Stanisław Lem is considered one of the most important science fiction authors of the 20th century. In his extensive and creatively exuberant work, he predicted numerous technological developments of the future and critically examined them before they actually came into being – from robotics to the internet to space travel. This earned him the nickname “Cassandra of Krakow,” after the Greek prophetess. Novels such as Solaris and The Futurological Congress became classics of fantasy literature. Now director Anita Vulesica has discovered a lesser-known text by Lem for the stage.

When asked about her fascination with the author, Vulesica states: “Lem has been a long-time companion for me and is an absolutely relevant author. I think science fiction is always an exploration of who we really are, where we come from, and where we could go. It shows people in their search for stability and answers.” Although many of his works are set in extraterrestrial worlds, Lem was reluctant to describe himself as a science fiction author, seeing himself more as a philosopher of technology or a futurologist. For him, literature was a way of exploring the relationship between science, technology, and society, and of asking the big questions about humanity.

The text that Anita Vulesica tackles at the DT is called Eine Minute der Menschheit (One Minute of Humanity) and is not a science fiction novel, but rather an essay, or rather a fictional book review. It is a book about a book that attempts to capture what happens in one minute of humanity. It discusses statistics on death, reproduction, overpopulation, and resource scarcity, but also the art produced per minute, church taxes paid, and animals eaten by humans. It can be summarized as an attempt to get to the bottom of what it means to be human. This is made difficult by the nature of time itself, because at the moment of its portrayal, time continues to run, and the statistics just collected lose their relevance. Anita Vulesica: "I am fascinated by the thought experiment because it is doomed to failure. Not only because it remains uncertain whether the book will actually exist, but because it is absurd to even attempt to comprehend everything that humanity does in a minute."

Eine Minute der Menschheit basically touches on the question of the success of human coexistence: How can humans manage to live with the awareness that we are not alone, that we share the Earth? The tragicomic nature of the attempt to comprehend a passing minute in the life of all humanity in a rational but also sensual way is essential for comedy specialist Vulesica: "Absurd basic situations, the desperate struggle to find answers to how to deal with life, are ingredients that I need for my theater work and that I find in Lem. The book touches on questions that our civilization is grappling with: How do we divide the earth and who benefits most from it? At the same time, it is also an attempt to cultivate empathy."

Born in Poland in 1921, Lem was a Jew who witnessed many of the catastrophes of the 20th century, which are reflected in his work. His literary worldviews are always based on life as a tremendous coincidence and a constant balancing act between catastrophes. The director says: "Lem confronts the traumas of his lifetime with an expansive imagination, and therein lies a consolation. I sense in Lem a need to reflect on humanity and to seek new forms for doing so. I can relate to that, and that's where I want to start. A life shaped by ruptures and despair is a good foundation for theater, which doesn't mean it has to be heavy or that it can't be entertaining."

The theater is the perfect place to experience pain and comfort together, according to Anita Vulesica: “For me, theater is a place of hope because people go there to watch other people give their all for each other, to give each other time.”