Hospital of the Transfiguration (English and Polish Edition)

Hospital of the Transfiguration (English and Polish Edition)

It is 1939; the Nazis have occupied Poland. A young doctor disturbed by the fate of Poland joins the staff of an insane asylum only to find a world of pain and absurdity to match that outside. Translated by William Brand. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book "Insane asylums have always distilled the spirit of the age." So claims one of the central characters in this, Lem's first novel, written in 1948 before he began his career in science fiction. And so Lem chose to set in a mental institution this gripping story of a young Polish doctor's attempt, following the Nazi invasion of 1939, to make sense of his world. The institution proves a microcosm of the chaos outside, for here doctors seem as deranged as their patients. That one patient is a famous poet also allows Lem to probe into the nature of art and provides insight into his literary development. Obviously the work of a young author, both in its passion and its occasional pontification, this should appeal particularly to college students but is highly recommended for all. David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.