Editing Solaris (novel) (section)

==Criticism and interpretations==

The novel is the best known elaboration of Lem's trope of the impossibility of [[communication with extraterrestrial intelligence]], present in many of Lem's novels, including his first, ''[[The Man from Mars]]'', and his last,  ''[[Fiasco (novel)|Fiasco]]''.<ref>[[Wojciech Orliński]], ''Co to są sepulki? Wszystko o Lemie'' [''What are Sepulki? Everything about Lem''], 2007, {{ISBN|8324007989}}, p. 54.</ref>

In an interview, Lem said that the novel "has always been a juicy prey for critics", with interpretations ranging from that of [[Freudianism]], critique of [[first contact (science fiction)|contact]] and [[colonialism]],<ref name="Othering">{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4240332|title=Resisting Monsters: Notes on "Solaris"|author=Ann Weinstone|journal=Science Fiction Studies|date= July 1994|volume=21|number=2|pages=173–190|publisher=SF-TH Inc|jstor=4240332|access-date=4 February 2021}}</ref> to [[anticommunism]], proponents of the latter view holding that the Ocean represents the [[Soviet Union]] and the people on the space station represent the [[Soviet Empire|satellite countries of Central and Eastern Europe]]{{Citation needed|reason=This is a biased interpretation and does not represent the author's point of view|date=November 2024}}. He also commented on the absurdity of the book cover blurb for the 1976 edition, which said the novel "expressed the humanistic beliefs of the author about high moral qualities of the human".<ref>[http://solaris.lem.pl/faq Lem's FAQ]</ref> Lem noted that the critic who promulgated the Freudian idea actually blundered by basing his [[psychoanalysis]] on dialogue from the English translation, whereas his diagnosis would fail on the idioms in the original Polish text.<ref>[https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/solaris/29-komentarz-solaris Lem's commentary on ''Solaris'']</ref>

{{Quote|We are humanitarian and chivalrous; we don't want to enslave other races, we simply want to bequeath them our values and take over their heritage in exchange. We think of ourselves as the Knights of the Holy Contact. This is another lie. We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors.|Solaris (§6:72)| 1970 English translation<ref name="Othering"/>}}