Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem (1921-2006) "skillfully dissected the 20th century's foolhardy efforts to create utopias by stifling individuality and economic freedoms." So said cultural critic Bruce Edward Walker. Lem was best known internationally as author of the classic Solaris - twice adapted for the silver screen - but the majority of his fiction featured damning allegories against the suppression of the human spirit.