The Popularity and Influence of Stanislav Lem's Works

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They discuss the popularity of Stanislav Lem in the West, sharing personal experiences of reading his works and highlighting the pessimistic and absurd nature of his stories. They mention a potential Lem revival and emphasize the importance of revisiting his works in relation to topics like virtual reality and AI.

Jacob Mikanowski is the author of one of Tyler’s favorite books this year called Goodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land. Tyler and Jacob sat down to discuss all things Eastern Europe, including the differences between Eastern and Western European humor, whether Poles are smiling more nowadays, why the best Polish folk art is from the south, the equilibrium for Kaliningrad and the Suwałki Gap, how Romania and Bulgaria will handle depopulation, whether Moldova has an independent future, the best city to party in, why there are so few Christian-Muslim issues in Albania, a nuanced take on Orbán and Hungarian politics, why food in Poland is so good now, why Stanisław Lem hasn’t gotten more attention in the West, how Eastern Europe has changed his view of humanity, his ideal two week itinerary in the region, what he’ll do next, and more.

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Recorded September 5th, 2023.

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