Neologisms of Stanisław Lem

Neologisms of Stanisław Lem, a Polish science fiction writer and essayist, constitute a notable part of his writing style.

Lem says that in building his neologisms, particularly of grotesque character, he uses the peculiarities of Polish language.[1] [2] This presents difficulties to translators into non-Slavic languages, and critics often accused Lem of abusiveness in his creation of new words.[3] Lem said that neologisms come up to him naturally in the course of writing only when they are necessary and that he is incapable of inventing one outside a context.[1][2]

In handling his neologisms, Lem singles out two translators. Irmtraud Zimmermann-Göllheim (German), in Lem's opinion, remarkably succeeded in literal translation, while Michael Kandel (English) was inventive in finding semantic equivalents in English in difficult cases.[1][4] He also singled out a Russian mathematician Shirokov (Feliks Shirokov[5]) for finding fitting language equivalents in translation of Lem's grotesque-humorous works.[4]

At the end of the novel Observation on the Spot Lem even included a "Polish-Polish dictionary" of the neologisms used in it[1] (actually, an "Earthish-Earthish Glossary").[6] In a letter to publisher Franz Rottensteiner Lem wrote about his intention to add this glossary and to include into it an explanation why these neologisms are a necessity, not just a fantastic embellishment.[3]

A number of Lem's words of particular note may be found in Wojciech Orliński's book What are Sepulkas? [7]

Quite a few neologisms Lem introduced in his essays while envisioning future developments. For example, in his voluminous essay Summa Technologiae he coined the terms "phantomatics" for what is now known as virtual reality, "molectronics" for molecular nanotechnology, "cerebromatics" for cognitive enhancement, "imitology" for the creation of artificial life, "ariadnology" for the technology of search engines, and "intellectronics" for the technology of artificial intelligence.[8]

The first works about Lem's language are dated by early 1960s (Wesolowska 1963, Handke 1964, Moszyńska 1964).[9]

References
  1. Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr., Twenty-Two Answers and Two Postscripts: An Interview with Stanislaw Lem, Science Fiction Studies, #40 (Volume 13, Part 3), November 1986
  2. Lem's interview to Peyman Esmaeili, page 2, Shargh newspaper
  3. "Голос жителя Земли", by Владимир Борисов, Новое литературное обозрение (М.), 2006, no. 82, pp. 315-325
  4. Lem's interview to Peyman Esmaeili, page 6, Shargh newspaper
  5. Feliks Shirokov's page at fantlab.ru
  6. "ROZUMOWANY SŁOWNICZEK ZIEMSKO-ZIEMSKI LUZAŃSKICH I KURDLANDZKICH WYRAZÓW OBIEGOWYCH ORAZ SYNTURALNYCH (PATRZ: SYNTURA)" [Explanatory Earthish-Earthish Glossary of Lisatian and Kurdlandian Expression, both Common and Syntural (see:Syntura)]
  7. Wojciech Orliński, Co to są sepulki? Wszystko o Lemie [What are Sepulki? Everything about Lem], 2007, ISBN 8324007989
  8. "The Book No One Read. Why Stanislaw Lem’s futurism deserves attention", by Lee Billings, October 2, 2014, Nautilus Quarterly
  9. Piotr Krywak, Fantastyka Lema: droga do "Fiaska" ["Science Fiction of Lem: A Road to Fiasco" ], Krakow, 1994, ISBN 83-85898-75-1, p. 8

Further reading
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