Despite two films made with panache, „Solaris” remains a book constantly rediscovered by new generations of readers. The moving story of contact with alien intelligence serves as a canvas for discussion of our mind’s limitations and the nature of human cognition. A love story for some readers, a philosophical treatise for others; Lem’s inspiring masterpiece defies unambiguous interpretations.

"A brilliant mind with a hearty appetite for science, philosophy and literature." — The New York Times Book Review

The novel has been translated into over forty languages and sold several million copies. This is the first English translation directly from the original.

From the Back Cover
"A fantastic book." — Steven Soderbergh

When psychologist Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds himself confronting a painful memory embodied in the physical likeness of a past lover. Kelvin learns that he is not alone in this and that other crews examining the planet are plagued with their own repressed and newly real memories. Could it be, as Solaris scientists speculate, that the ocean may be a massive neural center creating these memories, for a reason no one can identify?

Long considered a classic, Solaris asks the question: Can we understand the universe around us without first understanding what lies within?

"A novel that makes you reevaluate the nature of intelligence itself." — Anne McCaffrey

Stanislaw Lem (1921 2006) is the author of many works bearing the broad label of science fiction and others ranging in genre and style from satire to philosophy. Lem s books have been translated into forty-one languages and have sold over forty-five million copies.