A Perfect Vacuum by Stanislaw Lem

A Perfect Vacuum: Perfect Reviews for Non-Existent Books

by Stanislaw Lem

In A Perfect Vacuum, Stanislaw Lem presents a collection of book reviews of nonexistent works of literature-works that, in many cases, could not possibly be written. Embracing postmodernism's "games for games' sake" ethos, Lem joins the contest with hilarious and grotesque results, lampooning the movement's self-indulgence and exploiting its mannerisms.

A Perfect Vacuum is a 1971 book by Polish author Stanisław Lem. This is the largest and best known collection of Stanisław Lem's fictitious criticism of nonexistent books. It was translated into English by Michael Kandel.

Beginning with a review of his own book, Lem moves on to tackles (or create pastiches of) the French new novel, James Joyce, pornography, authorless writing, and Dostoevsky, while at the same time ranging across scientific topics, from cosmology to the pervasiveness of computers.

The result is a metafictional tour de force by one of the world's most popular writers.

About the Author

Stanislaw Lem: Writer from Poland

Stanislaw Lem was born in 1921 in Lvov, Poland (now part of Ukraine), and lives with his family in Cracow. Originally trained in medicine, he started his literary career in the 1940's, rapidly making a name for himself as one of Europe's most versatile, original, and prolific writers, with a pronounced scientific bent, a sophisticated knowledge of cybernetics, and a keen interest in space exploration. He is cofounder of the Polish Astronautical Society and a member of the Polish Cybernetic Association. His books, translated into almost thirty languages, range from novels—including The Cyberiad, The Investigation, Star Diaries, The Futurological Congress, and most recently The Chain of Chance, his first mystery to science-fiction short stories, screenplays, parodies, philosophy, and literary criticism.

A Perfect Vacuum: Perfect Reviews for Non-Existent Books | Stanislaw Lem | A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book 1971 | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 757 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017