Кибериада: Сатирические повести о кибернетическом веке

Sci fi short story series by Stanisław Lem

The Cyberiad (Cyberiada), sometimes subtitled Fables for the Cybernetic Age, is a series of satirical science fiction short stories by Polish writer Stanisław Lem published during 1964 1979. The first collected set of stories was originally published in 1965, with an English translation by Michael Kandel first appearing in 1974. The main protagonists of the stories are Trurl and Klapaucius, two "constructor" robots who travel the galaxy constructing fantastic machines. Nearly every character is either a humanoid robot or some sort of intelligent machine, with few living creatures ever appearing. These robots have for the most part organized themselves into proto feudal societies with strict ranks and structures. The timeline of each story is relatively constrained, with the majority of the individual tales following one or both of the two protagonists as they find and aid civilizations and people in need of their creations, advice, or intervention. Though the thematic content of the stories is broad, most focus on problems of the individual and society, as well as on the vain search for human happiness through technological means. In 1970, the book was adapted into the opera Cyberiada. Alongside many of Lem's other works, this book has been an inspiration for numerous films and games. There is a steel statue of Elektrybałt, Trurl's legendary electronic bard who coins the word Cyberiad, in the Copernicus Science Centre, Warsaw. The Cyberiad shares the peculiar robot's universe, as well as the style, with the cycle Fables for Robots.

Trurl and Klapaucius are "constructors" — brilliant engineers capable of God like exploits through the machines they build. The two have complete control over the physical laws of the universe; for instance, on one occasion, Trurl creates an entity capable of extracting accurate information from the random motion of gas particles, which he calls a "Demon of the Second Kind", with the "Demon of the First Kind" being Maxwell's demon. In another instance, the two constructors re arrange stars near their home planet in order to advertise their services. Despite this incredible power, without their machines the two are relatively powerless, and are captured, incapacitated, and physically beaten numerous times. The duo are both best friends and intellectual rivals. Their adventures consist of both building revolutionary machines at home and travelling the galaxy to aid those in need. Although they are firmly established as fundamentally good and righteous people through their actions, they typically demand payment for their services, usually delivered in the form of precious metals. In one story, when rewards for slaying a dragon are promised and not delivered, Trurl disguises himself in the skin of the dragon to continue harassing the local inhabitants until he can collect his payment. Despite their love of money, they prefer to aid the oppressed and help civilizations reach higher "levels of development" (at least by their own standards.) The machines the two build and the journeys they embark on are the basis for the greater moral lessons of the book.

Though humans are virtually nonexistent, most intelligent machines are still highly anthropomorphic in nearly every aspect; they are bipedal, divided into two sexes, experience human emotions, and at least appear to be capable of love. Robotic versions of physical and mental disabilities, old age and death, particularly in case of accidents or murder, are also common, though mechanical language is used to describe them. Death is theoretically avoidable through constant repair (and sometimes even reversible,) but most machines still carry with them a deep seated knowledge of their own mortality. The universe of The Cyberiad is primarily pseudo medieval, with kingdoms, knights, princesses, and even dragons existing in abundance. The level of technology of the vast majority of kingdoms also mirrors medieval times, with swords, robotic steeds, and gallows widespread. Alongside this, space travel, extremely advanced technology, and futuristic weapons and devices are available, though most robots do not have the means to access or understand them, hence the need for "constructors." Often the lessons of medieval chivalry are retaught in a way more applicable to the machine age. Despite its titular status, the "Cyberiad" is neither a character nor a time period nor a plot element; the word is used only once in ambiguous context by Elektrybałt, an electronic poet invented by Trurl.

The stories are individually framed as fables, with each having a set of moral themes. These themes include the randomness of existence, the imperfection of the human form, and artificial life. Nearly every aristocratic ruler is portrayed as inept or corrupt, ruling over their subjects with brutality and fear. This philosophy was relatively in line with the Soviet view of monarchism. However, contrasting that, a robotic analogue of Karl Marx is also put to death, not because of his ideas, but because he refused to stop attempting to implement his philosophy after his initial failure (a clear critique of the Soviet Union.) The H. P. L. D. ("Highest Possible Level of Development") civilization outright states that it is impossible to force happiness on a civilization, and that it must struggle through the process of building a society itself.

In 1974, an English translation by Michael Kandel was published by Harcourt Brace. The translation has been widely regarded as hugely successful, and Kandel was nominated for numerous awards. Since the original book contained heavy wordplay and neologism, Kandel opted for a method of translation that was more free form than a typical translation, and took heavy liberties in regards to words, sentence structure, and especially poetry. Though this inventive approach to translation can be controversial, in The Cyberiad it has been widely praised as resulting in an immensely successful final result. It has been held up by numerous scholars as a possible standard for the translations of more complex works. Lem himself heavily praised the book and approach, saying Kandel was the "best translator his work could ever have." Though some critics disliked the directness of the fables, it was agreed that it was if nothing else, a sharp and amusing satire of our modern society. It has been considered a classic of Eastern European science fiction, and has become widely appreciated in both the Eastern European and broader scientific and technological communities. The book as a whole, and some stories contained within, have been praised by numerous science fiction writers, most famously Ursula K. Le Guin and Kurt Vonnegut.

In 1970, Krzysztof Meyer composed Cyberiada – an opera to his own libretto based on selected stories. In 1975 an animated film Maszyna Trurla (8 min.) was released based on Lem's story (director pl, screenplay pl). The Seventh Sally or How Trurl's Own Perfection Led to No Good (Polish title: Wyprawa siódma, czyli o tym jak własna doskonałość Trurla do złego przywiodła) was adapted as part of the plot for the film Victim of the Brain, there called The Perfect Imitation. This same story, in which Trurl creates a miniature mechanical kingdom for a tyrant to play with, was also an inspiration of the game SimCity. An elaborate interactive Google Doodle inspired by the illustrations of Daniel Mróz in The Cyberiad was created and published in his honor for the 60th anniversary of Lem's first published book: The Astronauts.