141. This is something that made me really happy yesterday. I love Stanisław Lem’s books enough that I sometimes have a dream where I go to a bookstore and find a stash of his books that I somehow never knew of.
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(Which is impossible – I have all of his stuff – but you don’t question the logic of a dream in a dream. So I get really excited, and then equally sad when I wake up.)
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When I travel abroad, I often try to find his books. He’s popular enough for it to be possible, but not *hyper* popular, so it’s still a challenge. I failed in a few bookstores here, hopelessly lost. I started doubting if Lem was even read in Japan. Was *any* hard sci-fi?
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But I didn’t give up. And in another bookstore yesterday, I seeked help. I went to a machine, and somehow (no English UI) figured out how to search for books.
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I typed in “Stanislaw” instead of the easily matched “Lem,” and I got some results! They all pointed to this section right next to me that looked like an entire case filled with hard sci-fi.pic.twitter.com/rZwStOBwM4
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Since I cannot easily read a spine, I have to go through them one by one. And I eventually find one of Lem’s books! It’s a paperback of The Futorological Congress with a horrible cover harking back to a failed movie adaptation.pic.twitter.com/P4VtFgFSh3
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I guess it’s good enough? I gather that all the other results in the database were just old and not updated, or maybe in different bookstores…
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But then, just before leaving, I looked up. And there, in the upper right corner, I found an entire section of Lem’s books!!! I never looked for a ladder faster in my life. They were there, with Polish titles alongside Japanese ones! Apparently Lem *is* “big in Japan,” too.pic.twitter.com/KmXJ5m5MSm
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I think this was the closest I ever been in real life to that recurring dream of mine. And so, I got three, including a paperback of Solaris, and a hard cover of Fiasco, which is my favourite book.pic.twitter.com/TI4OzU0fPE
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Replying to @mwichary
I read Return from the Stars when I was 13 and it changed my life. Also re-read it on the Apple Newton as an homage of sorts when i got one.
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The opening of Return From The Stars here is exactly how I felt trying to navigate the Shibuya station searching to meet a friend!
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Newton, though!!! That’s incredible and a great commitment.
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Replying to @mwichary
Well, it was in 1995 when the 120 came out, but I felt like it was fate. When Lem predicted that books would be a thing of the past and memory crystals would be the future, I did not believe it… Until 1995 when the Newton came out. OMG.
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