✅ Johnston = direct from Polish. Restores the original opening.
For decades, English readers knew Stanisław Lem’s masterpiece Solaris primarily through two imperfect translations—one via French (Kilmartin/Cox) and another that lost much of Lem’s cybernetic edge.
Then came (2001, first as a scholarly edition, then 2011 for Audible/Audio). Johnston, a celebrated translator of Polish literature, finally gave us a Solaris that sounds like Lem: sharp, philosophical, deliberately unsettling, and scientifically precise.
❌ The older Kilmartin/Cox translation? Filtered through French. Lost in space.
Have you read both the older versions and Johnston’s? The difference is night and day.