The Magellanic Cloud

1955 novel by Stanisław Lem

This article is about the Stanisław Lem novel. For the dwarf galaxies, see Magellanic Clouds.

The Magellanic Cloud

First edition

Author| Stanisław Lem
Original title| Obłok Magellana
Cover artist| Jan Młodożeniec
Language| Polish
Genre| Science fiction
Publisher| Iskry

Publication date

| 1955
Publication place| Poland
Pages| 422
LC Class| PG7158.L399 O2
Preceded by| The Astronauts
Followed by| Sezam

The Magellanic Cloud (Polish title: Obłok Magellana) is a 1955 science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem. Fragments of the novel were published earlier, in 1953 and 1954, in the magazine Przekrój. Some significant literary tropes featured in the novel include interstellar travel, "first contact", psychological fiction, a Communist utopia, and criticism of the capitalist militarism, which Lem himself characterized as an "extract of the times of Socialist realism".[1]

In 1963, the novel was adapted into the Czechoslovak film Ikarie XB-1.[2][3]

## Plot summary

[edit]

The novel is set in the 32nd century, in a communistic Utopian future. Humanity has colonized all of the Solar System, and is now making its first attempt at interstellar travel.

Aboard a vessel called Gaia, 227 men and women leave the Earth for the Alpha Centauri system.

After almost eight years of travel, they find signs of organic life on a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, possibly originating on another planet within the Centauri system.

The expedition meets an old artificial war satellite of the United States and its NATO allies. It was carrying still active biological weapons and nuclear warheads, which had accidentally left Earth orbit and got lost in space during the Cold War era, and the team destroys it.

Gaia detects a radar signal directed at it, coming from one of the planets of Alpha Centauri. "Gaia" approaches this planet and tries to contact its civilization, but all messages remain unanswered. When they attempt to land on a planet, they are unexpectedly attacked, and 10 astronauts are killed. Nevertheless, the crew of Gaia does not strike back, supposing the inhabitants of the planet mistook a peaceful landing for aggression. Eventually the contact was established.

## Censorship and criticisms

[edit]

When the novel was first published, parts of it were censored by the Communist authorities. Lem denounced the censored version, calling it too optimistic about Communism.[citation needed] A complete version was published in the 1990s in post-Communist Poland.

Because at the time of writing cybernetics was a banned "bourgeois pseudoscience", Lem invented the term mechaneurystyka ("mechanheuristics").[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Information about the novel on the website dedicated to Stanislaw Lem
2. ^ Sim, Krystal (16 September 2013). "Ikarie XB-1 DVD review". SciFi Now. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
3. ^ O'Neill, Phelim (31 August 2013). "This week's new DVD & Blu-ray Ikarie XB-1". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
4. ^ Владимир Борисов, "Голос жителя Земли", Новое литературное обозрение (М.). – 2006. – № 82. – С. 315-325. (online) (in Russian)

## External links

[edit]

* Obłok Magellana title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
* Obłok Magellana at Library of Congress

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Works by Stanisław Lem

Novels|

* The Man from Mars (1946)
* Time Not Lost
* Hospital of the Transfiguration (1948)
* The Astronauts (1951)
* The Magellanic Cloud (1955)
* The Investigation (1959)
* Eden (1959)
* Return from the Stars (1961)
* Solaris (1961)
* Memoirs Found in a Bathtub (1961)
* The Invincible (1964)
* Highcastle (1966)
* His Master's Voice (1968)
* The Futurological Congress (1971)
* Professor A. Dońda (1973)
* The Chain of Chance (1975)
* Golem XIV (1981)
* Observation on the Spot (1982)
* Fiasco (1986)
* Peace on Earth (1987)

Short stories|

* "End of the World at Eight O'Clock" (1947)
* The Star Diaries (1957)
* "The Hunt " (1950s)
* "Terminus" (1961)
* "Lymphater's Formula" (1961)
* Fables for Robots (1964)
* The Cyberiad (1965)
* Tales of Pirx the Pilot (1966)
* "The Mask" (1974)

Major essays|

* Dialogs (1957)
* Summa Technologiae (1964)
* The Philosophy of Chance (1968)
* Science Fiction and Futurology (1970)
* Microworlds (1984)

Pseudepigraphy|

* A Perfect Vacuum (1971)
* Imaginary Magnitude (1973)
* One Human Minute (1986)

Plays|

* Korzenie (1940s)
* Do You Exist, Mr. Jones? (1955)
* Faithful Robot (1961)

Adaptations|

| Films|

* The Silent Star (1960)
* Ikarie XB-1 (1963)
* Solaris (1968)
* Roly Poly (1968)
* Solaris (1972)
* Hospital of the Transfiguration (1978)
* Inquest of Pilot Pirx (1979)
* Victim of the Brain (1988)
* Solaris (2002)
* 1 (2009)
* Maska (2010)
* The Congress (2013)
* His Master's Voice (2018)

|

TV|

* The Adventures of Pirx (1973)
* Ijon Tichy: Space Pilot (2007)
* Fear of a Bot Planet (1999)
* End of the World at Eight O'Clock (2015)

Other|

* Cyberiada (opera)
* Solaris (2019 play)
* The Invincible (video game) (2023)

Characters|

* Ijon Tichy
* Pilot Pirx
* Professor Tarantoga
* Mad scientists
* A. Dońda, A. Lymphater
* Lem's robots
* Trurl and Klapaucius, Terminus

Lemology|

| People|

* Stanisław Bereś
* Konstantin Dushenko
* Michael Kandel
* Daniel Mróz
* Wojciech Orliński
* Franz Rottensteiner
* Peter Swirski

|

Works|

* A Stanislaw Lem Reader
* Correspondence of Lem
* Rozmowy ze Stanisławem Lemem

Other|

* Honors bestowed on Lem
* Neologisms of Stanisław Lem
* Sepulka
* Lem's Law
* Works about Lem
* Year of Lem

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