Memoirs of a Space Traveller

Synopsis of Memoirs of a Space Traveller

Ijon Tichy is an ordinary space traveler who always follows his extraordinary curiosity, especially when it leads him to scientists working on the fringes of knowledge. Their plans are grandiose, and the bargains they make too often Faustian, for the ends they pursue concern humanity's greatest immortality, artificial intelligence, and consumer goods. By turn philosophical, satirical, and absurd, Lem's stories find Tichy both a participant in and an observer of strange experiments, from artificial consciousness in black boxes to intelligent, suicidal potatoes. Ijon Tichy navigates them all with common sense and resourcefulness, showing why he endures as one of Lem's most popular characters.