Amsterdam airport and Magellanic Clouds

It was afternoon in the Netherlands when we arrived in Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. And I don't really know why, but this city reminded me of a book I read in my early teenage years _ "Magellanic Clouds" by Stanislav Lem. So, I don't know why I had this association, but I want to share this with you. Let me tell you something about it.

“The human was lying on the huge shatter of the meteor. The meteor was so black that you would think a darkness of abysm, where it revolved during centuries, had been stuck on it. This fallen giant was seen very well from the furthest side of the town in daytime. Its breast had been broken by the wing of the racket. Now its shape had been lost in the torchlights from the further town. The wrinkles on the spacesuit had been darkened like clefts of a crag, only a huge head laying behind and touching a stone was like a real human. ”_ This is a statue of a strange astronaut of the future centuries described by Stanislev Lem. That astronaut fell, but he hadn’t been defeated, because you can kill a man and destroy, but it’s impossible to defeat him!

Stanislav Lem

Stanislav Lem was the one of the well-known writers of the world. His books have been translated into many languages, there are films filmed by his novels. Stanislav Lem was born in Lvov in 1921. He studied there in Poland. After the Second World War he moved to Krakow. He chose to study medicine and he graduated high school. He lived there in Krakowin a small normal house. He liked when there was calmness around, so that he didn’t even have a telephone. At first Stanislav Lem was interested in taking photos and movies, but then he thought it was a waste of time and began to write novels. When he was tired he started his car “Tatra” and drove it into the streets of Krakow. Stanislav Lem started writing in 1946. His first book is called “The Used Time. ”

Magellanic Clouds

So, in the "Magellanic Clouds", it’s 32-nd century and everything is depended on technic. People can’t imagine their life without it. Some scientists have decided to fly to another galaxy and try to find humans on other planets. They’ve been working about it for many years... But there are also other people who have planned to fly in space and they became astronauts, and in the story they fly with a space-ship called “Gea” without any serious experience. There are very well described those people’s feelings, emotions and strengths in the novel. They know, that they won’t meet most of their friends and relatives, when they return from the galaktische. And the rest of those relatives will be very old and weak, and maybe they’ll barely recognize each other after nine years. But these nine years won’t be nine years for the people, who stay on the Earth... Years slowly pass and there will born children on the “Gea. ” Those children and also others, who little children were when they went to “Gea” think, that the real sky is dark and that the blue sky is only their imagination. Those people on “Gea” have many problems with each other and with the expanse around them. It will be a very long way to the further stars in their life. These people will pass the Rubicon from the Earth to the deep darkness. Many people die in the war with the space of the stars, but they come back with “Gea. ” Its destination was nine years far from the earth, but they did it. Those people found humans on planet near the Magellenic Clouds.

There are lots of characters in the novel, but I think, the main characters are the doctor, Ameta, Zorin and others. They are astronauts and they know almost everything about space.

The doctor tells himself everything about their adventures. He was born in Greenland, near the polar circle. Their house had many windows and verandas. There was a huge garden around the house. The windows were opened in every season and plants were coming into the house. The doctor loved running and playing in the garden...

Ameta was a pilot. He was experienced pilot. When he was still very young, he rescued children from the horrible space fog. He told fairy-tales to them and he drank coffee not to fall asleep... And one the children there was Zorin.

Zorin had become an astronaut too. He and the doctor had a very hard work to do: They had to build a transgallactical station on a comet. But there came a rain of meteorites. Zorin went out to turn off the Automats, he did that, but when he returned he couldn’t see anything: He fell down on something that could kill a man. But he was alive and was waiting for “Gea” to come back and take him home. But he died. He died at the moment, when the radio was repaired and it rendered that “Gea” was coming to them...

Here is my favourite part:

***

I touched Nils’s shoulder. He didn’t hear anything as I was in my childhood, when I was looking at this painting and he was shivering now as I was.

Suddenly the whole laboratory was lighted and it was Ther-haar’s voice:

—Haven’t you seen this painting yet Nils?

The boy turned his faded face to him.

—What... So this is a painting? What are these dark-clothed people doing with the others?

Historians approached us.

—This creature belongs the 19-th century, —said one of them.

—There are Spanish peasants arrested by the soldiers... — Add Moletich.

—But the child won’t understand, -I said. —This painting...

—Stop! — I was interrupted by Ther-haar with a high tone which I had never heard of him and he turned to the boy:

—Say! What do you see on this painting?

Nils was silent.

—You can’t dare to say that, can you? No, you must say it! Tell me what do you see, what do you think, what do you feel?

—I intened, they...

—Yes, yes, say that!

—They are killing them...

Silence fell. Then Ther-haar looked at his friends, a strange feeling was on his face:

—Do you hear it?

Then he turned to Nils and said:

—This painter was called Francisco Goya, he lived 1500 years ago. Remember his name: He is one of those people who never die. ”

***

I would like everybody to read this novel, because it’s very interesting.

There are so many great ideas and words, which sometimes I think about.

At the same time this book is tragic, romantic, philosophical, scientific and historical; It’s a novel with formed ideas, arguments and thoughts.

In short, this book must be read because of the content first of all, and then you must pay attention every word and phrase written be Stanislav Lem.

I’ve read this book. I read it a year ago. But I’m going to read it again...

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