Solaris | Stanisław Lem

This enjoyable philosophical novel, which is considered a classic of science fiction literature, revolves around scientist "Chris Kelvin" who arrives at a space station near the planet "Solaris" to study the ocean covering its surface, and is forced to confront a painful memory embodied in a likeness of his long-deceased beloved. Other scientists on the station suffer from the same ailment, and there are increasing speculations that the "Solaris" ocean might be a giant mind creating embodied memories, but its purpose in doing so remains a mystery. "Solaris" raises a question that has occupied humans for centuries: can we truly understand the universe around us without first understanding what lies within us? "Solaris" has been translated into more than forty languages, and has been frequently adapted for cinema, radio, and theater, including the famous film directed by "Andrei Tarkovsky," and another directed by "Steven Soderbergh" starring "George Clooney."