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story identification - Looking for an old-old sci-fi tale about time-traveling



As recommended, I'm "migrating"/"duplicate" from literature here, to sci-fi.


I can not remember, who is the author, but this seems was Ray Bradbury, however, I've already read couple of his short stories, which would be matched by titles, and nothing found.


So, probably, it is not Ray Bradbury. But this shall be someone like him... ( by date of creation, 1950+ -- somewhere here-- -1990 )



The story starts with one time-traveler, he starts his travel in something like U-boat/Time-Travel-Boat. After a while, another one of him appeared right inside this "Time-Travel-Boat". Okey, they going to travel together.


Thereafter, the third of him - appeared right inside this "Time-Travel-Boat"....


Next one, next one, next one.... etc...


After some time, there were 20+ of him ( may be 600 - six hundredth ). Part of them were from his childhood, and were very young. Another part, opposite, were very old, with beards, etc... Everything mixed up. And such very-very funny chaos happened on this "Time-Travel-Boat".


Please, help!




Q & A:

  • Q: Is the story a short story, not a novel?

  • A: Seems, it was short story...




  • Q: By a "U-boat" do you mean it is literally a boat that goes under water, a submarine?

  • A: No, by "U-boat" I'm meaning environment of action, something like "U-boat", closed / isolated atmosphere, without any chance to exit from it...






  • Q: What kind of "funny chaos" happens?




  • A: "funny chaos", because all of this 20+ persons - was one man, he knew everything about this place, about himself, about each of this 20+ crew members, about all this story... etc... And everyday life is turning in something very different...



  • Q: Is the story humorous in tone?

  • A: Yes, it is humorous, and each new "copy of him", makes the story more-and-more fun... Certainly, It was not a philosophical sight on time-traveling, though, i'm still thinking about this concept of duplication of personality.


  • Q: Is there any sex?

  • Q: no.

  • Q: Are there any other characters besides duplicates of the original time-traveler?

  • A: Seems, not. Only copies / duplicates of main character.



Answer



Like Eike Pierstorff says in a comment, this matches the seventh voyage from The Star Diaries (Dzienniki gwiazdowe) by Stanisław Lem.


In that story, Ijon Tichy is stranded with his spaceship in a time vortex, and ends up together with several copies of himself. The story is humorous, Ijon both gets in fights with his past and future self and has to cooperate them to repair his spaceship. The necessary repairs are of such nature that they need two pairs of hands, but Ijon only has one spacesuit. Eventually two of his child versions get into the same spacesuit, such that two handle tools with the spacesuit hands and two with its feet.



The previous story-id answer Humorous time travel short story about a man's dealings with other versions of himself gives some more details.


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