- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Mariner Books (Dec 31 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0156004720
- ISBN-13: 978-0156004725
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #894,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
A stream-of-consciousness childhood memoir by Polish novelist Lem.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The author of Peace on Earth (LJ 8/94) and many other works of science fiction reflects on his childhood in Lvov between the two world wars. Characteristically, Lem focuses more on objects than on people?his toys (and his destructive impulses toward them), the sights of the town, its sweet shops, his classes and teachers, and Highcastle (the part of town where the children luxuriated in their freedom when classes were canceled). The memoir takes a fascinating, unexpected direction when Lem meditates on the first manifestations of his artistic impulses and the nature of art (especially modern): his creation of many false passports, identification papers, and other bureaucratic documents ("a kingdom of universal permission"), and his building of many pseudo radio apparatuses. These thoughts are counterbalanced by bittersweet descriptions of the meticulous (and useless) military training the young men were given in the last years of the gymnasium. An intelligent, evocative examination of youth and memory; for literary collections.
-?Richard Kuczkowski, Dominican Coll., Blauvelt,
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
-?Richard Kuczkowski, Dominican Coll., Blauvelt,
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than a memoir...,
By
This review is from: Highcastle: A Remembrance (Paperback)
On one level, this book chronicles the boyhood of famed Polish writer Stanislaw Lem. But on another level it is also a profound "Coming of Age" tale of not just one man, but of a Civilization. Lem's boyhood takes place just prior to World War II, and as he spins his tales of schoolyard politics, loss of faith in adults and the petty cruelties that young boys sometimes indulge in, it's hard not to see the connection with events unfolding in pre-war Europe; politics just as juvenile, the passing of Faith, the horrible cruelties soon to follow...Haunting and elegant book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A favorite for the bedside,
By Phoebus Franca "thebuffer" (San Francisco Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Highcastle: A Remembrance (Hardcover)
Stanislaw Lem's writing is beautiful in this brief work. Fans of his science fiction will surely want to read this to get behind the artifice and learn about the writer. But those who are not familiar with his work will also enjoy this as a meditation on memory, growing up in Poland, and this writer's power to evoke meaning. I read it mostly before falling asleep and it gave me wonderful dreams.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review) 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A favorite for the bedside,
By Phoebus Franca "thebuffer" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Highcastle: A Remembrance (Hardcover)
Stanislaw Lem's writing is beautiful in this brief work. Fans of his science fiction will surely want to read this to get behind the artifice and learn about the writer. But those who are not familiar with his work will also enjoy this as a meditation on memory, growing up in Poland, and this writer's power to evoke meaning. I read it mostly before falling asleep and it gave me wonderful dreams.
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