Fantasy fans draw on the vision of Stanisław Lem , so to celebrate the writer’s birthday, the organizers of the Cytadela Fantasy Festival and the Twierdza Festival have planned three meetings from 9 to 11 September. Experts of Lem’s work will perform at that time – Jakub Palm, Agnieszka and Piotr Górscy. They will talk about the most important works of the writer, his postulates regarding the use of, inter alia, neurotechnology to eliminate human limitations and Lem’s apocalyptic visions. Due to the pandemic, the meetings will be held online and will be conducted from the Citadel’s Facebook profile, admission to the events is free.
“ This year, due to the announced pandemic, we canceled both festivals. There were no discussion panels, cosplay competitions , concerts or RPGs and LARPs , which are very popular every year. On the occasion of Lem’s birthday, we want to meet virtually to talk about this fantastic culture and art, ”says Dorota Filipczak-Brzychcy, founder and president of the Mad Hatter Foundation, creator and organizer of the Citadel and Fortress Fantasy Festivals .
The first e-meeting entitled “Two visions of transhumanism . Stanisław Lem versus Golem XIV ”is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 at 19:30 and will be led by Jakub Palm – futurologist, graduate of philosophy and history, co-organizer of the international series“ Philosophicus . Scientific Convention and Conference ”.
The second meeting will be held on Thursday, September 10 at 19:30 in the form of a discussion panel, chaired by Dorota Filipczak-Brzychcy. The guests will be Agnieszka and Piotr Górski.
Speakers will focus on the topic of Stanisław Lem as a writer, futurist, visionary and will analyze his impact on contemporary culture and art. On the eve of Lem’s birthday, that is on September 11 at 19:30, Anna Górska and her husband Piotr Górski will give a lecture entitled “Lem’s Apocalypse” as part of the closing series of meetings. They will talk about the ends of the world presented in Lem’s works, both terrestrial and cosmic . They will try to answer the questions: what connects them, what the author wanted to say through them, and most importantly, whether Lem survived the apocalypse himself.
In addition to virtual meetings, fantasy fans undertook the screening of one of Lem’s short stories, “The Mask” , which inspired them to work on the borderline of film and theater.
Will you take part in the event?
