''Fables for Robots'' () is a series of humorous

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

short stories by Polish writer

Stanisław Lem Stanisław Herman Lem (; 12 September 1921 – 27 March 2006) was a Polish writer. He was the author of many novels, short stories, and essays on various subjects, including philosophy, futurology, and literary criticism. Many of his science fi ...

, first printed in 1964. The fables are written in the grotesque form of folk

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

s, set in the universe populated by

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

s. In this universe there are robot kings, robot peasants, robot knights, robot scientists; a robot

damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has been kidnapped or placed in other peril. The "damsel" is often portrayed as beautiful, popular, and of high social status; she is usually depicted ...

is pestered by a robot dragon, robot dogs have robot fleas, etc. The ''Fables'' constitute the bulk of the collection ''Mortal Engines'' () of translations by

Michael Kandel Michael Kandel (born 24 December 1941, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American translator and author of science fiction. Biography Kandel received a doctorate in Slavistics from Indiana University. His most recent position was editor at the ...

. Two of them were also included into the 1981 collection ''The Cosmic Carnival of Stanislaw Lem'' (). ''Fables for Robots'' share the peculiar robot's universe, as well as the style, with the cycle ''

The Cyberiad ''The Cyberiad'' (), sometimes subtitled ''Fables for the Cybernetic Age'', is a series of humorous science fiction short story, short stories by Polish writer Stanisław Lem published during 1964–1979. The first collected set of stories was or ...

''.

Stories

In 1965 three of the fables, "Jak ocalał świat" ("How the World Survived"), "Maszyna Trurla" ("Trurl's Machine"), and "Wielkie lanie" ("The Great Spanking") were included into the cycle ''

''. On the other hand, one of the stories from ''The Cyberiad'', "O królewiczu Ferrycym i królewnie Krystali" ("About Prince Ferricius and Princess Crystal"), stylistically belongs to the ''Fables'' cycle, but it was not in the original 1964 book. The remaining fables are: * "Trzej elektrycerze"/"The Three Electroknights" * "Uranowe uszy"/"Uranium Ears" * "Jak Erg Samowzbudnik Bladawca pokonał"/"How Erg the Self-Inducting Slew a Paleface" * "Skarby króla Biskalara"/"Treasures of King Biskalar" (not translated into English) * "Dwa potwory"/"Two Monsters" * "Biała śmierć"/"The White Death" *"Jak Mikromił i Gigacyan ucieczkę mgławic wszczęli"/"How Mikromil and Gigatian Provoked the Runaway of Nebulae" ("How Mocrox and Gigant Made the Universe Expand") * "Bajka o maszynie cyfrowej, co ze smokiem walczyła" ("Tale of the Computer That Fought a Dragon"); also included into the 1991 Polish edition of the ''Cyberiad'' * "Doradcy króla Hydropsa"/"The Advisers of King Hydrops" * "Przyjaciel Automateusza"/"Automatthew's Friend" * "Król Globares i mędrcy"/"King Globares and the Sages" * "Bajka o królu Murdasie"/"The Tale of King Murdas" Additionally the 1993 collection ''Pożytek ze smoka'' contained the short story "Zagadka" ("Riddle"), written in 1980, a discussion of Father Cynkan, M.D. (Doctor Magneticus) and Father Chlorjan about the apocryphal possibility of non-ferrous life and how such beings could reproduce, without any design documentation. In 1975 an animated film ''Maszyna Trurla'' (8 min.) was released based on Lem's story (director , screenplay )."Maszyna Trurla"
at filmpolski.pl

References

{{Authority control 1964 short story collections Short story collections by Stanisław Lem Science fiction comedy Wydawnictwo Literackie books Robots in literature he:הקיבריאדה