Thoughts on "Solaris", "Ficciones", and the movie "Interstellar"

This article is a repost of a tweet I made after finishing these books, with a few minor additions.

(June 2, 2023)

Despite being worried that I wouldn't be able to keep reading due to its complexity, the translation had a lonely yet gentle tone, as if Solaris's two suns and its 'Ocean' were right there beside me. It was incredibly charming, and I felt a strange sense of comfort as I read it slowly.
The scene in Solaris where the red and blue suns rise alternately is simply beautiful, and I found myself wishing I could see it with my own eyes.
The descriptions of the exhausted crew members, whose mental states were completely shattered by the 'visitors' inside the Solaris station, were also irresistibly good.
I love the premise that the mysterious planet Solaris had already been studied extensively by the time the story begins, with a whole system called 'Solaris studies' in place, yet the research had already hit a dead end and funding was being cut...
The commentary at the end of the book by the translator, Mitsuyoshi Numano, was also incredibly interesting.
Apparently, the author, Stanisław Lem, was very dissatisfied with the two film adaptations of 'Solaris'.
It seems that when it was published in Russia in the past, a lot of the text was deleted.
The reasons why the message of 'Solaris' was considered 'heretical' in the science fiction literary circles of the former Soviet Union at the time, and so on...
It was a masterpiece that really stimulated my imagination! A true classic!

(June 3, 2023)

Regarding 'Solaris', for which I posted a 'finished reading' tweet,
I had been hesitant to read it because I assumed it would be very difficult, so I prepared the '100 Minutes of Masterpieces' text on 'Solaris' just in case I didn't understand it.
As it turned out, after I was able to read it to the best of my ability, I was immediately able to read the commentary on 'Solaris' by the translator, Mitsuyoshi Numano, which was extremely helpful.
Not only did this cover 'Solaris', but it also included commentary that delved into Stanisław Lem's personality, and even an interview with Lem by Numano, making it a very enjoyable and packed volume.
Since the cover says 'Accepting the Unknown,' I mistakenly thought it was a booklet where Numano would say, 'I'll accept the unknowability of Solaris and explain it to you!'
But it turns out it's a booklet that teaches you that the work 'Solaris' is actually a piece that advocates foraccepting the unknownand continuing to stay by its side.
Still, Numano's explanation of accepting the unknowability of Solaris was definitely easy to understand and interesting!

(June 1, 2023)

This was a difficult work for me.
I wasn't familiar with the terminology or the names of the people used, but when I tried to imagine the scenes being depicted, I felt that it was a work very well-suited for a film adaptation. I thought it was a wonderful work (at least to the extent that I could understand it) with a lovely mix of glamour and chaos.
The Tower of Babylon appeared in 'Story of Your Life', which I finished reading the other day,
and here, a truly fascinating place called the Library of Babel appears.
It's a place that also reminds me of scenes from the movie 'Interstellar', so I felt a bit relieved that there were at least some references I could understand.

(April 20, 2023)

I watched this because Amazon Prime recommended it when I watched '2001: A Space Odyssey', saying that people who watch this movie also watch that one.
I knew it was a masterpiece of astronaut films, but I hadn't gotten around to watching it, so I'm glad I did.
Stories about space that are this advanced are so poetic and lyrical.
It's a story about a father and his children, so that part really hit home for me.
There were about two jerks who were truly awful, and I was really bothered by the fact that they didn't get what they deserved.
But then I reconsidered, thinking that maybe those jerks were pathetic in their own way, so it's not right for someone living comfortably on Earth to call them jerks...

This image contains spoilers (or rather, it's just a doodle).
It also contains some content from 'Aladdin' and 'Doctor Strange'.

(Finally, a classic painting introduction)

It seems this person was the inspiration for the name of the Lazarus Project in 'Interstellar'.
He looks more like someone who was forced back to life rather than someone who was resurrected...
I feel like this coffin looks similar to the cold sleep pods in that movie.