Science Fiction writer Stanislaw Lem died today in Poland of natural causes at the age of 84.

Most famous for his novel entitled “Solaris,” (it was made into a motion picture twice), Lem wrote “The Invincible,” “The Star Diaries,” “The Futurological Congress,” “The Master’s Voice” and “The Cyberiad,” just to name a few.

Lem’s very first novel called “Hospital of the Transfiguration” was so feared by Joseph Stalin that he had it banned in the Soviet Union. It took 8-years for it to finally see the light of day in Russia, but by that time it was already an international best seller.