Hi, all:

I guess many of you, if not all, have seen and tried today's Google doodle, dedicated to Stanislaw Lem, one the very best science-fiction writers ever and my very own personal favorite among them all.

The Lem doodle is utterly awesome, it must have taken lots and lots of effort and savvy to concoct !

... and I'm pretty happy and amazed that Google values Lem's work so much as to produce such a magnificent and expensive work of art to celebrate him.

Opinions ?

P.S: you can see Lem's doodle being played out in its entirety here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09YagnJ1urE, though I'd recommend you don't see this video but actually play it out yourself, extremely funny and rewarding.

Best regards from V.

Edited: 23 Nov 2011, 8:34 a.m.

Thank you for posting - as his doodle does not appear in the US, it is an animated turkey for the thanksgiving holiday.

You can see the doodle in the US by going to google.de. I'm pretty sure other international domains would work too.

It's pretty cute. :)

That is cool!, If you hadn't mentioned it was dedicated to Stanislaw Lem I never would got the connection. The only thing I've read by him is Solaris, and the alien in that novel is a bit shapeless. :) Since the Google Doodle in the US is dedicated to our Thanksgiving holiday, I never would have seen this at all if you hadn't posted. Thanks!

Howard; Solaris was a good strange, haunting choice. If you read another; you might try At the Futurological Congress.

From my bookshelf:

That's the only Lem's novel I read. Time to read more from him.

Also from Poland:

Nicolaus Copernicus

Joseph Conrad

Jan Lukasievicz

Last but not least, my great-grandparents (mother's side) :-)

I didn't know that the Lem Google doodle wasn't visible in the US, I had mistakenly assumed that it was available worldwide ... :(

Anyway, thanks to those of you who replied, much appreciated. I love most all of Lem's books, articles, and novels, but for those of you interested in reading more of it (as Solaris, IMHO, is too much overrated and isn't neither typical nor the best of his production), may I suggest you try these:

• Fiasco

  Full-fledged novel, the most amazing, visionary technology and new scientific theories used throughout effortlessly, as if it were completely real and well-known to the reader. A real treat for the technologically-, scientifically-oriented mind, with an awesome final. A must.

• More Tales Of Pirx The Pilot

  A collection of short tales, absolutely enthralling in their uncanny mix of futuristic setups and deep philosophical themes. Another must.

• The Star Diaries

  The exact opposite of the previous one, this is also a collection of short tales but instead of realistic setups and philosophy what you get here is sheer humour, lots of it, of the decidedly surrealistic kind. It may seem a bit strange at first but once used to it you'll be laughing all the time, from the very first short tale to the last.

Best regards from V.

I found the "Cyberiad" from Stanislaw Lem in English. It's a nice book too.

Lem: Cyberiad

Thanks! Thanks also Valentin for the post and the recommendations below. According to Portuguese Wikipedia, only Solaris was available in Brazil, which appears to be true, and only a few other Lem's works have been translated into Iberian Portuguese.

It was really touching to see some of my favorite characters come to live like that. To give you an impression of how close it is to the original illustrations by Daniel Mroz, I made some photos from Trurl and Klapauzius (from an german edition published by insel).

I remember having read most of what was available of Stanislaw Lem some 40 years ago (translated in my mother tongue, of course). Great science fiction author in the very best sense :-)

I've already read The Star Diaries (Sterntagebu"cher) and now have ordered Fiasco (the german translation Fiasko actually). Thanks for the recommendations.