Hvar City Theatre Days, Vol. 52 No. 1, 2026.
Original scientific paper
The »Solaris« Phenomenon in Literature and Film
Snežana Milojević
Abstract
The central theme of this paper is the novel Journey to Solaris by Rade Jarak, which
opens with an author’s note stating that the work is the homage to Stanisław Lem and Andrei
Tarkovsky. In addition to an inevitable reference to the archetext of the idea of an unknown
planet that plays with those who unsuccessfully try to explore it—Lem’s novel Solaris—this
study will also take into account two relevant film adaptations directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
and Steven Soderbergh. The intertextual relationships (provided we define each of these
artistic forms as a cultural text) will be examined through certain constants that are articulated
differently by each of the mentioned authors. Some of these include: the relationship
between art and science, the meaning and purpose of the effort to establish contact with other
and different worlds, as well as the communication between the authors of these cultural artifacts,
whose foundations lie in the selection of intertextual references in iconic scenes that
represent the crescendo of the contemplation of a particular idea. It is also significant that the
protagonist (Kris Kelvin) in Rade Jarak’s novel returns to Earth (the second half of the novel
is connected to this chronotope), which, during his absence, has acquired clear dystopian
features.The novel’s conclusion, although carrying a certain dose of optimism within the
bizarreness of this »brave new world,« at a deeper level resonates with Tarkovsky’s Stalker.
Keywords
communication; Otherness; science; art; science fiction; dystopia; transmediality; intertextuality
Hrčak ID:
347165
URI
Publication date:
6.5.2026.
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