Entitled the Megabit Bomb, the festival comprises a wide range of events, including meetings, debates, book launches, workshops, readings coupled with live music, concerts, film screenings and theatre plays, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.
The first three days will cater to young audiences, Maciej Kawecki, who heads the Lem Institute, told IAR.
Children will get the chance to participate in workshops on cyber-security, combating hate speech and constructing Mars rovers, he said.
From Sunday, the focus will switch to science-oriented events, such as debates with prominent guests.
On the artistic side, two jazz ensembles are set to perform, including RGG, who will be joined on stage by actor Robert Więckiewicz with a melodeclamation, according to the Lem Institute's Katarzyna Bernaś.
Moreover, the Łaźnia (Bathhouse) Theatre will present a play entitled Dick versus Lem, while a special exhibition is set to showcase reproductions of Lem's books, Bernaś said.
Meanwhile, translator Hatif Janabi will talk about his recent rendition of one of Lem's best-known novels, Solaris, into Arabic.
The festival's name, Megabit Bomb, is a tribute to Lem's collection of futurological essays, published in 1999.
The event has been organised by the city of Kraków and the Lem Institute.
On Monday, September 13, a day that would have been Lem's 100th birthday, Polish Radio will launch a special website focusing on the writer's legacy, galaktykalema.pl.
Users will learn about the sci-fi classic's key books, his life, and the tricks of his trade, all to the soundtrack of unique recordings of Lem himself, which have not been aired since their original broadcasts years ago.
Lem, who was hailed by many as a visionary, was one of Poland's most famous authors. His works have been translated into dozens of languages
His books, revolving around the future of planet Earth and the human species, were often turned into films. The George Clooney-starring Solaris (2002), for example, is based on Lem's 1961 novel of the same title.
Lem's oeuvre, which also features short stories and philosophical essays, contains acclaimed works such as Return from the Stars, Tales of Pirx the Pilot, The Cyberiad and The Chain of Chance.
Lem died in 2006 at the age of 85.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP