The translation into English is phenomenal, keeping an i...more
Aug 01, 2012
Courtney
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Sci-Fi Fans.
Recommended to Courtney by:
We read Trurl's machine in highschool. I remembered the story and decided I wanted to check it out again, and the authors' other stuff - no idea who the author was. I ended up actually having to e-mail and ask my old english teacher. lol.
I thought it was good - the stories were entertaining. Lots of math and science discussion in some, which went completely over my head, of course. lol. And one of the reviews on the back was saying something about how Lem covered all these different topics like sociology, etc., and... I was pretty much just focused on the story, so unless it was really blatant, I probably missed it.
I liked his work a lot better now than I liked reading "Trurls' Machine" in high school. I don't think it was on...more
I liked his work a lot better now than I liked reading "Trurls' Machine" in high school. I don't think it was on...more
It's hard to believe this book is translated from the Polish, not written originally in English. Stanislaw Lem (and presumably his translator) have an amazing way of creating made-up words whose meanings are immediately clear nonetheless: for example "artifactotum" (a mechanical assistant), "scarechrome" (a robotic scarecrow), and many more. Lem's writing is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll in that fantastical style, but much more inclined to technological topics.
The book is a collection of short st...more
The book is a collection of short st...more
I first ran across The Cyberiad in desperation. It takes me next to no time to read books, so I quickly drained every last inch of our bookshelves by eighth grade, and the library had nothing.
My dear lord. Before I get into the writing itself, let's not forget the briliant translation, and this book would not be easy to translate, between alliterations, rhyming, and the sheerly brilliant nonsense (I use brilliant so much because one simply can't use that word enough when speaking of this book.),...more
My dear lord. Before I get into the writing itself, let's not forget the briliant translation, and this book would not be easy to translate, between alliterations, rhyming, and the sheerly brilliant nonsense (I use brilliant so much because one simply can't use that word enough when speaking of this book.),...more
Kind of cartoonish fables with robots and kingdoms. All stories feature the same two 'constructors'. There's probably some social or political satire here that I'm not getting. I'm pretty sure I've read one of these stories in high school. I like to imagine it as animated in my head.
I've read all but the 2 long ones at the end.
The author is obviously a genius, but depth of characterization you will not get. If you're especially knowledgeable about math terms, this could be a treat for you. Ther...more
3 likes · like · see review
Jul 23, 2010
David
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
insanely-brilliant-sci-fi
This book has the best first line of any book in world literature ("one day Trurl the constructor put together a machine that could create anything starting with the letter n.") It's definitely my favorite Lem, too. By far the funniest. Some of the Pirx the Pilot stories are almost as funny, but never with such consistency.
Probably can't add too much to the other reviews except to say: I actually read this before I read Rabelais, so I didn't realize how much this is a modern version of the same...more
Probably can't add too much to the other reviews except to say: I actually read this before I read Rabelais, so I didn't realize how much this is a modern version of the same...more
Beyond the great fun and philosophical thought-problems of the book itself, the translator here must be commended. I don't have the Polish to do an A/B comparison, but I do have the math to be greatly amused by his work on "The First Sally (A), or Turl's Electronic Bard". The poems are masterworks of clever phrasing, rhythm and wordplay- not an easy piece to tackle when moving between languages.
The Cyberiad is the lightest book by Lem i've read so far, an un-selfconscious romp through the possibilities of engineering genius. Trurl and Klapaucius' ability to fabricate anything one can imagine out of sufficient quanities of sheet brass, capacitors, vacuum tubes etc makes for unpredictable, fanciful plots that are fun to read. In some cases, the stories also have interesting, farsighted concepts suggesting such modern ideas as swarm robotics and information piracy, but in general the stor...more
If you put Dr. Seuss, Lewis Carrol and Einstien in one body, this is the book they'd write.
I've never even imagined such brilliant nonsense. Seriously. It's also an intelligence test (and something of an endurance one as well) because hidden in the apparent gibberish are some of the funniest parts of the text.
Lem uses his Cosmic knowledge and a great, cybernetic sense of humor to poke pun at, well, just about everything. But pay attention--or you just might miss it. (maybe brush up on your phon...more
I've never even imagined such brilliant nonsense. Seriously. It's also an intelligence test (and something of an endurance one as well) because hidden in the apparent gibberish are some of the funniest parts of the text.
Lem uses his Cosmic knowledge and a great, cybernetic sense of humor to poke pun at, well, just about everything. But pay attention--or you just might miss it. (maybe brush up on your phon...more
Read this at least 5 times. Probably the best book (at least in its genre) I've read. Extremely funny and witty. With all the made up words and rhyming poems etc. must have been a nightmare to translators (I read the Finnish translation). I only wish I knew Polish so that I could read this in the original language.
Let me just start out by saying that I far prefer Lem's novels to his short stories. That said, I loved the higher math & quantum mechanics, probability humor throughout these stories. You probably wouldn't have to be a crazy quantum geek like me to appreciate it, but it would certainly help. ;)
Anyway, these are tales of a pair of constructor robots in a universe of robots and their exploits. They create the perfect generator of poetry, massive computers who can't do math, the perfect "prey"...more
Anyway, these are tales of a pair of constructor robots in a universe of robots and their exploits. They create the perfect generator of poetry, massive computers who can't do math, the perfect "prey"...more
Polish scifi author Lem is known for Borges-esque narratives and fanciful conceits; this collection delivers lots of just that. A series of "robot fables" built around the (mostly) friendly rivalry of two notable robot engineers/interstellar swashbucklers, these tales are, like any fables, focused almost exclusively on exploring a particular theme or concept. As a result, the stories seem a bit repetitive after a while, but they are a lot of fun. Lem also slowly lifts the curtain on Trurl and Kl...more
Apr 05, 2011
Nate D
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
gnostotron technicians
Recommended to Nate D by:
turboservoserfs
Cybernetic fables, simultaneously very old and very new. At his best, Lem is playful and wise in the manner of certain Calvino. At his worst, he tales off into long strings of silly words and technobabble puns. As such, I had to take a few breaks, but ended up being well rewarded for my time: the later stories-within-stories-within-stories (a nested Arabian Nights, or rather a Sarragossa Manuscript) seem to really be making an attempt to interrogate the universe, and its observations are sad and...more
I wanted to like this way more than I actually did, because the premise is great and after the first story I was sure it was going to be brilliant, but by the end, The Cyberiad had become a bit of a chore.
This is a collection of short stories featuring Trurl and Klaupacious, two "constructors," which, in Lem's medieval cyberage mashup universe are learned inventor/wizards capable of constructing anything imaginable. This is science-fiction only in the Vonnegutt or Douglas Adams sense; though we...more
This is a collection of short stories featuring Trurl and Klaupacious, two "constructors," which, in Lem's medieval cyberage mashup universe are learned inventor/wizards capable of constructing anything imaginable. This is science-fiction only in the Vonnegutt or Douglas Adams sense; though we...more
It's a children's book but it sent me scrambling constantly to look up words to see if they were indeed real or just clever inventions.
I am not Polish & can't read it, bit Michael Kandel's translation had a tremendous amount of wordplay that can only be credited to he himself. I read that one chapter is omitted, tho, and this is sad.
But mostly I'm impressed with the maturation of the novel, accomplished thru changes in its characters & subjects. Tho in fable, the book begins as easy re...more
I am not Polish & can't read it, bit Michael Kandel's translation had a tremendous amount of wordplay that can only be credited to he himself. I read that one chapter is omitted, tho, and this is sad.
But mostly I'm impressed with the maturation of the novel, accomplished thru changes in its characters & subjects. Tho in fable, the book begins as easy re...more
I don't even know what to say about this book. It is hard to put a finger on why this is so darn good while no one has ever heard of it. Unless you are, I suppose, from eastern europe, or a very serious sci-fi insider.
However this is not exactly a sci-fi, well, it is a sci-fi the way Little Prince is a sci-fi.
If you want spaceships landing on planets this will probably not work for you, though there is definitely some of that, but if you dig Borges you will probably be all over this.
I believe...more
However this is not exactly a sci-fi, well, it is a sci-fi the way Little Prince is a sci-fi.
If you want spaceships landing on planets this will probably not work for you, though there is definitely some of that, but if you dig Borges you will probably be all over this.
I believe...more
The Cyberiad is collection of cyber-medieval stories that revolve around two constructors capable of building practically anything. Even if the machines work exactly as specified, still more often than not either the constructors themselves or the kings (the space age is incredibly royal) that have sought their help get not what they desire but what they deserve. You know how it goes.
Full of hilarious – mostly outdated – tech jargon (servoslave is my new favourite thing) and seemingly lightheart...more
Full of hilarious – mostly outdated – tech jargon (servoslave is my new favourite thing) and seemingly lightheart...more
I thought it was good - the stories were entertaining. Lots of math and science discussion in some, which went completely over my head, of course. lol. And one of the reviews on the back was saying something about how Lem covered all these different topics like sociology, etc., and... I was pretty much just focused on the story, so unless it was really blatant, I probably missed it.
I liked his work a lot better now than I liked reading "Trurls' Machine" in high school. I don't think it was on...more
I liked his work a lot better now than I liked reading "Trurls' Machine" in high school. I don't think it was on...more
Imagine Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo roaming the galaxy at will, enacting vast Platonic thought experiments while exercising nearly godlike creative powers. Toss in a whole lot of whimsy and wordplay and just a dash of dizzying scientific speculation and you might have some idea of what Trurl and Klapaucius, the weird heroes of Stanislaw Lem's Cyberiad are like.
The book is utterly charming.
There is not an overarching narrative per se; rather a series of "sallies" in which the duo enact different...more
The book is utterly charming.
There is not an overarching narrative per se; rather a series of "sallies" in which the duo enact different...more
3 & 1/2 stars.
I don't typically go for dry humor. It's not that I hate it, but restrained (read: affected) propriety wears my patience. Thankfully, that wasn't the case with this group of short stories, which features two "constructors" who invent machines that can pretty much do anything, but always have some peculiar bent that makes for amusing developments. The stories are largely curt and very wildly imagintive. I guess I enjoyed these because of the inventiveness of the stories and the...more
I don't typically go for dry humor. It's not that I hate it, but restrained (read: affected) propriety wears my patience. Thankfully, that wasn't the case with this group of short stories, which features two "constructors" who invent machines that can pretty much do anything, but always have some peculiar bent that makes for amusing developments. The stories are largely curt and very wildly imagintive. I guess I enjoyed these because of the inventiveness of the stories and the...more
L'unico altro libro di Lem che abbia letto è Solaris e posso dirvi tranquillamente che non sembrano frutto della stessa persona: Solaris è un romanzo profondo, complesso e pieno di interrogativi circa la natura dell'uomo per i quali l'autore non fornisce risposta alcuna. Diversamente, Cyberiade è un'antologia di racconti che narrano, principalmente, le incredibili avventure dei due inventori Trurl e Klapaucius, sottoforma di storie che rasentano, talora, lo stile fiabesco.
Il contenuto fantascien...more
Il contenuto fantascien...more
This book is pretty weird. It is basically a bunch of short stories where a couple of robots who can construct anything solve various problems by constructing things. The first couple were interesting, but I just got sick of them by the end.
This premise is good, which is why I read the book, but Lem doesn't really do much with it or explore very many interesting themes. Every story basically comes down to, literally, Deus Ex Machina. The first couple of times it is interesting, but by the end of...more
This premise is good, which is why I read the book, but Lem doesn't really do much with it or explore very many interesting themes. Every story basically comes down to, literally, Deus Ex Machina. The first couple of times it is interesting, but by the end of...more
Aug 08, 2009
Ryan
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Math Geeks
Shelves:
unfinished
As a set of fairy tails for the cyber-age, The Cyberiad almost feels like something Hans Christian Andersen could have wrote if he was a math geek. Or The seemingly unrelated chapters (or Sallies) in a way make me think that I’m reading a futuristic 1001 knights. Stanislaw Lem's joke in the original Polish are supposed to be knee-slapping hilarious. It’s disappointing that once they are translated into English they are almost as funny as a piece of poultry trying to ford a highway. I don’t want...more
Questo libro di racconti di Stanislaw Lem racconta le imprese di due "costruttori", Trurl e Klapaucius, che si scopre essere essi stessi delle macchine (senzienti) solo dopo avere letto qualche storia. Memorabile l'incipit del primo racconto: "Un giorno Trurl il costruttore montò una macchina in grado di creare tutto quello che cominciava per N".
C'è chi potrebbe lamentarsi dell'uniformità delle storie; io personalmente le ho trovate gustosissime, sempre a mezzo tra il filo del paradosso e una ci...more
C'è chi potrebbe lamentarsi dell'uniformità delle storie; io personalmente le ho trovate gustosissime, sempre a mezzo tra il filo del paradosso e una ci...more
Here's another series of short tales by Lem. They concern two "Constructors" - supremely powerful robot engineers (and by robot engineers, I mean they are engineers that are robots) - and the adventures they have in a wild universe peopled primarily by persons of a mechanical nature. The tales almost always have a humorous bent, but typically belie some deeper point that Lem is trying to make. There's a lot to digest here. There's a problem though. Lem tends to use made-up-word puns (I suppose t...more
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Stanisław Lem (staˈɲiswaf lɛm) was a Polish science fiction, philosophical and satirical writer. His books have been translated into 41 languages and have sold over 27 million copies. He is perhaps best known as the author of Solaris, which has twice been made into a feature film. In 1976, Theodore Sturgeon claimed that Lem was the most widely read science-fiction writer in the world.
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“But the worst of it was, all the third-rate poets emerged unscathed; being third-rate, they didn't know good poetry from bad and consequently had no inkling of their crushing defeat.”
—
3 people liked it
“...it is easy not to believe in monsters, considerably more difficult to escape their dread and loathsome clutches.”
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