The Astronauts: Difference between revisions

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In the [[Socialist Realism|utopian Communist]] future, a crashed extraterrestrial starship is found underground during construction works, and aboard is a message in an alien language which, chillingly, indicates that a race from Venus is planning to eradicate all life on Earth. A multi-national expedition of scientists sets out to Venus in order to study the planet and prevent the tragedy by any means necessary. {{spoiler|Eventually, it turns out that the Venusians have annihilated their civilization in a self-destructive war long ago.}}

The novel was an [[Old Shame]] for Lem due to quite large amounts of Communist propaganda within (though it was pretty much mandatory for a novel at that time in Poland). Still, against the bleak background of [[Socialist Realism]] literature that was filling the bookstores at that time, the book's exciting speculative fiction aspects have enthralled young readers, and it was a hit back in its time.

 

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* [[Alien Geometries]]: The White Sphere, a Venusian object where light moves along arced rather than straight lines, causing a great deal of confusion for characters who wander inside.

* [[Executive Meddling]]: Pressure from the political elements is the main source of Communism praise in the book.

* [[Job Title]]

* [[Old Shame]]: Lem [http://english.lem.pl/works/novels/astronauts hated this book].

* [[Socialist Realism]]: Parts of it are evident, such as the ridiculously perfect and spotless protagonists, and of course the occasional propaganda.

[[Category:The Astronauts]]

[[Category:Literature]]