The Frankfurt Book Fair 2014

Transcription

A
The Frankfurt Book Fair 2014
Rights Catalogue
Wydawnictwo
literackie
Contact Information
S U P E RV I S O RY B O A R D
Chairperson Vera Michalska-Hoffmann
Tomasz Wardyński
Mirosław Zaremba
Council Chairperson Anna Zaremba-Michalska
Editor-in-Chief Małgorzata Nycz
Head Editorial Secretary Maria Rola
Editorial Secretary Krystyna Zaleska
Finance Director Dariusz Kurdziel
Sales Director Grzegorz Głódkowski
PR & Marketing Director Marcin Baniak
Foreign Rights Manager
Joanna Dąbrowska
e-mail: j.dabrowska@wydawnictwoliterackie.pl
Editor
Jolanta Korkuć
e-mail: j.korkuc@wydawnictwoliterackie.pl
Editor
Paweł Ciemniewski
e-mail: p.ciemniewski@wydawnictwoliterackie.pl
Address
Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers Co. Ltd
ul. Długa 1, 31-147 Kraków
NIP: 676-21-16-135
REGON: 357052753
KRS: 0000012638
tel.: +48 (12) 619 27 40
fax: +48 (12) 422 54 23
2014
Rights Catalogue 2012
Wydawnictwo Literackie
www.wydawnictwoliterackie.pl
2
Contents
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About Wydawnictwo Literackie
FICTION
Contemporary Fiction
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15
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23
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27
29
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35
38
39
40
43
45
48
49
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57
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60
61
Anderman Janusz – All the Time
Anderman Janusz – That’s All
Anderman Janusz – The Chain of Pure Hearts
Drotkiewicz Agnieszka – Vespers
Grzegorzewska Gaja – The Concrete Palace
Janko Anna – The Matchbox Girl
Janko Anna – The Passion According to Saint Hanka
Janko Anna – The Small Annihilation
Karpowicz Ignacy – Balladynas and Romances
Karpowicz Ignacy – Fish Bones
Karpowicz Ignacy – Gestures
Karpowicz Ignacy – The Miracle
Karpowicz Ignacy – Offbeat
Karpowicz Ignacy – Sonka
Klejnocki Jarosław – Death Options
Maicher Katarzyna – Persimmon
Orłoś Kazimierz – I Can’t Live Without You
Orłoś Kazimierz – The House Under the Sign of the Lute
Orłoś Kazimierz – The Forest Lovers’ Tale and Other Stories
Pilch Jerzy – The Other Journal
Pilch Jerzy – Zuza, or: A Time of Growing Distant
Pilot Marian – Plume
Pilot Marian – Vim
Pilot Marian – The New Wilderness
Pilot Marian – Character
Przygodzki Błażej – With Surgical Precision
Przygodzki Błażej – Plain Truth
Sosnowski Jerzy – Meet Me in Honolulu
Twardoch Szczepan – Eternal Grunwald
Twardoch Szczepan – Morphine
Twardoch Szczepan – Drach
Women’s Fiction
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64
67
68
69
70
71
73
Frankowska Karolina – Enchant Me
Grochola Katarzyna – The Flutter of Wings
Grochola Katarzyna – The Crystal Angel
Grochola Katarzyna – The Green Door
Grochola Katarzyna – Houston, We Have a Problem
Grochola Katarzyna – A Slightly Bigger Monday
Grochola Katarzyna – Lost Heaven
Krakowiak-Kondracka Agnieszka – Surprise Egg
Michalak Katarzyna – A Year in Poziomka
79 Michalak Katarzyna – Summer in Jagódka
80 Michalak Katarzyna – Return to Poziomka
81 Michalak Katarzyna – The Cherry Manor
82 Michalak Katarzyna – The Game of Ferrin
83 Michalak Katarzyna – Return to Ferrin
84 Michalak Katarzyna – The Heart of Ferrin
85 Michalak Katarzyna – The War of Ferrin
86 Michalak Katarzyna – Lady of Ferrin
87 Michalak Katarzyna – In the Name of Love
89 Michalak Katarzyna – Anything for You
91 Niemczuk Jerzy – Cat Whip
93 Olejnik Agnieszka – I Got Lost
96 Wiśniewski Janusz – Blood Flow
97 Wiśniewski Janusz – My Greatest Intimacy
98 Wiśniewski Janusz – Scenes from the Life through the Wall
99 Wiśniewski Janusz – Traces
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78
Childres’s and Young Adult Fiction
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103
106
110
111
112
113
Nowak Ewa – Bracelet
Masłowska Dorota – How I Became a Witch
Bończa-Stuhr Marianna, Stuhr Jerzy – Kacperek in the Library
Terakowska Dorota – Cocoon
Terakowska Dorota – It
Terakowska Dorota – Where the Angels Fall
Terakowska Dorota – The Witch’s Daughter
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Orbitowski Łukasz – Holy Wroclaw
116 Orbitowski Łukasz – It’s Coming
117 Orbitowski Łukasz – Phantoms
119 Piskorski Krzysztof – Shadowcarving
120 Piskorski Krzysztof – Volta
115
NON-FICTION
History
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Chwalba Andrzej – Europe’s suicide. World War I 1914–1918
Kaczmarek Ryszard – Poles in the Wermacht
127 Kaczmarek Ryszard – Poles in the Kaiser’s Army During World War
One
128 Kaczmarek Ryszard – The Silesian Uprising
130 Karpiński Krzysztof – The Once Was Jazz: The Cry of the Jazz Band in
Interwar Poland
133 Wołos Mariusz, Kornat Marek – Józef Beck – A Biography
135 Kowal Paweł – Between Majdan and Smoleńsk. Interviewers:
Paweł Legutko and Dobrosław Rodziewicz
138 Motyka Grzegorz – From the Volhynia Massacre to Operation Vistula.
Polish-Ukrainian Conflicts 1943–1947
139 Motyka Grzegorz – The Hunt is on for the White Poles… The Battle
Between the NKVD (Soviet Secret Service) and the Polish Underground,
1944–1953
141 Nowak Andrzej – Forgotten Appeasement
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125
Pepłoński Andrzej – War for Hidden Causes. In the Second Polish
Republic’s Secret Service, 1918–1945
145 Petelicki Sławomir, Komar Michał – GROM: Power and Honour
147 Sowa Andrzej Leon – A Political History of Poland 1944–1991
148 Sowa Andrzej Leon – Who pronounced the “sentence on the city”?
Operational plans of Union of Armed Struggle – Home Army (1940–1944)
150 Wołos Mariusz – Of Piłsudski, Dmowski, and the May Coup: Soviet
Diplomacy toward Poland during the 1925–1926 Political Crisis
143
Biography – Autobiography – Memoirs
Brylewski Robert, Księżyk Rafał – Crisis in Babylon
Głowiński Michał – Autobiography
158 Grochola Katarzyna, Szelągowska Dorota – Tapestry
160 Hartwig Julia – Diaries
162 Hen Józef – Journals, Continued
164 Komendołowicz Iza – Elka. Recollections about Elżbieta Czyżewska
166 Kuryluk Ewa – Frascati
167 Kuryluk Ewa – Goldi
170 Masłowska Dorota, Drotkiewicz Dorota – The World Soul
173 Michalska Francesca – All the Joy of Living
175 Modelski Łukasz – The Fifth Taste
178 Mrożek Sławomir: Scenes with Mrożek. 39 Stories from Different
Places and Times, ed. by Magdalena Miecznicka
180 Pankiewicz Tadeusz – The Pharmacy in the Krakow Ghetto
182
Penderecki Krzysztof, Janowska Katarzyna, Mucharski Piotr –
The Penderecki Family. A Saga
184 Poświatowska Halina – Story for a Friend
186 Staniszkis Jadwiga, Cieślar Artur – East and West. An Encounter
188 Stańko Tomasz, Księżyk Rafał – Desperado
191 Stuhr Jerzy – The Stuhrs. A Family History
192 Stuhr Jerzy – That’s What I Think…
195 Sumińska Dorota – Animal in the Bedroom
196 Sumińska Dorota – Still on Four Paws
199 Tymański Tymon, Księżyk Rafał – A Biography of Tymon Tymański
201 Wałęsa Danuta, ed. Adamowicz Piotr – Dreams and Secrets
203 Wilk Paulina – Distinguishing Marks
205 Włodek Ludwika – A Tale of the Iwaszkiewicz Family
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157
Self-Help
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208
210
213
215
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Grochola Katarzyna, Wiśniewski Andrzej – Marital and Extra-Marital
Fun and Games
Grochola Katarzyna, Wiśniewski Andrzej – Loving Relationships
and Break Ups
Kajdański Edward – Chinese Medicine for Beginners
Spodaryk Mikołaj, Grabowska Elżbieta – I Know What My Child Is
Eating
Sumińska Dorota, Krzywicka Dorota, Stanisławska Irena A. – How to
Live in Harmony with the Bigger and Smaller Members of the
Household
Woydyłło Ewa – How to Live with Depression, but Not in Depression
Travel
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217
Głombiowski – Come to Zocalo in the Evening
219
Grzywaczewski Tomasz – Through the Wild East
Grzywaczewski Tomasz – Life and Death on the Road of Death
223 Sumińska Dorota – Smile of the Gecko. Asia You Do Not Know
225 Włodarczyk Barbara – There Is No One Russia
221
POETRY
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228
244
Kozioł Urszula – Clang
Lipska Ewa – Dear Ms. Schubert
Lipska Ewa – Echo
Matywiecki Piotr – The Audience
Mikołajewski Jarosław – Broken Glasses
Mikołajewski Jarosław – On the Inhalation
Poświatowska Halina – Complete Poems
Szewc Piotr – Thin Glass
Szuber Janusz – This Time Clearly
Waga Adam – Limping
Waga Adam – Obolus (Pilot Marian – Final Resolutions)
245
LIST OF AUTHORS AVAILABLE FOR TRANSLATION
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About Wydawnictwo Literackie
For 61 years we have been inspiring, creating and publishing: exceptional
Authors, exceptional books.
In the very heart of Krakow, in the famed and distinctive Pod Globusem
Building on Długa Street 1, stands the headquarters of Wydawnictwo
Literackie Publishers – one of the largest and most highly respected literary
publishers in Poland.
Founded in 1953, Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers has been inspiring
the most fascinating literary phenomena and publishing the finest names
in Polish and world literature for over half a century, including novelists,
poets, essayists, historians, and cultural scholars. We are, above all,
publishers of literature, particularly of Polish and foreign prose and
non‑fiction – including important memoirs, history books, popular science
titles, and literature for young people.
Among the authors affiliated with WL are Polish and foreign Nobel Prize
winners, as well as outstanding, admired, and award-winning figures
from the worlds of culture, literature, and art. We would not, however,
be considered one of the most influential on the market if we did not invite
the most interesting young and promising writers to work with us, as well
as the leading names in popular literature.
My love affair with Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers began many years ago.
In 1957 they wanted to publish my novel, The Issa Valley, and in May they
received my manuscript. I admit that, because of my neglect, the signing of the
contract was postponed till August. Then the manuscript was readied for print.
Unfortunately, on 14 December the printing was halted “following discussions
at the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party Publishing
Commission, owing to the general political activities of the author.” Nonetheless,
I recall with gratitude that the entire fee for the print run of 10,000 copies was
paid to my family. The publishing house returned to The Issa Valley after
I received the Nobel Prize, and its first Polish publication was in 1981. I clearly
had a great deal of sentiment for them, given that they issued my book of poetry
entitled A Hymn of Pearl in 1983, and in 1984, a two-volume edition of my
collected poems. I entrusted the publication of my collected works to two Krakow
publishers, Wydawnictwo Literackie and Znak. This clearly shows the esteem
I hold for the team at Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers.
– Czesław Miłosz
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Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers is the only publishing house in Poland
capable of such enormous and prestigious undertakings as the collected
works of Stanisław Brzozowski, Witold Gombrowicz, Czesław Miłosz,
and Antoni Kępiński, a thirty-four volume publication of the works
of Stanisław Lem, the publication of the monumental collection of quotes
entitled Winged Words, edited by Henryk Markiewicz and Andrzej
Romanowski, the laborious preparation of a fifteen-volume scholarly edition
of the works of Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, and the publication of Sławomir
Mrożek’s diaries and correspondence.
We pride ourselves on a record number of awards and nominations gained
for our authors and for the publishing house itself – we publish books
by winners of the Nike Literary Award, the Kościelski Award, the Janusz
Zajdel Polish Fandom Award, the K. Wyka Award, the Polityka Passport,
the Literatura na Świecie Award, the Gdynia Literary Award, and many others.
Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers is one of the first in Poland to have
begun selling books in the increasingly popular medium of electronic
publishing, in e-book and audio book formats. These new spaces for fine
literature are a great opportunity for authors and readers both – to our
mind, it is worth using the latest technologies to get books out to as many
diverse readers as possible!
My relationship with Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers is affectionate,
bilateral, deep, extracurricular, fruitful, inspiring, interpersonal, long-term,
multifaceted, precise, subtle, valuable, and vivacious. Because I do not know
which term is the most important here, I have listed them all, in alphabetical
order. For the good of future authors, I hope that Wydawnictwo Literackie carries
on for another hundred years.
– Wisława Szymborska
Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers means brilliant writers, the foremost
figures in culture, and inspiring personalities.
PERSONALITIES
Wisława Szymborska, Czesław Miłosz, Father Joachim Badeni,
Stanisław Barańczak, Władysław Bartoszewski, Zygmunt Bauman,
Jan Błoński, Andrzej Bobkowski, Zbigniew Brzeziński, Karl Dedecius,
Michał Głowiński, Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, Józefa Hennelowa,
Maria Janion, Stanisław Lem, Henryk Markiewicz, Sławomir Mrożek,
Maria Orwid, Wojciech Pszoniak, Tadeusz Różewicz, Tomasz Stańko,
Jerzy Stuhr, Dorota Sumińska, Jan Józef Szczepański, Hanna Świda-Ziemba,
Jan Twardowski, Karol Wojtyła, Adam Zamoyski, Antonina Żabińska
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POLISH PROSE WRITERS
Janusz Anderman, Jacek Dukaj, Jerzy Franczak, Anna Janko,
Ignacy Karpowicz, Włodzimierz Kowalewski, Zbigniew Kruszyński,
Mikołaj Łoziński, Magdalena Miecznicka, Łukasz Orbitowski,
Kazimierz Orłoś, Jerzy Pilch, Marian Pilot, Jerzy Sosnowski, Olga Tokarczuk,
Szczepan Twardoch
ESSAYISTS, NON-FICTION WRITERS
Przemysław Czapliński, Tomasz Fiałkowski, Aleksander Fiut,
Tomasz Grzywaczewski, Jerzy Jarzębski, Michał Paweł Markowski,
Tadeusz Nyczek, Marian Stala, Jadwiga Staniszkis, Agata Tuszyńska,
Teresa Walas, Barbara Włodarczyk, Ewa Woydyłło
STARS OF POPULAR LITERATURE
Katarzyna Grochola, Marta Fox, Grzegorz Kasdepke, Katarzyna Krenz,
Roma Ligocka, Katarzyna Michalak, Jerzy Niemczuk, Katarzyna T. Nowak,
Agnieszka Pilaszewska, Dorota Terakowska, Janusz L. Wiśniewski
HISTORIANS
Andrzej Andrusiewicz, Henryk Batowski, Czesław Brzoza, Andrzej Chwalba,
Henryk Ćwięk, Max Hastings, Ryszard Kaczmarek, Kazimierz Krajewski, Jan
M. Małecki, Mariusz Markiewicz, Grzegorz Motyka, Andrzej Nowak, Andrzej
Paczkowski, Artur Patek, Andrzej Pepłoński, Andrzej Przewoźnik, Jan Rydel,
Andrzej Leon Sowa, Stanisław Szczur, Ryszard Terlecki, Janusz Węc, Adam
Zamoyski
POETS
Julia Hartwig, Zbigniew Herbert, Urszula Kozioł, Ewa Lipska,
Piotr Matywiecki, Jarosław Mikołajewski, Ewa E. Nowakowska,
Czesław Miłosz, Jolanta Stefko, Tadeusz Różewicz, Wisława Szymborska,
Halina Poświatowska, Piotr Szewc, Janusz Szuber, Jan Sztaudynger,
Adam Zagajewski
FOREIGN WRITERS
Margaret Atwood, John Banville, John D. Barrow, Jessie Barton, Walter
Benjamin, Hans Georg Berg, Thomas Bernhard, Jorge Luis Borges, Michael
Brooks, Andrea Camilleri, Emmanuel Carrere, Eleanor Catton, Rachel Cusk,
Kiran Desai, Annie Dillard, Robin Dunbar, Joel Egloff, T.S. Eliot, Anne Enright,
Hans Magnus Enzensbergera, Oriana Fallaci, Niall Ferguson, George
Friedman, Max Frisch, Anna Gavalda, William Golding, Sophie Hannah, Tim
Harford, Sue Monk Kidd, Karl Ove Knausgärd, Hedi Kaddour, Asa Larsson,
Doris Lessing, Primo Levi, Jonathan Littell, Armistead Maupin, Cormac
McCarthy, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Alice Munro, Orhan Pamuk, Wiktor
Pielewin, Sylvia Plath, Thomas Pynchon, Atiq Rahimi, Tom Reiss, Philip Roth,
Philippe Segur, Elif Shafak, Ian Stewart, Jurgen Thorvald, Venedict Yerofeyev,
Mika Waltari, Virginia Woolf
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FI C T I O N
Janusz Anderman
Janusz Anderman (b. 1949) is one of Poland’s most respected contemporary
writers, a translator of Czech literature, film director, author of scripts, plays,
and radio plays. He is also the author of a popular prose series entitled
Photography, and the novels That’s All, Playing for Time, and All the Time, which
was nominated for the Nike Literary Award.
A film was made based on All the Time, entitled The Lesser Evil, directed by
Janusz Morgenstern. Anderman’s short stories served as the canvas for the
film Country of the World, directed by Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz, and for Olaf
Lubaszenko’s short directorial debut.
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FI C T I O N
Janusz Anderman
All the Time
Cały Czas
Keynote
One of the most interesting books about Poland from communist times and
the country as it is today! Andre Gide’s The Immoralist combined with Thomas
Mann’s Confessions of Felix Krull laced with a smattering of Tadeusz DołęgaMostowicz’s Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy (The Career of Nikodem Dyzma).
Sales points
•A large dose of irony, satire and an intelligent sense of humour.
•Screen version of the novel in preparation.
•The book attracted a great deal of controversy and was widely commented on in the press.
Date of publication: 2006
Pages: 312
Category:
Rights sold:
France (Noir sur Blanc)
English sample available
Description
Poland in a Blaze of Disgrace!
The story of a writer who has never written a book, yet has willingly put his
name to the works of others. He has only seduced married women, yet those
who were most influential. He has played an expert game of appearances
and created a life philosophy from his insincerity and wicked deeds. A.Z.
is a mutation of Nikodem Dyzma and Citizen Piszczyk. The tomfoolery of
these protagonists has been replaced by the cynicism of A.Z. Only one thing
has remained unchanged and resistant to historical transformations — the
absurdities of the Polish reality, in which the main character of Cały Czas acts
with impunity, until the moment when he sees through his car windscreen
a freight truck hurtling towards him...
The first contemporary novel about the 50’s generation and its head-on
collision with the ethos of a hero of our times.
How many such A.Z’s do we see every day. They have forged something, cheated
somebody, bared their bottoms, palmed something off, landed something and the
media is full of them from morning to evening, the esteemed jacks of all trades…
Tomorrow belongs to him. Very enlightening literature.
Bogdan Wojdyła, “Angora”
Anderman has written an excellent and funny novel that unmasks the mechanisms
reigning over cultural life in every system of government and ironically describes the
last decades of Polish history.
Leszek Bugajski, “Newsweek”
Target market
Lovers of intelligent, perverse novels of manners
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FI C T I O N
Janusz Anderman
That’s All
To wszystko
Keynote
A masterful story of an author with writer’s block, bringing to mind the prose
of Saul Bellow. A masterstroke — and that’s all.
Sales points
•The latest novel by one of the most highly-ranked Polish writers of his generation
•Extremely favorable reviews from readers and critics alike
Description
Pages: 314
Category:
Rights available: World
How far will a writer go to call attention to his book? Scandal? Crime?
Madness?
The protagonist of Janusz Anderman’s latest book will stop at nothing to save
his work from oblivion…
A cunning joke, or maybe a deadly serious tale? A novel that overturns
stereotypes about the contemporary artist and his place in the contemporary
hyper-commercialized world.
Irony of the highest grade. A book that is even more courageous than The Whole
Time, showing the new face of Janusz Anderman’s prose.
Target market
Lovers of brave psychological, ironic and sociological literature, those interested
in the contemporary world.
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FI C T I O N
Janusz Anderman
The Chain of Pure Hearts
Łańcuch czystych serc
Keynote
The Chain… shows a splendid sense of observation, a brilliant ear for language,
and a rough form of magical realism from a master of the short form – Janusz
Anderman.
Sales points
•A selection of the writer’s finest short stories to date
Description
Pages: 292
Category:
Anderman listens to people on the street, showing them at turning points
in Polish history (during Martial Law, and the transformation period after
the Round Table) with a grotesque sense of humor. We find a monologue
by a man on a bunk in an intern center, a picture of a pile of books brought
to the paper mill from a bankrupt warehouse, and among the books sits
a retired teacher... Everyday scenes played out in front of the Palace of Culture
and Science… A disoriented crowd during a demonstration. The author shows
the state of people’s minds with no holds barred, rendering the atmosphere
of the social moods. He finds his own way of doing this, one that is
characteristic and appeals to the imagination, while working powerfully
on the emotions. He incarnates himself, with a phenomenal feel for language,
into characters both recognizable and terrifying.
A feature film was made based on “Country of the World” (dir. Maria
Zmarz‑Koczanowicz), while on the basis of two other stories Olaf Lubaszenko
(in his directorial debut) made short films for Education Television,
with a lecture by Bronisław Maj delivered from the top of the Palace of Culture.
Brilliant stories, for which critics can find no comparison in Polish literature,
and which readers can finally have in one volume.
“A great imitator of others’ voices, a writer particularly sensitive to the comedy
of it all, who pushes his passion for mockery to the extreme, unwilling to sacrifice
his individuality for anything.”
Marta Wyka
“Anderman is a fiery polemist, gifted with an absurd sense of humor and the ability
to draw a surreal portrait.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Anderman spares no one, flatters no one, and leaves no one with any illusions.”
The Guardian
13
FI C T I O N
Agnieszka Drotkiewicz
Agnieszka Drotkiewicz (b. 1981) has written the novels Paris London Dachau,
The Same for Me, and Now. She graduated in cultural relations from the Oriental
Studies Institute of Warsaw University, and from cultural studies at the same
school. She works regularly with Lampa magazine.
Her published works include:
• Paris London Dachau (2004)
• Same for Me (Dla mnie to samo, 2006)
• Now (Teraz, 2009)
She coauthored the following books:
• Speak up! Interviews with female writers (Głośniej! Rozmowy z pisarkami, 2006)
– with Anna Dziewit
• People, cities. Literature of Belarus, Germany, Poland and Ukraine. Anthology
(Ludzie, miasta. Literatura Białorusi, Niemiec, Polski I Ukrainy. Antologia
tekstów, 2008)
• The drone theory and others (Teoria trutnia i inne, 2009) – with Anna Dziewit
• Far from Wuthering Heights (Daleko od Wichrowych Wzgórz, 2010) –
anthology
• I haven’t sat down today yet (Jeszcze dzisiaj nie usiadłam, 2011) – interviews
• The world soul (Dusza światowa, 2013) – interview with Dorota Masłowska
Translations:
• Sylvie Baussier, Les rêves (O snach, 2010)
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FI C T I O N
Vespers
Nieszpory
Keynote
Sharp, merciless observations about reality – culture, customs, psychology and
society
Sales points
•Stylistic artistry combined with a great talent to observe the world and people around
Description
Pages: 144
Category:
15
The protagonist is Joanna, a workaholic sharing her life between Poland and
Paris. Joanna is trying to find her place in life and so do other characters
appearing in the novel: Joanna’s mother Sylwia, Roman, a painter that is in
a relationship with her, and her friend, an aging university secretary, longing
for riches, great world and love.
FI C T I O N
Gaja Grzegorzewska
Gaja Grzegorzewska (b. 1980) is a writer of detective novels. She graduated
from film theory at the Jagiellonian University.
After her debut in 2006 she was declared the youngest and most promising
Polish author of detective novels. In 2011 she received the prestigious High
Caliber award for The Drowner, which was named detective novel of the year.
As a lover of detective novels, she also writes a column for Portal Kryminalny.
She is adept at the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. She lives in Krakow.
Author photograph
© Anna Ciupryk
16
FI C T I O N
Gaja Grzegorzewska
The Concrete Palace
Betonowy pałac
Keynote
A dark detective novel by Poland’s female Chandler
Sales points
•The new Polish queen of the detective novel
•Winner of the prestigious High Caliber award for detective novel of the year
•A new, dark take on Krakow
Description
Pages: 300
Category: Contemporary Fiction
(crime novel)
Modern-day Krakow, forbidden feelings and a hunt through the darkest corners
of Krakow – a city full of sin and mystery.
The protagonist of this book is the Professor; he was raised in a dangerous area
of Krakow among rotten, corrupt people. He has a dark and shady past which
weighs upon his life. At the same time, he is an intelligent, well-read person
who is sensitive and lives by his own code of honor. He fits in with neither
the world he grew up in nor the one to which he aspired.
After two years in exile in the southern seas, the Professor returns to Krakow.
Though he does not wants to return to the world of crime, it has its stakes on
him. New times and power structures have come to the city, and the housing
estate where the Professor grew up has a new King. Moreover, the King’s wife
has disappeared, and it is up to the Professor to find her. As if that wasn’t
enough, a fifteen-year-old girl has appeared in his path, a nymphette whom he
is forced to look after.
The Professor sets off on the trail…
Meanwhile, a serial killer has shown up in the area belonging to the King.
The King will do anything to catch him…
Target market
Lovers of crime novels, thrillers, and tales of suspense.
17
FI C T I O N
Anna Janko
Anna Janko (b. 1957) is one of Poland’s finest contemporary novelists, poets,
and literary critics. She was a finalist for the Nike Literary Award in 2001.
She has also won numerous other literary awards and distinctions.
Her novel The Matchbox Girl (nominated for Cogito Media Award in 2008
and for the Angelus Central European Literary Award) was enthusiastically
received by critics and readers alike – it was called mandatory therapeutic
literature for every woman. The Passion According to Saint Hanka is her
second novel. She is currently working on a new book entitled The Small
Annihilation.
Author photograph
© Agnieszka Herman
18
FI C T I O N
Anna Janko
The Matchbox Girl
Dziewczyna z zapałkami
Keynote
Literary, therapeutic, intimate, and thoroughly modern, The Matchbox Girl
is a striking novelistic debut by an established poet.
Sales points
• Winner of and nominee for several awards, including the Warsaw Literary Premiere,
the Cogito Media Award, the Angelus Literary Award, and the Władysław Reymont
Literary Award
• A “women’s novel” that does not talk down to its reader, and has much to say to men
and women both.
Pages: 350
Category:
Rights available: World,
excl. Germany
English synopsis available
Description
The debut novel by poet Anna Janko, who delights and enchants from the very
first page. The author’s language is beautiful and flowing, and does not shy
from experiments, hovering on the verge of prose realism and poetic mysticism.
The narrator is an extremely sensitive woman stuck in a marriage that has,
over time, turned into a kind of prison. While going about her everyday activities,
somewhere between hanging up the laundry and making lunch, she got lost. She lost
her own identity. Her husband, who was meant to be the only one for her, turned out
to be an insensitive go-getter, and her mother-in-law has despised her from the start.
Ultimately she escapes into alcohol, which makes the cruel world more pleasant and
approachable, and writing, which partially serves a therapeutic function, and helps
her to put her life in order.
This novel is a rousing success.
Dariusz Nowacki, Gazeta Wyborcza
Anna Janko has written a very subversive, very intelligent, and very female novel.
Its femininity is subtle, its subversiveness surprising, its intelligence simply dazzling.
What more could you ask?
Paweł Huelle
One feels a kinship here with Sylvia Plath – Janko’s language works on our senses
in a similar way.
K. Kofta
Target market
Readers interested in contemporary life, readers of psychological prose and fine
Polish prose as such.
19
FI C T I O N
Anna Janko
The Passion According to Saint Hanka
Pasja według św. Hanki
Keynote
The Passion According to Saint Hanka is a total examination of love – and what
makes it so necessarily incomprehensible
Sales points
• An acknowledged poet makes a graceful shift to novels, sacrificing none of the depth
and beauty that made her originally admired
Description
Pages: 368
Category:
excl. Germany
“Love walks among people and searches for lovers. It matters little who they are
and how their loves are entangled, how old they are, how much energy they
have, or how much money or time, what their views, plans, obligations,
and duties consist in,” Janko writes in her novel. She tells the story of Hanka –
the protagonist of her previous novel, several years down the road. Hanka,
who at first “took a husband as if he were freedom,” is disappointed with
the married life. She meets an old lover and an affair begins; there is betrayal,
guilt, and pain, but also delight, enchantment and disenchantment, heaven
and hell… It is all described with an extraordinarily insightful dynamic,
all in the context of the drama of love.
“What is most incredible in this story is a sense of hunger. Hunger for literature and
for the sensuous side of life”.
Przemysław Czapliński
Target market
Readers of contemporary prose that is ambitious and demanding, and readers
of lighter “women’s” literature.
20
FI C T I O N
Anna Janko
The Small Annihilation
Mała Zagłada
Keynote
Another novel of the esteemed witer and poet – Anna Janko! A very personal,
moving family history dealing with the author’s mother fate.
Anna Janko, whose all novels have so far been appreciated by the audience and
critics alike, is working on a new novel, that all her fans are looking forward to.
The setting is a village called Sochy at the Zamojskie territory. It was completely
destroyed within hours on the first of June in 1943. It was burnt down by the
Germans and its inhabitants were shot. Left among the ruins were children and
a handful of adults. Only one house was left intact. One of the children happens
to be the author’s mother, who was eight years old at the time…
Sochy are ranked among four groups of European places which symbolize those
most affected by the Second World War. They have had an artistic impact on
documentary film makers and artists, they were featured in school books, but
also served as major themes in numerous literary and cinematic works (like for
example Le vieux fusil with Romy Schneider). In Poland, what happened in Sochy
is all but forgotten and the younger generations have no associations with the
name whatsoever. Anna Janko wishes to fill this memory gap.
The book will be based on documents: written and oral accounts, photographs.
And what is most important – reminiscences of the witnesses of those tragic
events: Teresa Ferenc (author’s mother) and Bronisława Szawara.
This is, as always, an ambitious piece of writing, demanding from its readers an
undivided attention, and the topic is much more difficult than in her previous
titles, however it is also a very rewarding read. Janko is planning to combine
a very personal contemporary stories with real live events, reportage as well as
sociological and psychological reflections.
Date of publication:
forthcoming
Pages: to come
Category:
excl. Germany
21
FI C T I O N
Ignacy Karpowicz
Ignacy Karpowicz (b. 1976) is one of Poland’s most interesting
contemporary writers. He has written several novels (Lame, Miracle, Gestures,
Ballads and Romances, Fish Bones, Sońka), he won the Polityka Passport in
2010 for his novel Ballads and Romances, and was earlier nominated for the
same award for Lame (2006). He has received three nominations for the
prestigious NIKE Literary Award for Gestures (2009), Ballads and Romances
(2011), and Fish Bones (2014). He has been a columnist for Charaktery,
Polityka, and Dziennik Opinii magazines, and a reviewer for Gazeta Wyborcza.
OUTSTANDING AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Nomination for the “Polityka” Passport for Niehalo
„Polityka” Passport for Balladynas and Romances
Nominated for the NIKE Award for Gestures
Nominated for the NIKE Award for Balladynas and Romances
Nominated for the NIKE Award for Fish Bones
BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR IN THE WYDAWNICTWO LITERACKIE
PUBLISHERS CATALOGUE
Novels
Gestures (2008)
Balladynas and Romances (2010)
Offbeat (2013, re-edition)
The Miracle (2013, re-edition)
Ości (2013)
Sońka (2014)
22
FI C T I O N
Ignacy Karpowicz
Balladynas and Romances
Balladyny i romanse
Keynote
Take a pinch of Bulgakov, a touch of Rabelais and a healthy dose of Kundera,
and you are starting to approach Karpowicz’s world.
Sales points
•Nominated for the prestigious NIKE Award (2011)
•“Polityka” Passport Award
•A mixture of wildly imaginative flights of fancy and serious existential reflection
Description
Publication date: 2010
Pages: 576
Category:
Rights sold:
Hungary (Typotex),
Spain (Rayo Verde Editorial)
Things on Earth aren’t looking so good. The old, mighty Gods have pushed
out the trivial, yet ruthless little gods of pop culture. The world of the
global village provides no sense of stability and security. People are isolated
and have long lost their hope for a change of fate – they spend their lives
from one day to the next, apathetic and bored… And to make matters
worse, the coffee starts running out.
But one day the gods begin to act. A large group of them appears
among the people. Will Nike, Aphrodite, Jesus, Osiris, Lucifer and others
manage to bring back the proper hierarchy? Will humanity once again
believe? Ignacy Karpowicz’s latest novel is a brilliantly wrought, ironic
treatise on modernity. It is at once amusing and terrifying. Provocative
and blasphemous. Some will like it. Others won’t. And that’s the way
it should be.
Target market
Those interested in the outer limits of modern literary invention,
and in authors willing to compromise nothing to tell their story.
23
FI C T I O N
Ignacy Karpowicz
Fish Bones
Ości
Keynote
A modern literary danse macabre – wild and unpredictable, it leaves you
breathless!
Sales points
•One of the top rated Polish writers of the younger generation
•Three times nominated for the prestigious NIKE Literary Award
•Winner of the Polityka Passport in 2012
Description
Pages: 468
Category:
Right sold: Hungary (Typotex)
How to understand a person who has erased his Facebook profile? Can a wife
come to like her husband’s lover? And what links a married couple, a gay pair,
and an utterly hairless man? In spite of appearances, a great deal indeed…
Fish Bones a tale of the tangled nature of human relationships, full of games and
judgments. Sometimes semi-serious and sometimes dead serious. And it is very,
very good.
The beginning of this novel sounds innocent enough: „Beyond seven delusions
and as many dreams, beyond the forests of mysteries and silence, some
time ago somewhere in Warsaw…”. But nothing in this novel is innocent,
predictable, or evident.
„Karpowicz’s novel is a complex and enormously intelligent weave. It tells of two
families in which betrayal and extra-marital affairs lead less to destruction than to
the expansion of relationships. What is decisive here are feelings stronger than lust
and attitudes weaker than sincerity. It is precisely this suggestion – that a lasting
bond means not always calling a spade a spade, a necessary dose of hypocrisy, and
a discrepancy between behavior and opinions – makes Karpowicz’s Fish Bones one
of the most intriguing novels about families that has been written in recent years.”
„However it might sound, this book is extraordinarily juicy. And so hot that it burns.”
Michał Nogaś
„If you are traveling by bus or train and see someone across from you reading Fish
Bones, you can be more than sure that he’ll be wearing a wonderful, sincere, and
beautiful smile! Just like the one I’ve got today! A home with Fish Bones is a happy
home!”
Maciej Stuhr
24
FI C T I O N
„Beneath its seemingly carefree approach to literature we can clearly see the various
layers of the book, its bones; Karpowicz proves not only his great awareness as
a writer, but also his high ranking among Poland’s best contemporary storytellers.”
Marek Styczyński, Kultura.onet.pl
„An aging literary critic, a depressed female biologist, a gay man with a proclivity for
pedantry and a few other people whose bases in reality are not so difficult to guess
meet in these pages in unexpected circumstances. This is a story full of the dazzling
irony known to readers of Ballads and Romances, as well as the psychological depth
of the earlier Gestures.”
Małgorzata I. Niemczyńska, Gazeta Wyborcza
Target market
Lovers of Ignacy Karpowicz’s work, readers of ambitious contemporary prose.
25
FI C T I O N
Ignacy Karpowicz
Gestures
Gesty
Keynote
Can you find out what life is really about after forty years old? This novel
says that you can always uncover all the mysteries. Everywhere.
Sales points
•One of the most clever and interesting contemporary Polish prose writers
•A compelling story whose emotional content should ring true for every reader
over forty
Description
Pages: 258
Category:
Rights sold:
Latvia (Mansards),
US/UK (Dalkey Archive
Press),
Lithuania (Vaga)
Karpowicz’s Gestures is a story of solitude, silence and alienation. It is a tale
about discovering your home, about an attempt to understand and name
past events, and to put them in order.
The forty-year-old protagonist leaves his apartment in the big city and goes
back to where he grew up, to visit his mortally ill mother, whom he hasn’t
seen for some months. The protagonist’s departure turns out, however,
to be just the start of the journey…
A psychologically precise and moving vivisection of a “man in transition.”
In a word: powerful stuff.
*
Karpowicz’s prose has courage and humor, it contains ordinary reality and an
extraordinary imagination. And there is also something that leads us to believe
that the author of Miracle is here in our literature to stay, and that he has many
more pleasures to offer readers — a clear, original and well-measured style.
Robert Ostaszewski
Target market
Lovers of interesting prose that reveals the truth about the readers
themselves; moving, intelligent and bittersweet tales of fate,
and protagonists who often remind us a bit of ourselves.
26
FI C T I O N
Ignacy Karpowicz
The Miracle
Cud
Keynote
The second, dashing novel by Ignacy Karpowicz will disarm the reader with
its dazzling concept and linguistic virtuosity.
Ignacy Karpowicz: In The Miracle we are dealing with love, and love in our Western
cultural sphere is (or was) associated with the idea of God. God is love. And God –
the narrator of The Miracle – is a figure from a hyper-real and fantastical world.
Moreover, God is the wittiest non-person in the Universe. The clash of these structures:
high and low, divine and human, realistic and hyper-realistic, brings very interesting
results. And amusing ones, I hope.
forthcoming in autumn 2013
Pages: appr. 300
Category:
Rights sold: Hungary (Typotex)
Sales points
•One of the top rated Polish writers of the younger generation
Description
The main protagonist is a twenty-something male named Mikołaj; he dies in
an accident on the first page of the novel and then... The body of the corpse
maintains a steady temperature, thirty-six or seven degrees (the doctor
comments: “for the first time in history we have a sick corpse on our hands” –
I quote this phrase to show the author’s peculiar sense of humor), and shows
no signs of decay. The action of the novel circulates around the body of Mikołaj,
which is transported from one place to another. The novel also includes the
notes of Mikołaj’s father, in which Karpowicz brilliantly adopts a biblical style
to depict the story of the protagonist and his childhood. These notes reveal that
the father was writing on the command of a divine messenger, revealing the
extraordinary nature of Mikołaj. Except that the divine messenger might just
also be a delusion of the father, who is seldom sober.
As a dead body, Mikołaj becomes a catalyst of events. These are as remarkable as
his condition – that of a warm corpse. A young doctor named Anna falls in love
with him, having the dim suspicion that she once met him somewhere before,
though she does not know where and how, and that contact with him, though
he is dead, will brighten up her dull, meaningless existence. The doctors try to
hold on to the body for as long as possible, hoping for a medical breakthrough
that will bring them fame. The family tries to retrieve his body. And ordinary
people, whom the tabloids inform about Mikołaj’s case, want to reach him,
hoping for some kind of miracle, healing, or merely comfort. Everyone seems
to want something from Mikołaj, everyone has his own stake in the corpse’s
miraculous properties.
Karpowicz’s novel is more than a grotesque, satirical tale about people counting
on divine intervention in spite of common sense, in spite of their lifestyles,
27
FI C T I O N
where the material things clearly dominate over the spiritual ones; they want
contact with a mystery. The most important thing in this book is a different
miracle altogether – one that is more ordinary and down-to-earth.
The key question here is, who is less alive: Mikołaj, or the people around him?
Karpowicz creates a whole gallery of characters, both major and minor, who
are dealing with failed, mediocre lives. Mikołaj’s parents, Anna, her ex-fiance
Artur, Mikołaj’s ex-girlfriend, the woman who ran him over – all their lives have
come to a standstill. They work, party, make love, eat, they do everything any
living person does, but in fact they are practically dead, because their lives lack
meaning. They live off of impetus without knowing why, they suffer, but do
nothing about it. They understand neither themselves nor others, even those
nearest to them. They only need an outside impulse, an accident, a sudden
coincidence, to finally see that they want to change something.
In Karpowicz’s novel the warm corpse is one such impulse; the series of events
initiated by the main protagonist makes the characters in the novel finally begin to
live their lives, or at least to hope that they will begin to live. And this is precisely the
miracle.
Robert Ostaszewski, Gazeta Wyborcza
Target market
28
FI C T I O N
Ignacy Karpowicz
Offbeat
Niehalo
Keynote
A provocative novel about one day in the life of a frustrated young man which
suddenly takes on a whole new dimension…
Sales points
•Tree times nominated for the prestigious NIKE Literary Award
•One of the most highly-rated Polish writers of the younger generation
Description
Ignacy Karpowicz’s much-lauded novel about a day in the life of a Polish
literature MA student and beginning journalist for a provincial newspaper
who get drawn into some bizarre events.
(re-edition)
Pages: 232
Category:
Rights optioned: Belarus
The provincial Polish town of B. Ambling about it is one rebellious young
student of Polish literature, a beginning journalist for the local newspaper.
Maciek lives with his parents, his brother, his wheelchair-bound grandmother,
a dog, and fish. He cannot stand the woman supervising his MA thesis, his
family, his acquaintances, or his hometown, and he also has problems with his
girlfriend.
Hard to say what sets the avalanche of events in motion. It might be a meeting
with a friend from high school, the vast quantities of beer they drink together,
or his failed attempt to get closer to Agata. One way or another, halfway
through the day, a drunk and tired Maciek loses contact with reality. At one
point he crosses into another dimension…
Offbeat is utterly contemporary, dynamic, witty, ironic prose, using sarcasm
and the grotesque; it is astonishing and ingenious, proving the author’s
wild imagination. He fascinates us with the accumulation of the absurd,
and entertains us with the grotesque.
“Dazzlingly skillful.”
“This is a treasure for anyone who expects books to be thought-provoking and keenly
provocative. Highly recommended.”
Gabriel Wiktor Kamiński, Ksiazka.net.pl
“I believe in humor, self-deprecation, and laughter.”
Ignacy Karpowicz, in an interview for Polityka
Target market
29
FI C T I O N
Ignacy Karpowicz
Sońka
Sońka
Keynote
Sońka – beautiful and crippled, good and bad, a healer and cursed – tells a story
of desire and forbidden love, powerful and inconceivable, of feeling in spite of
and against the odds, feeling which cannot be saved.
Sales points
•Winner of the Polityka Passport 2012
•One of the most admired Polish writers of the younger generation
Pages: to come
Category:
Rights optioned: Lithuania
Description
A messenger, a Mal’ak, an angel of death has come to hear the tales of Sońka’s
life: a story of a bloody rag and of an old dog in a collar with Gothic letters, of
the greatest of wars, of hatred and humiliation. But above all, a story of desire
and forbidden love, powerful, inconceivable, transcending language and the
world. Of the love of a beautiful girl for an invader in a black uniform.
Sońka is a great yet intimate, simple yet difficult, subdued yet highly emotional,
pacifist yet brutal story filled with love. The author uses the convention of the
wartime romance to speak of “times past” and “now”; of “here” and “there”; of
the hell and paradise of memory.
Ignacy Karpowicz has another surprise in store for us, delighting us more than
ever, and proving that, following the successes of his previous books, he has
entered the literary super leagues to stay.
“Karpowicz’s brilliant idea is constantly confronting the protagonists with
foreignness and the inexpressibility of experience. As always in Karpowicz,
everything is in inverted commas, touched with irony and self-effacement, lined with
a fear of immediacy, sentimentality, or stating the obvious. As such, we trust Sońka,
and we also approach it with suspicion – which is just what Ignacy Karpowicz would
like us to do.”
Dariusz Nowacki, a review from the Book Institute web site
“As we know, Karpowicz creates perhaps the best female figures in contemporary
prose. And when Sońka speaks of love and death, Karpowicz delves into tones he
has never before tapped into. There appears a sort of lyricism that takes you by the
throat, without being kitsch.”
Justyna Sobolewska, Polityka
“Sońka’s malicious mastery is in its weave of melodramatic illusion and cynical
delusion. This novel is a trap.”
Przemysław Czapliński, Gazeta Wyborcza
30
FI C T I O N
“Sońka is a book that can fascinate. Karpowicz has, after all, a remarkable gift – the
gift of being able to tell intriguing stories that crackle with sharp observations.”
Andrzej Horubała, Do rzeczy
Target market
Lovers of the work of Ignacy Karpowicz, readers of ambitious contemporary
prose.
31
FI C T I O N
Jarosław Klejnocki
Jarosław Klejnocki (born 1963) is a writer, poet, essayist and literary critic, the
author of a detective novel entitled Posers’ Cape (2005) and the autobiographical
work How I Didn’t Become a Hobo (2002). He works at the Polish Studies
Department of the University of Warsaw.
He is also the author of a few volumes of poetry, including: Taming; The Open
City; Mr Hyde; Reporters, Photographers, and Haunted Lovers; Treasures of the Last
Days, collections of essays (Wormwood and other Sidewalk Essays; Literature in
the Time of the Plague), literary criticism (including No Utopia? On the Poetry of
Adam Zagajewski), an anthology (“Brulion” and the Independents — Part II of
the Following Wojaczek anthology, as well as You Have Your Poets — with Paweł
Dunin-Wąsowicz and Krzysztof Varga).
He has published sketches, articles and essays in foreign and domestic
periodicals, including The Chicago Review, Die Horen, Tygodnik Powszechny,
Polityka, Gazeta Wyborcza, Opcja, and Kresy.
His previous book, Posers’ Cape, was among the finalists for the 3rd High Calibre
Award for best Polish detective novel or thriller published in the year 2005.
32
FI C T I O N
Jarosław Klejnocki
Death Options
Opcje na śmierć
Keynote
The long-awaited third installment of the adventures of Commissioner Ireneusz
Nawrocki.
Sales points
•A story full of bloodcurdling suspense and surprising plot twists, drawing from the finest
tradition of detective novels.
Description
Pages: to come
Category:
In the Mazury Province during the times of the famous “white squall”
a sailboat overturns sinking with all hands on deck. The event is classified
as an accident. A prosecutor who knows one of the victims – a high‑ranking
bank employee – has a different opinion. The prosecutor uses her connections
to get in touch with Commissioner Nawrocki, who unofficially takes
on the case.
After some initial investigations, the commissioner stumbles onto the trail
of some murky affairs and concealments tied to the famous “options game”
played by banks and various companies, and in particular, a secret options
game of ultimate risk – “death options.” The deeper he goes into
the investigation, however, the more mysteries appear.
One thing is certain: the bank was in dire straits, something rotten was going
on, as indicated by the relationships between the people on the cruise,
which were remarkably complex and mysterious. The commissioner
is convinced that the sinking in the “white squall” could have been a murder.
Thus begins a semi-formal investigation, with the consent of the influential
persecutor.
Target market
Lovers of contemporary popular literature, detective novels,
and contemporary Polish prose.
33
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Maicher
Katarzyna Maicher (b. 1980) is an English literature graduate.
Her short stories have appeared in a variety of journals.
She received an award in the Journal – Day after Day competition (2008).
34
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Maicher
Persimmon
Persymona
Keynote
A mother, a father, a daughter, and a house. A whole unexpected world behind
these closed doors...
Sales points
•A powerful debut
•A new voice in Polish prose
Description
Pages: 260
Category: Contemporary
Fiction
The mysterious world of childhood, growing pains, and the difficulties of
adulthood. A seemingly happy household which turns out to be hell on earth.
A little girl – one of the narrators of the novel – longs for love and attention
from her parents. She quickly becomes convinced, however, that her house is
a battlefield between two quarreling genders.
He father is an overworked psychiatric doctor whose male egoism prevents him
from noticing the pain he inflicts on those around him. He trusts in logic and
medical knowledge, but is utterly unable to help his wife, who is retreating into
madness.
Her mother is a sensitive and schizophrenic painter.
In all of this the daughter observes her mother’s progressive illness, and then
her failed convalescence. Small wonder that her entry to adulthood lacks any
support; she grows up with the conviction that she has only herself to rely on.
Her only saving grace is femininity. Femininity is a guarantee of extraordinary
sensitivity, joy in the simplest of things, and faith in the magic of the world,
colors, animals, and plants.
This self-portrait of a woman is told from two perspectives: that of a little
girl who becomes a teenager, and that of a mother and wife pushed into the
phantasmagorical world of madness – a result of rejection, and lack of love.
“Flawlessly composed and brilliantly written, in a language as precise as a scalpel.
The descriptions of the outer world sometimes recall the remarkable exactitude of
Bruno Schulz, and the inner world has the flavor of Marcel Proust. […] A splendidly
literary work.”
Klemens Górski, poet and essayist
Target market
Readers of contemporary prose, women’s literature, novels of manners, and
psychological works.
35
FI C T I O N
Kazimierz Orłoś
Wydawnictwo Literackie represents translation rights to the following titles
by Kazimierz Orłoś
36
FI C T I O N
Kazimierz Orłoś
Kazimierz Orłoś (b. 1935), pseudonym: Maciej Jordan – an outstanding
Polish writer, film and television scriptwriter, playwright, author of radio
plays, and journalist.
He collaborated with Radio Free Europe, published in Kultura and Plus
magazines. In Poland he was censored. After the fall of the People’s Republic
he collaborated with Solidarność weekly, Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita,
Życie, and Gazeta Polska dailies.
In 1970 he received the Kościelski Foundation Award for Dark Trees.
In 2006 his book of short fiction entitled The Girl from the Porch was honored
with the New Books Award, and a year later, with the Warmia and Mazury
Literary Award.
Author photograph
© Krzysztof Dubiel
Polish President Lech Kaczyński presented him with the Commander’s
Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta on 3 May 2007 for outstanding
service to Polish independence, for working to bring about democratic
transformations, and for his achievements to aid the country in his
professional and social work.
In 2007 he was singled out by the Arts Group of the Polish Radio Theater for
the Honorary Great Splendor Award.
His books have included The Marvelous Hideout (1973), The Third Lie (1980),
The Blue Dragonfly (1996), Wooden Bridges (2001), The Girl from the Porch (2006)
and The House under the Sign of the Lute (2012).
37
FI C T I O N
Kazimierz Orłoś
I Can’t Live Without You
Bez ciebie nie mogę żyć
Sales points
•The grandfather of Polish neo-realism
•A glimpse of the Polish countryside as readers have never seen it before
Description
Pages: 366
Category:
With gritty realism making a triumphant comeback in literature, a re-edition
of the short stories of Kazimierz Orłoś is long overdue. Spanning a period of
fifty years (1967–2007), the stories selected for “I Can’t Live Without You” pack
the kind of terse, masculine punch that English-language readers will know
from the works of Ernest Hemmingway or Raymond Carver. Except that here
the reality described in these stories – the harsh lives of poor Poles living in
the countryside, stripped of any kind of rustic sentimentality – is more brutal
than anything either of those writers dared describe. One story begins with
one man insulting another outside a church, and develops into a full-blown
tale of family vengeance, with stables burning down, men bludgeoned with car
jacks, a rip-saw, and one man biting off another’s ear. Another tells of a tramp
named Gorczyca who works so long and hard into the night that other seasonal
workers in the neighborhood have a chance to get his wife drunk and take
advantage of her in the barn. Orłoś spent many years doing hard manual labor.
The stories here fairly reek of authenticity, even while the pictures he paints are
ones we would prefer not to face up to.
[…] A fascinating panorama of the lesser-known side of life in Poland, and a side we
don’t necessarily like to acknowledge, over the course of the past few decades.
Max Fuzowski, “Newsweek”
[Short stories] are this writer’s specialty of the highest order, which you’ll soon
recognize when you read this selection of prose masterpieces written from the 1960s
to the present. […] Any of these stories is a ready-made film script.
Tadeusz Nyczek, “Przekroj magazine”
38
FI C T I O N
Kazimierz Orłoś
The House under the Sign of the Lute
Dom pod Lutnią
Keynote
A novel with wide-ranging appeal, by an author who has already earned
a following in generations of Polish readers.
Sales points
• The winner of many prestigious awards
• A triumphant return to form by a writer in the great tradition of Polish realists
Description
A colonel returns from a Prisoner of War camp in the West, and settles down
in a once-German farmstead in a Mazurian village, partly inhabited by others
who have been resettled. Dangers abound: the protagonist fights with poachers,
and is accused of assisting the partisans. His nine-year-old grandson Tomek comes
to see him from Warsaw, escorted by his mother, who fears arrest. Tomek initially
does not want to stay, but then when his mother wants to take him back to the
capital city, he desperately protests; he spends over a year with his grandfather
in conditions radically different from those he knew in the city, and strikes up
new friendships. Alongside this fascinating new bond that is formed between
the old man and his grandson, we follow the relationship between the honest
colonel and a young local woman. The atmosphere of this novel is extraordinary
– it is a rare description of Polish post-war reality seen through the eyes of an
intelligent man who is entangled in difficult situations, but tries to create a sense
of order and give his grandson some relative stability.
Pages: 332
Category:
A beautiful and finely written book, extremely atmospheric, full of goodness and
warmth, reminding us of the marvels of the world and of life, and full of dramatic
tension, showing us life in the “eye of the hurricane,” and a young boy’s coming of age.
Kazimierz Orłoś’s best novel to date! Remarkable for its description of the experience of
happiness in unhappy times.
This is ultimately a novel about an unexpected encounter between an old man
and a young woman, a connection that both find remarkable. It is about how their
lives change, with the touch of a sensitive hand. Was this a great love? I do not know.
I don’t even know if it is still possible to convincingly portray a “great love” in the
twenty-first century.
Kazimierz Orłoś
Target market
39
Reader’s of top-shelf prose, historical and romantic novels, lovers of traditional,
realistic prose and recollections of the second half of the 20th century –
the romantic plot will appeal to teenagers, the historical setting to older readers.
FI C T I O N
Kazimierz Orłoś
The Forest Lovers’ Tale and Other Stories
Historia leśnych kochanków i inne opowiadania
Sales points:
•Kazimierz Orłoś’s personal anthology of his finest stories, previously published only in
journals.
•An important literary event.
Description:
The Forest Lovers’ Tale and Other Stories is an overview of Kazimierz Orłoś’s finest
short prose pieces, as selected by the author.
Pages: 276
Here we have tales lyrical, dramatic, and humorous (“The Camel” inspired
the film Big Animal with Jerzy Stuhr), portraying the reality of the People’s
Poland. They speak of the secrets of simple folk, their sensitivities, longings,
and expectations. The strangeness of events and motives. The stories fill each
other in, their moods enrich one another, the perspectives and meanings of
these worlds complement one another, and man is always treated with high
seriousness and respect, though sometimes with a touch of warm irony.
This is also an overview of Orłoś’s favorite themes and images. It is a kind of
commentary to his other, larger works, and to his own biography.
40
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Pilch
Author photograph © Danuta Węgiel
41
Jerzy Pilch (b. 1952) – prose and feature writer, playwright, screen writer.
A caustic writer known for his ironical attitude towards reality and
unique associative skills. His books have been translated into over a dozen
languages. Author of many already cult novels, e.g. The Mighty Angel, List
of Adulteresses, The Fall of Man in front of the Central Station, The irreversible
loss of left-handedness, A Thousand Peaceful Cities. Many films and plays have
been made on the basis of his books. Holder of prestigious awards, including
Kościelski Foundation Award, Polityka’s Passport and NIKE Literary Award.
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Pilch
by Jerzy Pilch:
42
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Pilch
The Other Journal
Drugi dziennik
Keynote
A year of the life of the famous writer, reader and bitingly witty observer of
the world.
Sales points
•One of the best contemporary Polish writers.
•Holder of many prestigious awards and honorary mentions.
•His every single book becomes a bestseller.
Description
Pages: 282
Category: Biography –
Autobiography – Memoirs
Jerzy Pilch, a famous writer, witty mocker, ironist, whose biting tongue has
been experienced by many, is faced with the inevitable. An inexorable diagnosis
casts a shadow over his life.
When in June 2012 Jerzy Pilch begins writing the second volume of his
journal, Poles pour out into stadiums and in unbearable heat go through ritual
failures of the national football team. In the meantime the writer, an excellent
philosopher of Polish football, strikes a more personal note: he marches away
from the screens on the Parade Square and in his apartment on Hoża Street he
confronts the final things. Women up and leave, demons approach from each
angle. His visits to Wisła become less frequent – but in his thoughts he is there
almost at all times.
A popular writer shares with his readers reflections about the reality that
surrounds him, about life and literature. He writes openly about his yearning
for health and chances for eternal life. About Isaak, Babel, Emil Cioran, Fyodor
Dostoyevsky. When time speeds up, you need to leave behind everything trivial
and focus on what is truly important.
A combination of irony and sarcasm with a painful feeling of an approaching
loss of senses makes The Other Journal a truly bitter and fascinating read.
Honest and detached, these notes can be amusing, sometimes surprising
and sometimes touching.
„A reviewer compared Pilch to Sandor Marai. A noble comparison it may be, but there
is nothing like Pilch.”
Jan Bończa-Szabłowski, Rzeczpospolita
„You cannot have enough of Pilch. Unlike other substances, you cannot overdose
on Pilch.”
Krzysztof Varga, Gazeta Wyborcza
„An auto-ironic confession of what interests and angers Pilch. Everyday notes
that are not about every day. Existential deliberations, memoirs, literary critique,
football and a witty commentary to everyday life.”
43
Elle
FI C T I O N
„The Other Journal is a fascinating read.”
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna
„The intensity of Pilch’s text is so great that when the words ‘the end’ appear,
we do not believe it, and we want more just out of spite, against the illness.”
Justyna Sobolewska, Polityka
Target market
Admirers of Jerzy Pilch’s works, readers of good quality contemporary prose,
biographies and journals.
44
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Pilch
Zuza, or: A Time of Growing Distant
Zuza albo czas oddalenia
Keynote
Pilch is back on his favorite turf – humor, ironic wisdom, and eroticism in
a novel about love and growing old, written in his inimitable style.
Sales points
•One of Poland’s best and most influential contemporary writers.
•Winner of many prestigious awards and distinctions.
•Every one of Pilch’s novels has a wide resonance and is a front runner for the most
important literary awards.
•Legions of devoted fans ensure Pilch’s novels a high position on the bestseller lists.
Publication date: forthcoming
in 2015
Pages: to come
Category:
Contemporary Literature
Description
Old age and the erotic, sanctity and sin – as well as the famous Pilch irony – in
the latest novel by one of Poland’s most famous contemporary writers.
An aging writer speaks of the women of his life, and above all, of the last one
– the Zuza of the title, a prostitute forty years younger than him, who is the
object of his insane adoration.
As ever in Pilch’s work, autobiography melds with fiction in proportions
impossible to unravel, while the intimate, first-person narrative allows for the
liberal interjection of digressions, jokes, and biblical reflections. Under the guise
of a sense of humor, in the style that has won him millions of admirers and
many awards, the writer concocts a tale of the passing of time, of women, and
above all, of love – albeit sometimes hobbling, awkward, and open to mockery.
Zuza or: A Time of Growing Distant is another book that shows the mastery of
Jerzy Pilch in combining irony and seriousness, as well as an original and bold
look at the author’s world. You won’t be able to put it down!
“There can never be too much Pilch; Pilch, unlike other substances, has no overdose.”
Krzysztof Varga, Gazeta Wyborcza
Target market
Lovers of Pilch’s prose. Readers of contemporary dramatic and romantic
literature. Readers who follow the nominees for the most important literary
awards.
45
FI C T I O N
Marian Pilot
by Marian Pilot
46
FI C T I O N
Marian Pilot
Marian Pilot (b. 1936) – contemporary writer, journalist and screenwriter.
He has worked in the editorial teams of such publications as Wiadomości
Filmowe and Na Przełaj. Former prose section editor of Tygodnik Kulturalny.
AWARDS
The Nike Prize 2011
BOOKS
Osobnik (2013)
Pantałyk (2012)
Matecznik (2012)
Pióropusz (2011)
Na odchodnym (2002)
Cierpki, oboki, nice: bardzo małe opowiadania (2006)
Ciżba: opowiadania i opowieści (1980)
Jednorożec (1978)
Karzeł pierwszy, król tutejszy; Tam, gdzie much nie ma… (1976)
Majdan (1973)
Matecznik (1988)
Opowieści świętojańskie (1966)
Panny szczerbate: opowiadania (1977)
Pantałyk (1989)
Sień (1965)
W słońcu, w deszczu (1981)
Wykidajło (1980)
Zakaz zwałki (1974)
47
FI C T I O N
Marian Pilot
Plume
Pióropusz
Keynote
A bravura novel gathering together all the attributes of Marian Pilot’s
writing: a surrealist sensibility, sense of the grotesque, pictorial
suggestiveness.
Sales points
•The Nike Prize 2011 winner!
Description
Pages: 320
Category:
Rights sold: Macedonia
(Makedonska Rech)
Rights optioned: Bulgaria
A splendid novel by an author acclaimed for his creative linking of the prose
of the “peasant trend” with the Gombrowicz tradition.
The story of the postwar childhood of an obstreperous protagonist coming
from a family of rural “paupers” and thieves. His illiterate father, following
a prank on a teacher, a case of theft and the destruction of a school
blackboard, is shut up – as an enemy of the people – in one of Stalin’s
jails. The boy and his mother seek justice. Paradoxically, the need to
write court applications triggers off veneration in the protagonist for
the word. A symbolic gift from his father – a stolen pen with a golden nib –
determines his further fortunes…
“A novel about the power and curse of writing, faith in the word and
the consequences of being carried away by this faith. One of the most beautiful
novels granted to us in recent years”.
Dariusz Nowacki, “Gazeta Wyborcza”
“The story in Marian Pilot’s novel mixes languages and sniggers like crazy”.
Darek Foks, “Przekrój”
“Plume is imbued with mischievous humour, piercingly sad, optimistic and deeply
tragic, full of ecstasy, aggression and passion, a story told with bravura”.
Marian Pilot
Target market
Lovers of literarily unique and original, unpredictable and inimitable novels,
readers dreaming about getting acquainted with foreign cultures, lands and
customs.
48
FI C T I O N
Marian Pilot
Vim
Pantałyk
Keynote
An unjustly neglected work by a contemporary master.
Sales points
•An early work by this year’s winner of the prestigious NIKE Literary Award.
Great literature with a philosophical bent.
Description
Pages: 208
Category:
The mischievous saga of the ancient and wealthy clans of the Duds
and Nowaks, laced with a wicked sense of humor. A tale of the incredible,
chilling adventures of some unfortunates who narrowly avoid the gallows,
and − in search of answers to the fundamental question put before
them: What to do when everything is possible? − set out on an arduous,
bold, and danger-fraught hunt for the legendary Vim, who haunts the
dreams of all those knocked out of the saddle in our century, an intangible
symbol of structure, peace, and happiness. Originally published in 1970,
this collection of short tales has lost none of its fiendish sparkle – nor its
relevance to the times we live in.
Target market
Readers of ambitious contemporary literature.
49
FI C T I O N
Marian Pilot
The New Wilderness
Matecznik
Keynote
A writer’s tribute to his native land, its inhabitants, and its culture.
Sales points
•Essayistic prose of the highest caliber.
Description
Pages: 336
Category:
Substantially expanded with sketches never before published in book form,
this is a reprint of a book of essays issued by LSW in 1988, printed
in the “Wilderness” series of the Regiony quarterly.
A master of Polish prose, Pilot speaks of his “small homeland,” the titular
“wilderness” – his homeland of Ostrzeszów, which he presents along with its
inhabitants in various works (in recognition of his services he was named
an honorary citizen of Ostrzeszów).
These sketches are fascinating, inventive tales written with wit and
imagination, telling the stories of Greater Poland villages, their inhabitants,
their roles, and the significance of their work, the fate of the peasants,
and about “authentists” – artists and writers of peasant stock.
Target market
Readers of ambitious contemporary literature, interested in the “peasant
movement” in Polish literature.
50
FI C T I O N
Marian Pilot
Character
Osobnik
Sales points:
•The latest novel by Marian Pilot
•The Nike Award winner returns!
Description:
Character is a contemporary novel, dramatic and grotesque, drawing from
the period of the last war. The protagonist, the odd “character” of the title,
is a man both truly and clearly individual, an outsider struggling with both
himself and his past.
Pages: 456
Fiction
Reading Character is not the smooth ride of a modern car on a freeway.
It is a mad rush, a hay wagon set loose from the top of a hill, ramming through
arable fields, ditches, stubble, shrubbery, and undergrowth. Every pothole
is a jolt, every obstacle amuses or terrifies. You would not be able to stop even
if you wanted to. And you won’t want to.
The new novel by Marian Pilot, winner of the Nike Award for Plume,
is a compelling whirl of events, images, tastes and smells, a full-force
dreamscape with nightmarish Kafkaesque elements and allusions to Freud,
Gombrowicz, and Nekanda-Trepka.
The main protagonist wanders through abruptly changing scenery as if through
a dream, collapsing sober and sobering up with drinks. In the name of the sense
of metaphysical guilt he has inherited from his barber father he tries to liberate
himself from himself, to lose his identity, scratching out his social roles one
by one: husband, father, son…
Pilot plays on his finest qualities – phantasmagoria, rich, Baroque language,
humor, sharp wit, and an ambiguous existential subject.
An astonishing and terrifying masterpiece for which there is no comparison in
the history of Polish prose.
“Marian Pilot’s new novel has been planned – and rendered – as a masterpiece.”
— Professor Marta Wyka
51
FI C T I O N
Błażej Przygodzki
Błażej Przygodzki (b. 1975) – screenwriter, journalist, author from Wrocław.
His debut novel is Diaries of Suicide Victims (Dziennik samobójców).
Plain Truth is the second part (after With Surgical Precision (Z chirurgiczną
precyzją)) of the cycle about Inspector Niedźwiecki’s adventures.
Author archives
52
FI C T I O N
Błażej Przygodzki
With Surgical Precision
Z chirurgiczną precyzją
Keynote
Robin Cook and Alfred Hitchcock rolled into one – a medical thriller that keeps
you in suspense until the very last page
Sales points
•Brilliantly received by both critics and readers
•Suspense worthy of Hitchcock
•The best Polish medical thriller on the market
Description
Behind the scenes of the medical and police communities, with a masterful
dose of suspense and a conclusion that will leave you guessing, dazzling
humor, and a backdrop of modern-day Wrocław.
Pages: 344
Fiction (crime novel)
Wrocław, May 2012, the heatwave of the century. In broad daylight, in the
middle of the street, a businessman is beaten unconscious. He is in a coma,
and it is clear that his brain has been irreversibly damaged. Shortly afterward
a young boxer dies of a stroke. What joins them is the young cardiologist they
shared – Hubert Kłosowski.
The police suspect that the kindly, though somewhat odd doctor is tangled up
in the men’s deaths. Inspector Niedźwiecki has a tough nut to crack, all the
more so in that he is being helped out by a drug-addict trainee involved in
gangster vendettas.
The noose begins to tighten, the doctor is arrested. It turns out, however, that
nothing is what it once seemed, the most trustworthy people are the most
dangerous, and the supposed enemies may be the saviors… The following
events happen at a lightning speed…
“A fast-paced, brilliant read. Splendidly renders modern-day Wrocław. The characters
are so vivid that the readers begins to feel as if he knows them. The author shines
with his intelligent sense of humor.”
Michał Olszański
“The action begins with a powerful scene, and the suspense only grows from there –
just as in Hitchcock’s recipe for a great thriller.”
Polska Gazeta Krakowska
“A splendidly written thriller which holds you in suspense from the first page to the
last. It made me burn the midnight oil. […] Przygodzki has created a colorful and
wildly fascinating book.”
Robert Migdał, Polska Gazeta Wrocławska
53
FI C T I O N
Target market
Lovers of detective novels, readers of Robin Cook, thrillers, light novels with
medical themes, lovers of Doctor House
54
FI C T I O N
Błażej Przygodzki
Plain Truth
Szczera prawda
Keynote
A gripping thriller, a real page turner showing the legal circle from the inside.
Charismatic characters, witty humour and modern-day Wrocław in the
background.
Sales points
•The novel was wonderfully received by critics and readers.
•Suspense worthy of Hitchcock.
Description
forthcoming in 2014
Pages: appr. 350
(crime novel)
Red-bearded Inspector Niedźwiecki from the Wrocław police – having
experienced adventures in the medical circle – this time faces the elite
of Wrocław judiciary.
Opening her morning newspaper, little did Hanna Potocka expect to see one
of the criminals that in 2004 beat her husband to death. The murderer turns out
to be a well-known employee of History of Art Institute, Tomasz Gorbaczewski,
who has just been awarded professorship.
Potocka’s testimony will not be enough to arrest Gorbaczewski, but Inspector
Niedźwiecki is lucky – he gets hold of evidence that make it possible to put
the scholar to trail.
During the trial new facts come into light. The case develops in an unpredicted
direction. The sculptor’s death was profitable to many members of the artistic
and cultural world. Witnesses give confusing evidence. The evil spirit returns.
Suspects become victims. The murderer makes no mistakes…
An incredibly gripping story, full of twists; it is impossible to put it away until
the very last page. Brilliant and witty but at the same time terrifying. A real
treat for lovers of the genre!
Target market
Readers of crime fiction and thrillers.
55
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Sosnowski
Jerzy Sosnowski (b. 1962) is a famous contemporary writer and journalist,
author of The Apocrypha of Agłaja (2001), Polyhedron (2001), Ah (2005), and Idzi’s
Installation (2009).
His novel Bay Current (2003) received a nomination for the Polityka Passport.
He is also the winner of the prestigious Kościelski Award (2001). In 2006 he
received the “Złoty Grot” – an award from the Art-Education-Promotion
Association for “an artist whose work and achievements inspire young
humanists to be active.”
56
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Sosnowski
Meet Me in Honolulu
Spotkamy się w Honolulu
Keynote
A masterfully wrought, hypnotic novel about forbidden, untimely love, and the
power of fate.
Sales points
•One of the most outstanding Polish writers of the middle generation.
•Winner of the prestigious Kościelski Award.
•Nominated for the Polityka Passport.
Description
Pages: 320
Category:
A hypnotizing story: strange accidents which shape life, love triangles, and
forbidden love. All set against the backdrop of the big-beat era of the 1960s.
Roma is beautiful, sharp, and self-confident. She knows that she gets attention.
She scoops up life by the heaping handfuls, and this is how she wants it to stay.
The times of her youth were the 1950s and 1960s, but now the 21st century has
long since begun... When she meets, by chance, a man a generation younger
than her, she does not even suspect that they could be joined by a passionate,
scandalous romance.
Can one fall in love while knowing that it is too late? Can time be defeated?
The protagonists of this novel are feverishly in search of love – and meaning.
This book is much more than a romance novel. Now Is for Always is a masterfully
written story of impossible love and nostalgia for the past – a universal image
of people at odds with time.
“Meet Me in Honolulu might not be an easy novel, but it is an important one.
It gives us no pat solutions or recipes, because, as Sosnowski put it in one of his
interviews, he hopes that he writes books for people who like to read and who like to
think. If the reader slogs through the first few pages of less-than-promising prose, his
reward is a tale written skillfully, with a great deal of feeling and delicacy. And if,
following the author’s intention, he thinks, then he will find several answers to what
is truly important in life. And perhaps even – as Jerzy Sosnowski himself remarks on
his web page – God.”
Maja Madej, Onet.pl
“There are also moments in the novel where uncertainty vanishes momentarily, the
potential dangers shift away, and time seems to slow down. Everything — however
briefly — falls into place, becomes coherent, and the author allows his protagonists
to breathe, to experience harmony, order, and perhaps even happiness.”
Anna Sosnowska, W drodze
57
FI C T I O N
Szczepan Twardoch
Author photograph
© Magda & Michał Kryjakowie
Szczepan Twardoch (b. 1979) is a writer and a journalist, and a sociologist by
education. A true revelation in Polish prose, he is half Silesian and half Polish.
He calls himself a Silesian author who writes in Polish. He is remarkably
hard‑working: he is just over thirty years old and has already written ten books:
novels, short story collections, and essays. His books have received nominations
for the Gdynia Literary Award and the Józef Mackiewicz Literary Award,
and he received the Silver Distinction of the Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award
in 2008. He was given the Polityka Passport for his novel Morphine (2012),
which was also nominated for the Gdynia Literary Award 2013, the prestigious
NIKE Award 2013, the Angelus Central European Literary Award 2013, and the
Culture Guarantee 2013. He is a winner of People’s Choice Nike 2013 Award.
His long-awaited new novel entitled Drach will be published in December 2014.
He likes fast cars, sharp ties and suits, good cuisine, and Spitsbergen, though
not necessarily all at the same time.
58
FI C T I O N
Szczepan Twardoch
Eternal Grunwald
Wieczny Grunwald
Keynote
The re-publication of the enthusiastically received 2010 novel.
Sales points
•For lovers of novels and alternate histories.
Description:
(re-edition)
Pages: 212
excl. France
Eternal Grunwald combines the virtues of a brilliant historical fantasy novel
(comparable to the work of Teodor Parnicki) with historiosophical reflections.
Twardoch has reinvented the eternal German/Polish antagonism, culling out the
essence of historical fatalism through the metaphor of an Eternal Grunwald.
The metaphor of the title describes the clash of the Polish and German spirits,
beyond politics and morality. Iconoclastic, dark thoughts on the Polish/German
bind have been skillfully combined with a rollicking storyline.
A Knight of the Cross — the son of a Polish king — dies at Grunwald. Though
he perishes, he will live and die many times more. His death only marks the
beginning of the Eternal Grunwald.
It all begins with King Kazimierz’s rape of the fourteen-year-old daughter of
a Nuremberg merchant. When the royal bastard son is born, his father is already
deceased. Paszko lives in the whorehouse where his mother has ended up.
When she too passes away, the boy’s only inheritance is a small knife, already
bloodied, and a kerchief with the royal “K” — the only symbol of his descent.
He sets off on a path which takes him to the fields of Grunwald. All of this is to
discover who he is: a “royal bastard” or the “son of a whore”? A knight or
a murderer? A Pole or a German? A hapless individual or an common plaything
in the hands of history?
In guiding his protagonist through the various temporal spaces, alternate
incarnations and changing realities, Twardoch presents his own version of
Polish/German antagonism. Eternal Grunwald is a dark, blood – and mud-stained
tale in which the author crushes stereotypes of the courtly ethic and Polish
Romanticism. This was a giant step toward the success of Morphine — a novel
which was awarded the POLITYKA Passport, nominated for the NIKE, the
GDYNIA Literary Award, and the Gwarancja Kultury.
“It would be difficult to sum up all the virtues of this splendid novel in such a brief
review. It is remarkably ambitious, tackling a wide range of issues.”
“Szczepan Twardoch has created an alternate version of history, but not in order to
warm the hearts of Poles. Eternal Grunwald is the year’s most intriguing novel.”
Paweł Dunin-Wąsowicz, Polityka
59
FI C T I O N
Szczepan Twardoch
Morphine
Morfina
Keynote
A rollicking novel about a man born in bad times, and a debaucherous artist
hooked on morphine, who has transformed into a demonic, dangerous,
and irresponsible conspirator, husband, and lover...
Sales points
Pages: 624
Category:
excl. France
Rights sold:
Germany (Rowohlt),
France (Noir sur Blanc),
Hungary (Typotex)
German edition available
•Winner of Readers’ Choice Nike 2013 Award!
•Winner of the Polityka Passport in 2013!
•An original combination of the fantastic and the traditional historical novel,
with elements of political and psychological thriller.
•A unique protagonist – an unusual individual, an outsider, a powerful man, often a soldier,
and aristocrat, in conflict with the modern world, faithful to the values he espouses,
but also struggling with identity problems.
Description
Konstanty Willemann lives in Warsaw, but he is the son of a German aristocrat
and a Polonized Silesian woman, who does not make much of patriotic slogans
and the tradition of heroic soldiers dying for their homelands. He is a cynic,
a scoundrel, and a bon vivant. He is a cheating husband and a bad father.
Konstanty reluctantly takes part in the September Campaign, and when it
collapses, he joins a secret organization with equal reluctance. He does not
want to be a Pole or a German. He does, however, want to get his hands on
more morphine and live his old life as a barfly and a womanizer.
But you cannot escape from history.
In Morphine, Szczepan Twardoch has achieved a rare feat in Polish prose –
he has created an anti-hero whom you cannot help but like. Like the great ones
– Witkacy, Gombrowicz, Littell – the young writer knows how to show a weak,
torn human being enmeshed in history.
A crazed, trance-inducing, and bold novel.
“The Author uses techniques of modernist novel with mastery. The use of internal
monologue, stream of consciousness and free indirect speech brings into mind Döblin’s
Berlin Alexanderplatz as well as Joyce’s Ullysses. Just like Leopold Bloom or Franz
Biberkopf, Konstanty Willeman is an anti-hero who roams the streets of a big city.”
“Like in Littell’s The Kindly Ones, in Twardoch’s Morphine cynicism is mixed with
decadence and obscenity with sentimentalism... Nevertheless the attempt at presenting
the events from Autumn 1939 in Warsaw with the use of the language of the era (instead
of a realistic reenactment of what happened to our mothers and fathers) is fascinating.”
“Twardoch’s novel in a remarkably artful and witty way casts doubt on monumental
stereotypes of both Polish and German culture of memory.”
„Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”
Target market
60
Novel lovers of all ages, those interested in the history of Poland and alternate
realities.
FI C T I O N
Szczepan Twardoch
Drach
Drach
Keynote
A mysterious witness to history observes with a cold and ruthless eye the
dramatic, passionate lives of two families caught up in the bloody history
of Upper Silesia.
Sales points
•A true revelation of Polish prose.
•Nominated for many prestigious awards and distinctions.
•Winner of the prestigious Polityka Passport in 2012.
•Winner of People’s Choice Nike 2013 Award.
forthcoming in December 2014
Pages: appr. 500
Category: Novel
Rights optioned: Germany
(Rowohlt)
Description
An Upper Silesian saga of the 20th century: two Polish families, stormy
Polish‑German relations, the Silesian Uprising, and World War Two.
Love, betrayal, and madness. And a mysterious witness to history,
who observes with a cold and ruthless eye the dramatic, passionate lives
of two families caught up in the bloody history of Upper Silesia.
Józef Draga, born at the close of the 19th century, is serving in the German
army. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk he is released from the service and
returns to Silesia. He weds Valeska Konopka, a Silesian with a sizable dowry, but
who scarcely speaks a word of Polish. They lead a prosperous life for the time
and the place in which they live; they have a son together. Józef takes part in an
uprising, witnesses the cruelties of both the Silesian Germans and the Silesian
Poles. In the end he returns to work in the mines.
Unexpectedly, fifteen-year-old Klara, a young nymphomaniac, appears along the
way. Józef has a passionate affair with her, until he finds another man in her
home. In an erotic frenzy he strangles his lover. Fleeing the lynch mob, he hides
out in the psychiatric hospital in Rybnik. At the moment of their separation,
Józef’s wife is carrying their second child…
Land of the Kwads traces “the beautiful, cruel, sad, comical, and ultimately
tragic” fates of people – as Szczepan Twardoch has put it – inspired by the true
story of the author’s family.
“There is no doubt in my mind – Twardoch is at present a writer endowed with
creative powers of which his peers can only dream.”
Target market
Enthusiasts of ambitious contemporary literature, novel lovers, readers
of psychological and dramatic novels, those interested in history.
61
FI C T I O N
“There is no denying that Meet Me in Honolulu breaks certain taboos. Stories where
the man is older than the woman are a dime a dozen. But one seldom speaks about
the reverse. This tends to cause indignation. It this justified? Is it understandable?
Sosnowski proves that there is nothing to be upset about. He shows no indignation,
and the relationship he describes between Roma and Piotr is very subtle, maintaining
a fine tone. After all, the author’s protagonists are adults, people who have reached
a serious age. Though youthful emotions are fired within them, though their hearts
and bodies tingle with desire, their behavior is mature. Because the feelings they
encounter cause them shame. Sosnowski has perfectly rendered the full palette of
emotions that grow in the protagonists, beginning with their first encounter.
Sosnowski’s novel undoubtedly expands the reader’s horizons, urging him to reflect
upon some fundamental issues. The issues are raised, but it is the complexity of the
novel and the writing style itself that make Meet Me in Honolulu a book that is not
soon to be forgotten.”
The Lubimy Czytać web site
Target market
Those who love ambitious contemporary prose, readers of novels of human
drama.
62
FI C T I O N
Karolina Frankowska
Karolina Frankowska, born 1975, is a Polish scriptwriter. She was the creator
and screenwriter of the first seasons of Prawo Agaty (Agata’s Law – a more
serious Polish version of Ally McBeal) – a Polish TV series that for several
seasons has attracted a 2-million audience. She has also worked on TV shows
and feature films such as: Komisarz Aleks (the Polish version of Kommissar Rex),
Kryminalni (Crime Police) and Dlaczego nie? (Why not?), Tylko mnie kochaj (Just
love me).
63
FI C T I O N
Karolina Frankowska
Enchant me
Zaczaruj mnie
Keynote
An ordinary girl trying to make ends meet thrown inside the world of
celebrities
Sales points
•A novel by the creator of Polish Ally McBeal
Description
Pages: 360
Category: Women’s Fiction
64
Ada is 25, has graduated in psychology and is full of enthusiasm and
ideals but… reality hurts. Both at work (she takes up a position in a failing
psychological counselling centre at the outskirts of Warsaw) and in terms
of finances (her mother, cheated by a dishonest beau, is left with a huge loan to
pay and asks Ada for help). If only Ada had a strong man’s shoulder to cry on…
But she doesn’t fare well in love either.
In order to solve at least the financial problems, Ada takes up an additional job
– she becomes a unit manager assistant on a TV set – and here our ordinary
protagonist enters the world of tabloids’ front pages, gossip, unusual celebrity
whims. As it will turn out, however, even in such a place it is possible to find
a very special man.
The behind-the-scenes of a world which – already enhanced with Photoshop
– we know from the covers of magazines, billboards and TV screens. The
protagonist, who in order to get herself out of trouble (and meet Mr. Right!),
will have to overcome a thousand adversities. And a dash of optimism and
humour – this is what we will surely find in Karolina Frankowska’s debut novel.
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
by Katarzyna Grochola
65
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
THE MOST POPULAR DRAMA NOVEL WRITER IN POLAND,
WHOSE BOOKS SELL BY THE MILLIONS
EACH OF HER BOOKS IS A MAJOR BEST-SELLER
Katarzyna Grochola was born in 1957. She currently lives near Warsaw.
Before taking up journalism, and eventually literature, she worked
as a hospital attendant, proof-reader, actress, customs-office director,
and even as a consultant in a matrimonial office. She has also worked
as a specialist in training at a democratic foundation and as a baker’s
assistant. She likes funny and wise romantic comedies, happy endings
in her own work, and jazz — Miles Davis.
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Four-time winner of the Empik “AS” Award for best-selling novel (2001–2006),
Winner of the Ikar publishing prize (2001),
Tespis 2000 [playwright’s competition] awards for “Let me Depart”
and “My Cat Grew Thin”,
“Two Theaters” in Sopot — first prize for her radio play “Bigda’s Coming”
(shared with Andrzej Wajda’s presentation)
Author photograph © K. Dubiel
FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam
BOOKS BY KATARZYNA GROCHOLA ON OFFER FROM
WYDAWNICTWO LITERACKIE PUBLISHERS:
Novels
Biting the Earthworm (2004)
The Flutter of Wings (2008)
Not on Your Life! (2009)
Heart on a Sling (2009)
I’ll Show You! (2009)
The Crystal Angel (2009)
The Green Door (2010)
Houston, We Have a Problem (2012)
A Slightly Bigger Monday (2013)
Short Story Collections
Authorized for Happines (2004)
Application for Love (2004)
Lost Heaven (2014)
Other
66
Romantic Connections and Disconnections, a long interview
with psycho-therapist Andrzej Wiśniewski] (2002)
Tapestry
Marital and Extra-Marital Fun and Games
Loving Relationships and Break Ups
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
The Flutter of Wings
Trzepot skrzydeł
Keynote
The dark side of love, the bright face of courage: Helen Fielding meets
Joanne Trollope
Sales points
•Almost 200,000 copies sold up to day.
Description
Pages: 170
excl. English
Rights sold: Russia (AST),
Vietnam (Phu Nu)
English synopsis avaible
The Flutter of Wings is the tale of a young woman who has a husband,
a job and her own home. Everything is seemingly brilliant, as if our
protagonist has everything, and yet Hanka does not radiate happiness.
Behind closed doors, when no one’s looking, her life turns into
a nightmare that she can’t wake up from. For her orderly, well-earning
husband she’s the most important thing there is. Unfortunately, her love
is tragic. But when he makes Hanka lose something of true value in her
life, she decides to free herself from her cul-de-sac of weakness, fear
and powerlessness, forging new ties with the person who might be closest
to her, in a twist ending that catches you off guard.
This is a spine-tingling, startling and intelligent tale about overcoming
your fears, having the right to decide for yourself, and finally — about how
miracles really do happen.
An outstanding book by Katarzyna Grochola… Real literature, splendidly written.
Theatrical perfection… The tension grows with every page…
M. Małkowska, “Rzeczpospolita”
Target market
Lovers of contemporary popular literature, dramatic novels, psychological
dramas, women’s prose; inspirational books
67
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
The Crystal Angel
Kryształowy Anioł
Keynote
Poland’s best-loved (and best selling) author of popular women’s literature.
Sales points
•Millions of her books have been sold in Poland
Description
Pages: 544
excl. English
Rights sold: Russia (Eksmo)
You may have your doubts when we suggest that Grochola’s latest book,
The Crystal Angel, is the Hundred Years of Solitude of chick lit. But just read
the book’s first sentence — “Before Sara, on the day before her wouldbe wedding — and it was late afternoon already — spotted her future
(would-be) husband with the legs of her best friend and (would-be) maid
of honor wrapped around his rhythmically gyrating hips, she was a fairly
happy woman” — and try not to think of the opening of Marquez’s famous
novel. Having started her career as writer of lightweight, though much
adored novels, Grochola performed a risky about-face with her previous
novel, The Flutter of Wings, and began challenging her legions of readers
with subject matter and literary tactics seldom seen in the world of pop
lit. With this, her latest novel, Grochola continues the trend, depicting
a woman whose life falls apart after her (would-be) husband’s betrayal,
and the slow process of putting her life together. She does this, however,
without sacrificing any of the affirmation, passion, and fun that made her
a household name to begin with. The end result is that rarest of things —
a work of popular literature admired by the highbrow critics, and a new
classic of chick lit that women might just find their boyfriends reading
on the sly.
The incredible success of Katarzyna Grochola’s books no longer comes
as a surprise to anyone.
Janusz Wróblewski, “Polityka”
Target market
dramas, women’s prose; inspirational books.
68
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
The Green Door
Zielone drzwi
Keynote
The most personal and revealing novel yet by Poland’s reigning queen of the
bestsellers.
Sales points
•Every one of Grochola’s books has topped the bestseller charts, though she continues to
challenge her readers with new and sometimes difficult themes.
•A behind-the-scenes look at the life of an inspiring woman.
Description
Pages: 408
excl. English
Katarzyna Grochola has been saying for years that the most fascinating
plots are written by real life. As if now setting out to prove her point, she
has come out with an openly autobiographical novel – and unsurprisingly,
it is a compulsively readable and life-affirming chronicle of one woman’s path
to become a writer. This took her on a side-track studying medicine (Grochola
was convinced that every great writer had once been a medical doctor, and thus
studied medicine to become a writer), through several relationships, a marriage
and a divorce, a journey to Libya, and a cancerous illness, among many other
events. The style and panache that have endeared Grochola to hundreds of
thousands across Poland are still front and center in this latest novel, and
though she spares her readers none of the heartbreaks of her experience –
the descriptions of her work in the hospital are particularly harrowing – one
ultimately comes away from reading The Green Door fortified, uplifted, and filled
with a sense of wonder at the remarkable things that a life can bring. As she
herself writes: “Every event I write about is real. Every person I write about
truly existed. Every love of mine was real. This is my life. All of it hidden behind
the green door, one of many . . . I shan’t open it wide, just only a crack. Behind
the green one is another – perhaps scarlet? And behind the scarlet one . . .”
With The Green Door we have a chance to get to know the author of our favorite
books, to understand their protagonists, and to believe at last that real life really does
write the best plot lines.
Aleksandra Dylejko, “Dziennik baltycki”
For years Katarzyna Grochola has been conquering the hearts of hundreds of
thousands of faithful readers. They draw strength, hope and faith in their own
capabilities from the protagonists of her books.
“Super nowosci”
Target market
69
Those who adore true stories, autobiographies, or life stories of successful
people, as well as those in search of inspiration, who enjoy themes of triumph
over adversity.
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
Houston, We Have a Problem
Houston, mamy problem
Keynote
The latest novel by the best-selling author.
Sales points
• A startling novel – maintained, as usual, in Grochola’s dazzling and witty style – which
is sure to win the hearts of not only Katarzyna Grochola’s faithful readers, but also
stands a chance to conquer new fans – among them men.
Description
Pages: 608
excl. English
Rights sold: Russia (AST)
The protagonist of the novel is Jeremiasz, a kind and sharp thirty-two-year-old
who has found himself at a crossroads in life. He is a fantastically talented
camera operator, but he has shown himself to be too correct and
uncompromising to make a career in film. Out of work, he quickly becomes
strapped for money, and needs to pay off his apartment. He can’t live with his
mother, after all, who is always meddling in his life. Jeremiasz knows plenty
about women. Heck, he knows everything, maybe even a bit more,
because wherever he happens to be there’s a woman – whether it’s his mother,
or his neighbor on his floor, or his neighbor’s daughter, or Zmora from the floor
below, or his friend, who you can talk to just like one of the guys. But they all
want something from him, and each one surprises him in some way.
Jeremiasz loves the single life, but this is a mask, because he is fascinated
by women and never ceases to be delighted by them. Women – the true
protagonists of this novel – astonish him, and in following his fortunes
we realize that he never knows about or truly understands any of them,
and that life with a woman is hell, but life without one even worse…
Houston, We Have a Problem is a novel about love. Read it and be moved,
but also laugh, for it is filled with warmth, humor, and gentle irony, which
Katarzyna Grochola uses to sketch her protagonist.
Target market
Lovers of contemporary pop literature, women’s literature, “feel-good” books,
books about everyday life, psychological novels, and romantic comedies.
70
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
A Slightly Bigger Monday
Trochę większy poniedziałek
Keynote
A Slightly Bigger Monday – for every day of the week, for every month, for every
season and weather, for happiness, for the blues, and for all of evil.
Sales points
•The most popular Polish writer of women’s literature
•For years every one of her books has been a bestseller
•A Slightly Bigger Monday hit the bestseller list at once
•Winner of many awards and distinctions
•Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages
Pages: 308
excl. English
•She has won the hearts of readers around the world
Description
Everyday lives filled with surprising events and colorful characters,
friendships, love, and smaller and greater yearnings.
Her name is Kasia – she is struggling with her parents’ overprotectiveness, with
a new diet, constant hurry and lack of time, excess of work, lack of money, and
a naughty dog. She is tormented by big emotional problems, and smaller ones,
like a dripping faucet or a broken flowerpot.
Every day she learns how to wisely discard her illusions. She knows that not
every toad is a prince, and not every break-up the end of the world. She stops to
have a look around, take a deep breath, and see how beautiful the world is. She
wastes time on important things – such as conversations with close friends till
late in the night. She believes in love and in dreams. She turns tedious everyday
life into an adventure: she doesn’t complain, she looks on the bright side, and
she acts instead of waiting. She is sure that miracles occur every step of the
way. She knows her flaws and can laugh at them. Happy women are the most
beautiful to her. She is always meeting inspiring people on her favorite city
train. She is careful with what she says – she knows that words are powerful.
She knows that it is not important where we spend our time, but how. She loves
to laugh – humor is her most powerful weapon. She loves life. She hates faking
things. She is grateful to have utterly ordinary problems.
She just does her own thing. And every one of her Mondays is a bit bigger,
better, and more beautiful.
71
FI C T I O N
„There, somewhere in the world, it is definitely better, warmer, and safer. Maybe there
are more opportunities, perhaps they respect you more, you can find work and have
enough to put aside for an apartment and a car. Maybe your family will be better,
because you help them out. But yearning will always a part of your life. Because
every choice eliminates something that you didn’t choose. And till the end of your life
this could hold you in the bonds of the ‚what if.’ Don’t let that poison you.
I wish you success, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.”
Katarzyna Grochola
Target market
Lovers of contemporary popular literature, women’s novels, psychological
novels, feel-good books
72
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
Lost Heaven
Zagubione Niebo
Keynote
Short stories for everyone – when you read one, you will wish it were much
longer!
Sales points
•New book by the most popular bestselling Polish female author, selling hundreds of
thousands copies
•Short stories never before published – fresh from the author’s drawer
Description
Pages: 184
excl. English
73
Shorter and longer stories depicting various seasons in a woman’s life: one‑time
events, moments, long relationships and break-ups, various fears, hopes
and dreams. They show a woman wearing all sorts of masks: happy, tragic,
doubting, afraid, cheated on, regaining herself and the world…
The author has a fantastic talent of presenting events in such a way that we can
feel as if we were protagonists of those stories, regardless of what age or sex
we are.
In one word the stories speak of what happens to us. And we know that life can
be harsh and rich. By showing this diversity, the author helps us to go on, she
carries stories, dreams, words, symbols and she tells us: don’t worry, MIRACLES
HAPPEN, even more so – they are something ORDINARY. For each and every
single one of us there is a lot of good in the world, we just need to be brave
enough to go out into the world and believe in it.
FI C T I O N
Agnieszka Krakowiak-Kondracka
Agnieszka Krakowiak-Kondracka – screenwriter of Polish TV shows, including
Na dobre i na złe (Through the thick and through the thin), Samo życie (This is
life) and Miasteczko (A town). For many seasons she has been the leading
screenwriter of the Polish TV Program 2 hit series Na dobre i na złe (it has been
a hit series for over a dozen years now) – the series under her guidance has
reached the peaks of audience ratings (over 6 million viewers).
Author photograph © Adam Golec
74
FI C T I O N
Agnieszka Krakowiak-Kondracka
Surprise egg
Jajko z niespodzianką
Keynote
Polish Nanny Diaries
Sales points
•A book by a screenwriter whose series makes 6 million people turn on the TV each
Wednesday
Description
Pages: 300
75
Ada is a thirty-something single mother of a three-year-old Julia, who is
handicapped (one of the girl’s hands is not fully able). In order to make it easier
for her daughter to enter the world of other children, in order to protect her,
Ada decides on a private (expensive!) kindergarten.
This is where the twists and turns of the protagonist’s life begin – they concern
finances, love (among the kindergarteners’ parents she meets a man that will
become very important in her life), and social relationships (the kindergarten
parents are a bunch of colourful personalities). All that (love being the most
important of all) served with a pinch of humour (the absurdities of a posh
world), a dollop of bitterness (back is Julia’s father, who left her and Ada years
earlier) but certainly with a lot of cheerfulness and a happy ending.
A true romantic comedy with a colourful social background – children wearing
tiny Gucci clothes, crazy eco-parents and our protagonist, Ada, lost in these
surroundings like Nanny from The Nanny Diaries. Will she fall under the posh
frenzy?
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
by Katarzyna Michalak
76
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
Katarzyna Michalak (b. 1969) is a writer who was educated to be
a veterinarian. She has written over a dozen bestselling novels for women,
including Poczekajka, A Year in Poziomka, Summer in Jagódka, The Cherry
Manor, and Return to Poziomka.
Women go crazy for her! Her fan base is growing at a staggering pace,
and each new book she writes swiftly becomes a hit, breaking popularity
records. She always surprises, and never disappoints.
77
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
A Year in Poziomka
Rok w Poziomce
Keynote
A best-selling writer adored by female readers of all ages.
Sales points
•A writer who has proven her ability to really speak to readers.
Description
Pages: 312
Rights available:
Russia (AST)
Ewa is a thirty-something woman who has already lived a full life, as they
say. She has finally decided to take the plunge and to move into the home
of her dreams. But like everything in life, this dream has its price: to earn
enough money for her dream home in the forest, Ewa has to take up work
in a handsome friend’s publishing house. Her job is to find the next big
thing, a sure-fire bestseller. And this is where the adventure begins...
A captivating story of people who find happiness just when they thought it
was too late. It is about a pair of charming protagonists who learn that all
the good you put into the world is paid back with interest. And ultimately,
about how dreams always do come true – if you let them.
Target market
Readers of “chick lit,” readers taking their first steps into literature.
78
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
Summer in Jagódka
Lato w Jagódce
Keynote
A best-selling writer adored by female readers of all ages.
Sales points
•This author’s previous books have hit numerous best-seller lists across the country,
selling upwards of 10,000 copies.
•A highly prolific author with an intimate understanding of her readers’ needs.
Description
Pages: 284
Katarzyna Michałak’s latest offering is a charming fairy-tale whose action
takes place in modern-day Poland. The protagonist is a girl who turns from
an ugly duckling to a swan – she goes from working in a Carrefour
supermarket to taking part in a beauty pageant in Cyprus. All through these
changes, however, she remembers her one true love – a boy who has been
wrongly accused of committing a crime and incorrectly diagnosed with an
illness.
Summer in Jagódka is a modern-day fairy-tale about love, and about universal
beauty hidden behind a mask of appearances.
Target market
Readers of “chick lit,” readers taking their first steps into literature.
79
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
Return to Poziomka
Powrót do Poziomki
Keynote
A book about the Polish Bridget Jones, who learns that it is never clear
what price dreams come at, how much must be paid for love and what will
actually turn out to be precious in life…
Sales points
•Each of her books becomes a bestseller.
•One of the most highly publicised debuts of the last few years.
Description
Pages: 296
Katarzyna Michalak, in the sequel to the best-selling A Year in Poziomka,
will take us not only to a beautiful Polish village, to places both familiar
and unknown, but on an exotic voyage to India, while guaranteeing
a multiplicity of thrills, surprising plot twists, powerful emotions, laughter
and tears, and also splendid tales about the animals without which
Poziomka would not be Poziomka. Day by day, month by month, the author
weaves a tale of people who contain genuine, sincere goodness. Yet even
they are not devoid of weaknesses and vices, as they complete difficult
choices, make mistakes and hurt their loved ones. The story holds its charm,
keeping the reader in a state of suspense until the final page. Will it all
end well?…
Target market
dramas, women’s prose, inspirational books.
80
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
The Cherry Manor
Wiśniowy Dworek
Keynote
Another novel by the best-selling author of women’s fiction.
Sales points
•A well–recognized author, adored by her faithful female readership.
•A tribute to values that most readers hold dear: the family, home, honest work, devotion
to one’s friends etc.
Description
Pages: to come
The Cherry Manor is a tale of love, and its main protagonists are sisters; though
they are twins, one is very romantic, and the other very, very cautious – or
perhaps these are only facades? Danusia dutifully carries the torch of education
in a village near Sejny, living in an old, beautiful manor, which also houses
her school. Danka works in a Warsaw corporation and holds down a decent spot
in the rat race. Danka and Danusia live in different worlds, but both are lonely
and missing something in life – most of all, true love. They do not know
about each other – as in the old stories – their mother died in childbirth,
and they were separated at birth. Danusia was raised by a tyrannical father,
and Danka by a lovely couple of Warsaw doctors. And perhaps the sisters would
never have met if the mysterious Karol Miłosz vel Jakub Liszt vel Daniel
van der Welt had not appeared on the horizon, with Interpol hot on his trail.
The handsome and mysterious Roger also appears, attracting both the twins
during their stay at a seaside spa.
Who will be the first to find love and happiness?
The Cherry Manor is a light and optimistic story that is sure to move numerous
readers.
In spite of the hardships and the dark clouds hovering over the protagonists,
the story is idyllic, particularly in the descriptions of the charming village
and the titular manor. It resembles an old-fashioned fairy tale about luckless
orphans who unexpectedly find happiness. It has an attractive plot with plenty
of twists and turns, and it all spins as gently as a merry-go-round.
Target market
Readers of “chick lit” novels and heartwarming, optimistic fiction.
81
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
The Game of Ferrin
Gra o Ferrin
Keynote
The sensuality of Fifty Shades of Gray, paired with emotions worthy of the
novels of Stephanie Meyer – full of dark spiciness, the dangerously passionate
tale of the land of Ferrin draws in the reader to the core.
Sales points
•Every one of this author’s books becomes a bestseller
•One of the most popular Polish contemporary writers for women
•Brings to mind books by authors of world-wide bestsellers: E. L. James, Stephanie Meyer,
and Laurell K. Hamilton
Pages: 436
(except World English
electronic publishing rights)
•A series whose narcotic sensuality and bravura in creating a fantastical world has no
equal
Description
A dark world ruled by passion. Gods who submit to sensual cravings.
And a female protagonist from the Earth who has to survive to render the
impossible…
The first part of a five-volume series about the dark history of Ferrin –
a remarkable land ruled by passions, where there is an eternal struggle for
power.
Karolina, a young doctor in the emergency ward, has a quiet and ordinary life.
Soon, however, this will change drastically – through an unexpected tangle of
events she will go to another world, a land she has always dreamed of. Now, in
her new incarnation and with a new name – Anaela dell’Iderey – she has to
learn the rules of this beautiful, yet cruel world, and come to understand that
its fate depends on her.
She will come to contend with ruthless rulers and gods who succumb to many
temptations. At her side stands a faithful horse and other mythical creatures,
born of one of the most lively imaginations in the Polish fantasy scene.
Who will help Anaela in this fight for the future of Ferrin, and who will bury
a treacherous blade in her back? To whom can she confess her anxieties, and
whom will she have to avoid at all costs? Our heroine swiftly discovers that
surviving in Ferrin could cost her more than she is willing to sacrifice...
The Game of Ferrin is a feast for all those women who value startling intrigue,
great emotions, and profoundly moving stories in their fantasy literature; books
that will linger in their memories long after they have turned the final page.
Target market
82
Readers of fantasy books, adventures books geared toward women, and pop
literature
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
Return to Ferrin
Powrót do Ferrinu
Keynote
Fantasy literature for women as it should be – incredibly sensual,
a swashbuckling and moving tale of a land that every woman dreams of.
Sales points
•A series whose narcotic sensuality and bravura in creating a fantastical world has no equal
Description
Pages: ca. 400
The second part of a five-volume series about the beautiful, yet cruel land of
Ferrin.
Everyone who has read the first part of the series will not be disappointed to
meet their favourite characters again.
Return to Ferrin, the second volume of Katarzyna Michalak’s fantasy saga, is
the direct continuation of The Games of Ferrin. Karolina, known in the world
of Ferrin as Anaela, reenters the portal of the World of Worlds. And once more
she becomes a pawn in the hands of gods playing out their latest skirmish for
Ferrin. This time round, however, Anaela is wiser: she now knows how to use
her powers, she is aware of the complexities of the magical universe, she has
a few tried-and-true friends and the One with whom she would wish to spend
the rest of her days.
When, however, Anaela crosses the portal to the other side and lands once
again in the Forest of One Thousand – but now it turns out that she has gone to
another dimension, another time-space – to the epoch before the Gray Death,
to Ferrin, where the dragons have been conquered, the ruling race is elves,
people are chiefly slaves, and the Highlanders guard the Northern outposts
against the Savage People, the Kyrie, and the Nameless. Luckily, she meets Saris,
a friendly unicorn, almost at once. It is from him that she finds out that her
heart’s chosen one, Sellinaris, is the successor to the throne in this time and
dimension, and is preparing to get married. Anaela has difficulty swallowing
this information, especially given that Sellinaris intends to marry his own
sister, Elanora.
But Anaela will soon have to forget about her broken heart, because she has
a much more serious task in front of her: she has to save Shadow (the unicorn)
from being destroyed. She has to guide her out of the forest. And this is only the
beginning of the intrigues and adventures...
Target market
83
literature
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
The Heart of Ferrin
Serce Ferrinu
Keynote
Fantasy literature for women as it should be – incredibly sensual,
a swashbuckling and moving tale of a land that every woman dreams of.
Sales points
Pages: ca. 400
Description
Great love, great hatred, and a battle for survival on the horizon – Anaela’s
daughter enters Ferrin.
The third part of a five-volume series about the beautiful, yet cruel land of
Ferrin.
This time the main protagonist of the story is Gabriela, Anaela’s daughter.
Unruly, impulsive, impudent, and yet blessed with a mysterious power – just
like her mother. The girl is faced with the task of saving Ferrin from destruction.
Danger lurks behind the treacherous Lanoria, and also the dragons, who have
awoken and begun to sow devastation throughout the land. Luckily, there are
friends at Gabriela’s side, and also her heart’s true love – the demonic Karin
Dell’Amar, with his ruby eyes.
In The Heart of Ferrin Katarzyna Michalak proves once more that she is the
mistress of emotional suspense and a subtle play of feelings – this book
captures your heart, from the first page to the last, in a whirlwind of joy and
sadness, passion and terror, which we feel we must ride through to the end.
It is a book one longs to reread as soon as one has finished the last page.
And then again.
Target market
literature
84
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
The War of Ferrin
Wojna o Ferrin
Keynote
The third installment of the Ferrin saga by thousands of women’s favorite
author – an intricately wrought novel of an extraordinary journey to another
world, a world of passions, love, and betrayal.
Sales points
Forthcoming in November 2014
Pages: to come
Description
Violent passions, hard decisions, untamed desires – the war for the magical
land of Ferrin is only beginning…
The penultimate part of the five-volume series about Ferrin!
Ferrin is in danger! A sinister fleet of the cruel Lanors is sailing in from beyond
the ocean, aided by the bloodthirsty demon-god Luciferrin. Great dangers
require special tactics – the gods resurrect the Star of Ferrin: Anaela returns!
But will she manage to prepare her people for this struggle of life and death?
Will she have the time to save the land which she loved so dearly? After so
many equally tragic and burning passions will she finally manage to find the
One?
Hard as it many be to believe, in The War of Ferrin Katarzyna Michalak writes
with even great flair than in the previous volumes of the series, maintaining
everything that readers have loved her for – an original plot, sophisticated
style, a great sense of humor and a sensuality of description which leaves the
reader red-hot…
Target market
literature
85
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
Lady of Ferrin
Pani Ferrinu
Keynote
Katarzyna Michalak has breathed life into the land of Ferrin, creating an
unforgettable kaleidoscope of emotions and adventures, a world which keeps
you coming back for more.
Sales points
•Brings to mind books by authors of world-wide bestsellers: E. L. James , Stephanie Meyer
forthcoming in 2015
Pages: to come
Description
Ferrin has not yet healed its wounds after the great war, and a new danger is
already approaching – Anaela is coming too the rescue, but is she ready for this
last great challenge?
The final part of the five-volume series about Ferrin – a finale worthy of this
mistress of the genre.
After the exhausting battle for Ferrin Anaela is enjoying a quiet and happy life
in a ranger’s hut on Earth, living at the side of the godly Sellinaris. This idyll
will not long, however – once more, she will be summoned to Ferrin.
This time the world is being threatened by the demon ruler Luciferrin, who is
blackmailing Anaela in a cruel fashion: either she bears him a son, who will be
the next to sit on the throne of Lanoria, or all those dearest to her will perish.
Our protagonist is standing before a difficult, or even tragic decision. But in fact
she has no choice, all the more so given that the enslaved women of Lanoria are
also asking for her help, as they have had enough of their servitude.
Will Anaela salvage her love? Will she free the women of Lanoria from the hell
of enslavement? And what will the gods of Ferrin do?
Lady of Ferrin is the crowning achievement of the Ferrin saga, it fairly crackles
with passion. Katarzyna Michalak once again shows herself to be a mistress of
juggling readers’ emotions.
Target market
literature
86
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
In the Name of Love
W imię miłości
Keynote
Another brilliant and heartwarming novel from Katarzyna Michalak which has
become an instant bestseller on its first publication.
Over 25 000 copies sold up to date!
Pages: 272
There has not been such a moving book since Anne of Green Gables!
Edward, the owner of a beautiful old house on Jabłoniowe Wzgórze, hardly
suspects the revolution that will soon transpire in his life. This revolution is
named Ania – she is ten years old and has just lost everything… A mystery
from the past forces a man to ask what is truly important and if his life has
room for a family. This book will catch you off guard with its wealth of emotion
and its twists and turns. An emotional roller coaster ride is guaranteed!
This is a suspense-filled story about a search to find one’s place on Earth, the
need to be loved, yearning for one’s true family, and the fact that miracles do
happen.
A review from the Lubimy Czytać web site:
In the Name of Love is an extraordinarily emotional read which teaches us that
everyone has a right to make his own mistakes – even if they are the most terrible
ones. Even the worst person, a criminal or a murderer, can turn over a new leaf,
weigh in his conscience, and change his life for the better. This is also a tale of the
power of love that can bloom between a mother and a child, and vice-versa. It
survives everything and cannot be defeated by the worst of evils.
A review from the blog asymaka.blogspot.com
This is a book that gives us hope that it is worth struggling on, seeking one’s place on
Earth, that we cannot give in, particularly when so much depends on us.
I recommend it with all my heart. A guaranteed emotional experience! What won’t
one do in the name of love? It can help us move mountains...
A review from the slowaczytane.wordpress.com blog
This book needs to be mentioned. It speaks less of the fate of a woman with cancer
than of her choices and behavior in her youth, her irresponsibility, fear, and sense of
love. Once again we find so many themes, so many coincidences, or apparent
accidents – nonetheless, it has all be very well composed and creates a coherent
whole.
87
FI C T I O N
A review from the kasiek-mysli.blogspot.com blog
Don’t be fooled by the feel-good, summery cover, don’t judge the book by the author’s
name (Katarzyna Michalak), because she has stopped writing books that are simply
joyful and starry-eyed; she has now begun to describe the dramatic situations that
occur in our lives. I hope Katarzyna’s fans will forgive me, but to my mind these
books that cover the dark side of life come out much better. None of her books have
let me down. In the Name of Love seduced me as well!
A review from the zapatrzonawksiazki.blogspot.com blog
Are you in search of a real tear-jerker? A book which you will not be able to put down
until you have reached the last sentence, and which will linger in your memory long
afterward? If so, I recommend the latest novel by Katarzyna Michalak, which
guarantees all this and more.
A review from the markietanka-mojeksiazki.blogspot.com blog
This book seduced and enchanted me; it is both beautiful and wise. It gives you food
for thought and encourages you to see the world with new eyes. Perhaps somewhere
near you there lives a little Ania in need of help, trying to keep her head up?
Let’s not turn a blind eye! This is the conclusion I had after reading Katarzyna
Michalak’s book.
A review from the recenzje-kiti.blogspot.com blog
In the Name of Love is the latest, and most true-to-life, book by this author; it took
me only a few hours to read. I began the first few sentences and then could not put it
down until the last page. I recommend it to all those who love this author and fine
genre novels.
Author: A review from the book-and-cooking.blogspot.com blog
In the Name of Love is yet another book by this bestselling author. I can say in all
sincerity that it is the best book of those I’ve read by her so far. It is a tale of love,
and of forgiveness for what has gone by. It is a novel where I wished I could shake
more than one of the characters and tell them to wait and think about what they
were doing, to change their minds.
88
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
Anything for You
Dla ciebie wszystko
Keynote:
An author that has already made her name, new and fascinating protagonists,
and high emotion in a story worthy of Hollywood!
Sales points:
•A marvelous love story, and a sequel to one of the hottest sellers in recent years!
•Katarzyna Michalak is back to delight readers again!
Description
Pages: 304
A crippled boy who has been abandoned by his mother, a hacker pursued by the
police, and a sensitive and charming young female doctor. What could bring
together such different people?
Ania Kraska, the young protagonist of the bestselling novel In the Name of Love,
is already over twenty. She has graduated in medicine and can finally pursue
her dream – she wants to help people. Moreover, an attractive offer to work
abroad crops up, and her darling Tomek seems head over heels for Ania.
Life, however, can be unpredictable.
Two strangers are standing in Ania’s way – and they both need her very much.
One is escaping from someone and asks Ania for help, putting her at deadly
risk. The other is four years old and has eyes full of fear.
Will Ania manage to help them? Will she save little Piotruś from a miserable
fate? Will she succumb to the charms of Daniel, for whom escape seems the
only way of life?
High emotion, criminal intrigue, mafia scores, and hope for true love are the
ingredients of this compelling read.
89
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Niemczuk
Jerzy Niemczuk (b. 1948) is a prose and comedy writer, a famous and admired
screenwriter for film and television, the author of scripts for one of Poland’s
most beloved television series, and the author of radio plays and books for
children. He made his debut in 1970. He received the Kornel Makuszyński
Literary Award in 1995 for his book Zuzanka’s Adventures for the best children’s
book of 1994. He lives in the Mazury District.
90
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Niemczuk
Cat Whip
Bat na koty
Keynote
Marlena de Blasi made us adore Tuscany; Jerzy Niemczuk will make readers fall
in love with the Polish Mazury District!
Sales points
•One of the most promising Polish writers of popular literature.
•A famous and admired screenwriter.
Description
Mazury’s idyllic landscapes and a beautiful story about recovering from despair.
Pages: 444
Category:
Contemporary Literature
Joanna, the young mother of three-year-old Maja, is raising the child by herself
after her husband disappeared, leaving behind bitterness and… debts. She lives
near her parents-in-law, who neither like nor support her. She needs money,
work, support, and kind people. She does not even dream of love…
But when she reaches the limit of her misfortunes, it turns out that there is lots
and lots of good that can happen… Could it be in Joanna’s life as well?
Brilliantly written, with dazzling descriptions of Mazurian nature and stoking
unforgettable emotions, Cat Whip has everything a bestseller should have!
There’s drama, emotions, and kind people, and above all, faith – in goodness
and love.
“This is a book about choices, who one is, always resulting from our decisions.
Though it could seem as though fate decides for us, at a certain point it is always we
who are acting.”
Tomasz Skupień, hatak.pl
Target market
Readers of contemporary literature and women’s literature, lovers of
psychological and drama novels, feel-good books.
91
FI C T I O N
Agnieszka Olejnik
Agnieszka Olejnik – Polish and English teacher, in 2007 she was awarded in
the Astrid Lindgren Foundation ABC XXI competition for her book A Raw In the
Fables (Awantura w bajkach). Author of a fantasy novel for children: Ava and Tim:
Road to the North (Ava i Tim. Droga na północ).
Author photograph
© B. Kwasek
92
FI C T I O N
Agnieszka Olejnik
I Got Lost
Zabłądziłam
Keynote
A book of a great positive power that lies in youth, of believing in oneself and
others, which sometimes is the only thing needed to put together a shattered
world.
Sales points
•An incredible debut.
•Touching upon current issues and problems of teenagers all around the world.
•A book for all generations – daughters, mothers and even grandmas!
Pages: 130
Description
A contemporary novel of manners for teenagers and grown-ups about dealing
with demons of the past and hardships of the present.
A sixteen-year-old Maja has to deal with horrible memories. When she was
twelve, she found her older sister in bath after a successful suicide attempt –
Kaja cut her wrists after she was raped.
Since then Maja’s mother has been profoundly depressed, her psychologically
fragile father finds shelter in working and the teenager shuts herself away from
her peers. Her only escape are basketball trainings. And a humble fascination
with her high school friend Alek.
Maja and Alek fall in love, they learn how to trust each-other, gradually
they become responsible enough to create a serious relationship. They also need
to learn to miss each-other – when he turns eighteen, Alek goes to Netherlands
to live with his father. It turns out then that Maja is expecting…
Unprepared to be a mother, scared by the situation, afraid and insecure,
she hides the news from Alek and breaks up with him. The tension at home
grows more unbearable and finally the girl bursts out. The fight has unexpected
aftermath – father takes mother to a doctor and the entire family decides
to undergo a therapy. But the true breakthrough is yet to come…
I Got Lost is a touching story about entering adulthood, about first love
and becoming ready for a relationship with another person; about fears
and uncertainties, making mistakes and fixing them with difficulty. But most
of all – about the great positive power that lies in youth.
Target market
Readers of contemporary popular literature, modern novels of manners
and psychological novels, books that cheer you up. A book for many
generations of readers – from middle school students, through high school
attendants up to their mothers and even grandmothers.
93
FI C T I O N
Janusz Leon Wiśniewski
by Janusz Leon Wiśniewski
94
FI C T I O N
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR POLISH WRITERS;
MILLIONS OF READERS ENTHUSIASTICALLY SNAP UP
EVERY ONE OF HIS BOOKS.
EACH OF HIS BOOKS IS A MAJOR BEST-SELLER.
HE HAS AN EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS READERS —
SINCE HIS DEBUT, HE HAS RECEIVED HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF EMAILS FROM HIS ADMIRERS.
Janusz Leon Wiśniewski (b. 1954) graduated in economics and physics from
the Copernicus University in Torun. He defended his PhD at the Warsaw
Technical Academy in computer sciences. His post-doctorate was in
chemistry, at the Łódź Technical University. He works in a company
that makes information systems for chemists. He has published: @lone in the
Internet (2001), Tension Units (2002), @lone in the Internet: Triptych (2003),
Recurring Destiny (2004), An Intimate Theory of Relativity (2005), Molecules of
Emotion (2006), Does the World Need Men? (2007), and Scenes from the Other
Side of the Wall (2008), Close-up (2010), Blood Flow (2011), My Greatest Intimacy
(2012)
Russia, Croatia, Ukraine, Czech Republic
BOOKS BY JANUSZ L. WIŚNIEWSKI ON OFFER
FROM WYDAWNICTWO LITERACKIE PUBLISHERS
Short Story Collections
A Private Relativity Theory (2005)
Molecules of Emotion (2006)
Scenes from the Life through the Wall (2008)
Close-up (2010)
Blood Flow (2011)
My Greatest Intimacy (2012)
Traces (2014)
Other
Does the World Need Men? (2007)
95
FI C T I O N
Blood Flow
Ukrwienia
Keynote
A collection of thoughts and reflections by one of Poland’s best-selling
authors.
Sales points
•An author whose every book is a sales event.
•Insightful, warm, and a pleasure to read.
Description
Pages: 110
Poland’s best-loved writer of popular novels and editorials returns
with another collection of newspaper columns to cherish and to enjoy.
Wiśniewski’s light-hearted psychological insights into male-female
relationships and the ways of the world have already won over millions
of readers in Poland and well beyond its borders.
Target market
Readers in search of an accessible bedside read that will leave them with
much food for thought; readers of essays and inventive newspaper columns.
96
FI C T I O N
My Greatest Intimacy
Moja bliskość największa
Keynote
A new collection of tales by the master of the short prose form.
Sales Points
•Janusz Wiśniewski sketches sensitive portraits of people with whom he has spoken,
and whom he is unable to forget – even if the meeting was extremely fleeting.
Description
Pages: 88
Damian has a photographic memory and a talent for foreign languages.
He is autistic. Now he’s maturing. A “sexual assistant” helps him to enter
the world of the erotic. Bettina searches for love on the popular dating sites.
She has been let down a couple of times, but she has not given up hope.
Will she find the love of her life? Patryk has everything he could dream of.
His father, a combine producer, ensures him the best education, buys him
apartments and cars. But Patryk has another dream – he would prefer to
arrange flowers in a small florist’s shop. Wiśniewski is a master of the short
form. Using a few images, sometimes only a few sentences, he can evoke
the truth about human nature. Nobody writes like him about sexuality,
dreams, mysteries, and painful disappointments. My Greatest Intimacy compiles
true stories of people who live in various places – in Moscow, in Bora-Bora
or in Russian villages – but whom dream the same dreams of intimacy and love.
Wiśniewski’s stories show us a great truth: that happiness and longing always
share the same face – regardless of latitude or longitude, age, or skin color.
Target market
Readers in search of an accessible bedside read that will leave them with much
food for thought; readers of essays and inventive newspaper columns.
97
FI C T I O N
Scenes from the Life through the Wall
Sceny z życia za ścianą
Keynote
The Polish Coelho does it again!
Sales points
•A sequel to the bestsellers “An Intimate Theory of Relativity” and “Molecules of Emotion”
Description
Pages: 113
Janusz L. Wiśniewski catches readers off guard once more with another
volume filled with wise and sensitive tales of interesting people.
Nadine is sick with cancer, is missing her right breast and is very much loved.
Sylwia sadly observes her acquaintances’ wedding while standing by her
husband’s side. Laurienne is 178 cm tall, weighs 48 kg and wants to go through
a liposuction. Alex and Wolfgang love each other and are happy together. Stefan
returns to the garbage pile he was thrown onto as an infant every year on
Mother’s Day…
Each of these stories is true.
Tales of people we meet on the street, in the elevator, at work. Portraits of
people we never meet, and of ourselves. A reflection of a simple truth: Whoever
we are, we need a partner.
I’ve never met another couple like them. Sensitive, caring for one another, happy.
Sometimes during the weekend or during the week when I can get away from the
office early, I eavesdrop on their life from the balcony. Sometimes I also hear the
echoes of their voices through the wall. For the past five years, often unintentionally,
I hear their laughter and snippets of their conversation. Five years of happiness,
harmony and joy. Together.
(a passage from the book)
Target market
Devotees of prose of manners, romances and true life stories. Admirers of the
oeuvre of writers such as P. Coelho or W. Wharton.
98
FI C T I O N
Traces
Ślady
Keynote
Author who in his novels with mastery links emotions, eroticism and science,
once again proves to be an unparalleled expert on human souls – both male and
female. He proves that each of us has some unique story to tell.
Sales points
•Every single novel by this author becomes a bestseller
•One of the most popular writers of women’s literature
Description
Pages: ca. 150
Category: Short stories
Happiness looks the same regardless of latitude, age or skin colour – bestselling
author at his literary best. He surprises his readers, makes them laugh, debunks
myths and at times is outrageous.
Janusz Leon Wiśniewski presents us with another portion of the lives of people
met by chance (or not). People that are at the same time average and unique.
People living in huge metropolises, Bora Bora or the most distant corners
of the cold Russia. Contrary to appearances those characters have a lot
in common – the need of reciprocal love and being with another human being
to say the least.
Wiśniewski is the master of short story. With the use of a couple of images,
sometimes just a few sentences he can show the truth of human nature.
No one writes about sexuality, dreams, secrets and painful disappointments like
he does.
Target market
Female readers of all ages, enthusiasts of short stories, lovers of women’s
literature, therapeutic, psychological books that can cheer you up.
99
FI C T I O N
Ewa Nowak
Ewa Nowak (b. 1966) is a writer, teacher, and therapist; she writes columns,
short stories, and novels for children and young people. She made her
debut in 2002, and presently has over twenty titles on the market. She runs
workshops in creative learning for children and young people, as well as for
parents, teachers, and psychologists.
In 2009 her novel Spider on a Bike received honorary mentions in the 1st
Halina Skrobiszewska Children’s Literature Competition, while her novel
A Very White Crow was named Book of the Year by the Friends of Books
Association for the Polish Section of IBBY in the young people’s literature
category.
100
FI C T I O N
Ewa Nowak
Bracelet
Bransoletka
Keynote
First loves and first disappointments, but above all, stirrings of passions –
a moving tale of a great inner transformation of Weronika, who is lost in the
world of her peers and family.
Sales points
•One of the most widely read writers of literature for young people and children.
•Awarded Book of the Year by the Friends of Books Association for the Polish Section of
IBBY.
Pages: 296
Category: Children’s and Young
Adult Fiction
Description
A charming tale about growing up, first love, and life, where nothing is as
simple as you think it is going to be…
Weronika is sixteen years old and is just finishing junior high.
Her parents are good, educated people. But behind this beautiful facade lies
a much darker reality: Weronika and her brother cannot stand each other, their
father is prone to emotional violence, and their mother, though sensitive and
gentle, appears to take no notice of the family’s problems…
Weronika has to deal with this difficult home life on her own, as even her
relationship with her closest friend is not going so well. When the girl meets
Łukasz on a school trip, new hope enters her heart. Weronika thinks that they
will spend the holiday together, but the boy has just given her his place so that
he can travel elsewhere. Weronika feels defeated, but has to go to the theater
workshops, not at all suspecting that they will change her whole life…
Target market
Lovers of contemporary popular literature, teenagers, readers of psychological
novels, feel-good and educational novels
101
FI C T I O N
Dorota Masłowska
Dorota Masłowska (b. 1983) is one of the most famous young writers in Poland,
having taken the literary market by storm. She grew up in Wejherów. She began
studying psychology at Gdańsk University, then moved to Warsaw to attend
a cultural studies program.
Her first book, Snow White and Russian Red, advertised as “Poland’s first thug
novel,” received glowing reviews from Jerzy Pilch and Marcin Świetlicki, was
promoted by Robert Leszczyński on the Idol television program, and became
a bestseller (over 120,000 copies sold), while raising a good deal of controversy.
Snow White… won its author the Polityka Passport in the literature category,
and a nomination for the Nike literary award. The novel has been translated
into many European languages.
Author photograph
© Marcin Nowak
2005 saw the release of Masłowska’s second novel, The Queen’s Peacock, for
which she received the Nike Literary Award in 2006. In 2006 Masłowska
published her debut drama, Two Poor Romanians Speaking Polish, which was
presented to the public in the form of a rehearsed reading at TR Warsaw
(previously the Rozmaitości Theater). Masłowska wrote a column for Przekrój,
published under the title “A Diary from the Land of Glitter,” and reviews books
for Wysokie Obcasy. She has also worked with Lampa magazine since she began
her career. In 2008 she published her most recent drama, entitled Everything’s
All Right Between Us. In early 2009 she left (with her daughter) for Berlin on
a year-long DAAD scholarship.
102
FI C T I O N
Dorota Masłowska
How I Became a Witch
Jak zostałam wiedźmą
Keynote
How to be a mother and not get crazy? How to be a child and not lose soul?
The first children’s book by Dorota Masłowska – for responsible parents who
want their children to live their life truly in a consumerist society
Sales points
•First children’s book by the controversial writer who became famous with her debut White
and Red at the age of 19
Description
Pages: 120
Adult Fiction
103
A tale of a mother whose motherhood is put to test and of a little girl who
is too kind to surrender to evil. The oneiric street story takes place on several
levels.
An evil witch feeds on children, but only the naughty ones. Naughty children
are those who think that the world is worthless without candies and gadgets.
The good ones can share, are helpful, they do not treat relationships with others
as an opportunity to exchange goods. They can play while the former can only
calculate.
The witch, however, takes hold of a girl who cannot be blamed for much.
The witch can eat her only if she mixes her with a truly spoilt and unruly child.
The witch persuades the girl to find such a boy. When she tries to talk her
way out of this assignment she cannot comprehend, the witch uses a magic
substance that changes the mind. And that is how the good girl becomes
almost as evil as the witch and the other child as pure as a girl from a good
family.
How I became a witch by Dorota Masłowska is a rhymed tale about good and
evil. The Author of the groundbreaking White and Red this time writes about
a war that we fight with evil, with the world and with ourselves. She supports
the ideal but knows quite well that everyone – even a very well-behaved girl –
has to touch Evil at the least.
The text will attract both younger readers (it is a rhymed fable) and adults,
who are more likely to grasp the anti-consumerist message of the book,
which shows the fall of the modern mass culture, where spirituality is lost
and transplanting Western festivities without a second thought has brought
more trouble than joy.
FI C T I O N
Marianna Bończa-Stuhr
Marianna Bończa-Stuhr (b. 1982) is a painter. She has received scholarships
from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Kościuszko Foundation,
and the National Culture Center. She has had several solo exhibitions and has
taken part in dozens of collective ones. She has won the Warsaw Graphic Arts
Competition several times (2006–2010). In her private life she is the daughter of
Jerzy Stuhr and the mother of two-year-old Helenka.
104
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr (b. 1947) is one of the most famous and important Polish film
and theater actors, a director and screenwriter. He has won many awards,
distinctions, and honors, including the Commander’s Cross of the Order of the
Rebirth of Poland. He wrote the bestselling tale of his own family, The Stuhrs:
Family Stories (2008), and a personal diary written during his cancerous illness,
That’s What I Think… (2012).
105
FI C T I O N
Marianna Bończa-Stuhr, Jerzy Stuhr
Kacperek in the Library
Kacperek w bibliotece
Keynote
A charming and witty tale of love for books, incrusted with the most brilliant
Polish poems for children – great fun for the kids, and a sentimental journey for
adults.
Sales points
•A famed author and a selection of admired poems with original illustrations.
•A chance to read together for children, parents, and even grandparents.
•These fairy tales and poems are read in one of Poland’s most famous artistic families.
Publication date:
forthcoming in 2014
Pages: 85
Adult Fiction
Description
An exceptional and beautifully illustrated book for children, taking the reader
into a world of the most beautiful poems for children.
Kacperek, an elementary school student invented by Jerzy Stuhr, does not know
where books live, so his mother takes him to the library. There he finds
thousands of interesting volumes, but also a riddle: some books are missing
pages, and others are almost half eaten! The culprit turns out to be Squeak the
Mouse, who acquaints Kacperek with the pearls of children’s poetry.
This is a warm, humorous, and light-hearted tale for all children who love to
read, and for parents who love to read with their children and who want to
recall the bedtime poems their parents once read them. Among the works
compiled by the authors are Jan Brzechwa’s “Lazybones,” Aleksander Fredro’s
“Paweł and Gaweł,” fragments of Maria Konopnicka’s “Schooltime Adventures
of Pimpuś Sadełko,” and Ludwik Jerzy Kern’s “The Snake.”
The book is decorated by the gorgeous illustrations of Marianna Bończa-Stuhr.
Target market
The parents of children at a late-preschool or early school age
People who are curous about which tales Jerzy Stuhr told his children
Lovers of children’s poetry
106
FI C T I O N
Dorota Terakowska
by Dorota Terakowska
107
FI C T I O N
Dorota Terakowska
Dorota Terakowska (1938–2004) was born in Krakow. She studied sociology
and was an academic worker at the Cultural Sociology Studio from 1965–1968
at the pod Baranami Palace. She is also a well-known Cracovian journalist.
She has belonged to the Polish Journalists’ Association (1971–1981), the Polish
Writers’ Association (since 1989) and the Writers’ and Stage Composers’ Union
(since 1982).
Since the publication of Chewing Gum (1986), she has devoted herself entirely to
literature. She has written fantasy books for children and young people, and is
also eagerly read by adults.
She has received many prestigious awards, including three from the Polish
section of the IBBY. Her book entitled The Witch’s Daughter was inscribed in
1994 on the Hans Christian Andersen Honorary List, and It has been taught in
schools.
Each of Terakowska’s books has made a big impact, not only among the critics,
but among readers in particular – and those of every age. Moreover, her books’
popularity has not subsided, and are found on the bestseller list for years, and
even more importantly – are counted among the classics of Polish literature.
Three awards from the Polish section of the IBBY – the world book council for young
people, for the novels: The Witch’s Daughter (1992), The Solitude of Gods (1998) and
Where the Angels Fall (1999)
Children’s Bestseller Award (1995) for Mr. Gryms’s Mirror
Best Book of Spring ’98 for The Solitude of the Gods
“Shop-Window 2003” booksellers’ award for the most important book of the year:
Bookselling Event category, It
Krakow Book of the Month (April 2003) for It
Golden Ten best books for children in the 1980s for The Lord of Lewaw
Nominated for the Polityka Passport in 1998
In 2002, nominated for the Polish President’s Award for work and artistic activities for
children and young people
Norwegian, Czech, Lithuanian, Italian, Slovakian, Russian, German
108
FI C T I O N
PUBLISHERS CATALOGUE
Novels
The Witch’s Daughter
Mr. Gryms’s Mirror
It
Cocoon
The Solitude of Gods
Where the Angels Fall
In the Land of the Cat
The Lord of Lewaw
Other
Dorota Terakowska and Jacek Bomba To Be a Family, or:
How to Change throughout Your Entire Life. Part II
A Person’s the Right Address
The Museum of Imaginary Things
109
FI C T I O N
Dorota Terakowska
Cocoon
Poczwarka
Keynote
A book that shook readers to the core – a magical and literary outsider novel
Sales points
•An author whose every book becomes a bestseller
•Cocoon is loved by readers of all ages, and has broken sales records – over 45,000 copies
sold!
Description
Pages: 322
Category: Children’s and
Young Adult Fiction
Rights sold:
Germany (Treibgut),
Lithuania (Writers’ Union
Publishers),
Vietnam (Women’s
Publishing House),
The Ukraine (Grani-T)
Like all great premises, this one is both simple and bold, and makes you
wonder at why no one seems to have thought of it before. In this riveting
novel, best‑selling author Dorota Terakowska takes a pragmatic and highly
successful young couple – model citizens of the Western world and everybody’s
next‑door neighbor – and throws a wrench in their highly-structured existence.
This wrench is the unpredictability of Nature – their baby is born with Down
Syndrome. With an eye that is by turns profoundly critical and reassuringly
empathetic, Terakowska follows this young couple’s efforts to come to terms
with the ruination of their carefully-made plans for their child and their family.
She also helps the reader see the world through the eyes of the Down Syndrome
child, in a remarkably sensitive portrayal that is touching in its heartfelt
simplicity.
The theme is hardly an obvious one for a best-selling novel, but once again
Terakowska has proven that literature with a popular slant can be daring,
adventurous, and meaningful.
For the first time in my life I responded to a book with my whole body, like a child:
after reading the book I couldn’t get up from my chair!
Alicja Baluch, professor of literature
for children and young people
Whoever experiences this story of Myszka will not find it a page-turner, because
they’ll have to take time out to cry. Dorota’s chaotic, disorderly, and moving novel
has great cleansing power.
Jerzy Pilch, writer
Target market
Admirers of psychological and dramatic literature, fantastic realism
110
FI C T I O N
Dorota Terakowska
It
Ono
Keynote
Shattering — a painfully realistic, yet magical and fairy-tale novel that leaves
its mark on the reader.
Sales points
•Extremely popular with readers — over 20,000 copies have been sold so far
•Each of this author’s books becomes a bestseller
•“Shop-Window 2003” booksellers’ award for the most important book of the year
Description
Pages: 472
Young Adult Fiction
Rights sold: Russia (Ripol),
Vietnam (Women’s
Publishing House)
Ewa is nineteen years old. She lives with her family, but she is lonely.
She dreams of a better life, of leaving her impoverished town somewhere
in southern Poland, of love — which will end up changing her fate. The girl’s
misty, film-based imagination collides with brutal reality. Ewa stands before
a choice. She’s looking for signs to point the right way, moreover, she starts
to look at her surroundings through the eyes of her unborn child. She tries to
explain this world to him, and justify it as well. Both Ewa and It have a decision
to make — if this world is worth the effort of childbirth.
An astonishing novel, multidimensional and full of suspense — the author
masterfully uses the realistic idea of showing the internal development of the
young protagonist against the backdrop of her surroundings. We are dealing
with a work that not only “pulls it off,” but which is in many ways innovative.
The mysterious, finely-crafted construction and the splendidly outlined,
expressive characters make this book a real page-turner.
The motivation of the girl who just wants her child to see a tree, or the sky, is very
moving. Dorota doesn’t simplify this subject, but she has turned it into a drama,
which in turn becomes a metaphor.
Gazeta Krakowska
Target market
Admirers of psychological and socially-engaged literature
111
FI C T I O N
Dorota Terakowska
Where the Angels Fall
Tam gdzie spadają Anioły
Keynote
An inspiring and uplifting novel for all ages
Sales points
•Awarded Best Book of the Year (1999) by the Polish section of IBBY
•A book that wears its heart on its sleeve
Description
Pages: 300
Young Adult Fiction
Rights sold:
Czech Republic
(Nakladatelstvi Triton),
Lithuania (Gimtatis Zodis),
Serbia (Propolis Books)
What happens when you watch your guardian angel battle a black angel and
then fall from the sky? If you’re five-year-old Ewa, the protagonist of Where the
Angels Fall, you fail to convince your parents of what you saw, and then watch
your life fall apart, as one piece of bad luck after another comes your way. And
only when you’ve hit rock bottom, picking up a serious case of leukemia, do
your parents believe you, and join you in the search for a feather dropped by
your angel. If you’re Dorota Terakowska, one of Poland’s most beloved popular
literary writers, you use this remarkable premise as an occasion to tackle some
very large questions about the nature of Good and Evil, the distance between
heaven and earth, and the depth of family love. You manage to suspend
ambiguity for the course of the novel as to whether the angels and magical
events are meant to be understood metaphorically, or whether we are to believe
the world is one where fantastical things happen. And as if this were somehow
insufficient, you add a profound knowledge of angel lore and tie the whole
thing in to Bulgakov’s Master and Margerita through direct quotes and thematic
crossover. Ten years later on, When the Angels Fall seems fresher and more
intriguing than ever.
Dorota Terakowska falls into that rare and admirable category of writers
who smuggle contents of real importance in their chosen convention.
Ewa Nowacka, Nowe Książki, 7/99
Where the Angels Fall is literature of the highest caliber. It may even be the finest
piece in Terakowska’s enormously appreciated oeuvre.
Michał Zając, Guliwer 6/1999
112
FI C T I O N
Dorota Terakowska
The Witch’s Daughter
Córka Czarownic
Keynote
A coming-of-age masterpiece that invites comparison with J.R.R. Tolkien and
Ursula Le Guin.
Sales points
•An author whose books remain bestsellers years after publication
•Inscribed on the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen List
•Given an award by the Polish Section of the IBBY
Description
Pages: 360
Young Adult Fiction
Rights sold:
Czech Republic (Albatros),
Italy (Longanesi),
Lithuania (Gimtatis Zodis),
Norway (Eide Forlag),
Slovakia (Slovart)
Precious few fantasy books for “children of all ages” successfully cross over and
are read by more than a small circle of enthusiasts. To these must be counted,
however, Dorota Terakowska’s magnificent fairy-tale entitled The Witch’s
Daughter, set in a world peopled with witches, ghosts and kindly animals.
Deep in the woods and far from civilization, an ancient witch brings up
a flaxen-haired young girl who remains nameless till her seventeenth year.
This is Luelle, our protagonist, whose lot it is to fulfil a prophecy and thus help
liberate her oppressed land from the invaders, as the last in a once-proud race
of witches. Part of the charm of Terakowska’s book is that it can be read as
a universal parable of the suffering of the outsider, a very specific metaphor for
the state of occupied Poland (it was written in 1988), or simply an enormously
entertaining fairy tale with enough twists and turns to keep you flying through
the pages. There can only be one explanation for the book’s overwhelming
sales popularity: its blend of seriousness, magic and whimsy make it perfect for
young people growing into serious books, and for older people who would like
to relive the joy they felt as children reading fairy tales, but without having to
curb their IQ’s in the process.
Whether a great metaphor, or just simple fantasy, this is a story well told,
astonishing with its richness of vision and yet simplicity of the world presented,
mixing many interesting observations or even tips on how a lonely person can live
surrounded by crowds. Is this a book for mothers or their daughters... Who knows?
Fantastyka.pl
The sadness of the life of the Child depicted does not take away the joy in reading.
The joy is great, and this means a lot coming from someone who can’t stand fantasy
– like myself. The joy comes from the mystery, the vivid storytelling, the well crafted
sentences and scenes. All of which equals a joy in having completed a journey.
Gazeta Wyborcza
Target market
113
Children and young people, lovers of fantasy, fairy tales
FI C T I O N
Łukasz Orbitowski
ONE OF POLAND’S MOST POPULAR FANTASY WRITERS
CONSIDERED POLAND’S ANSWER TO STEPHEN KING
Łukasz Orbitowski (b. 1977) is by education a philosopher, and by fondness
a bodybuilder, who has cut his teeth on the fantasy, avant-garde and realist
writers. He writes a dense prose with protagonists standing up against
the challenges of both this world and the next. Representing the serio-comic
movement in Polish literature, he has developed a dashing, unpretentious
and original style. He’s unafraid to experiment, and writes in blood, sweat
and vodka. He is one of Poland’s few horror writers. His books include short
stories (the collections Bad Coastlines, 1999, Paint Everything Deep and Wide,
2002, and The Dogs of Christmas Eve, 2005), novels (Horror show, 2006,
I’m Losing Warmth, 2007, The Dog and the Priest: Against Everything, 2007).
He also writes journalism and editorials, edits, and reviews books and films.
He is a happy father, and the owner of two cats. He lives in Krakow,
and attended elementary school in Krakow’s Kaziemierz, where the action
of his most well-known book — I’m Losing Warmth — takes place.
Nautilus Award for Horror show;
Krakow Book of the Month Award for I’m Losing Warmth
PUBLISHERS CATALOGUE:
Novels
I’m Losing Warmth (2006)
Holy Wrocław (2009)
It’s Coming (2010)
Phantoms (2012)
114
FI C T I O N
Łukasz Orbitowski
Holy Wrocław
Święty Wrocław
Keynote
A horror ballad about a country of prophets, pilgrims and madmen, of a city
of first loves, of a spring of nine miracles, of approaching catastrophe,
written with a skill worthy of Stephen King.
Sales points
•Another book from the Polish master of fantasy and horror
•Extremely favorable reviews from critics and readers alike
Description
Pages: 296
Category:
This time the action takes place in apartment blocks, where neither devils
nor spirits reside, but rather a second settlement. The haunted residents
abandon their lives to demolish their own homes — under a huge tile there
lies a hot, black surface. More and more people come to this remarkable
settlement with each passing day, the gawpers, believers and researchers
multiply, madness takes hold of the administration and the media…
I don’t want to give away the story, because in Holy Wrocław — apart from the
unsettling atmosphere, the vivid images and the believable characters —suspense
and intrigue are very important, with their dose of black humor.
Adrian Chorębała, “Machina”
Nothing in an Orbitowski horror is taken for granted. There are no cheap tricks
familiar from novels of this sort, no gratuitous blood and guts fly. Orbisowski has
created the terrifying with a skill worthy of the master of the genre, Stephen King.
And as with the American master, every scene leads us one step closer to
catastrophe.
Agnieszka Kolodyńska, “Gazeta Wyborcza Wrocław”
Target market
Lovers of horror, thrillers, fantasy, and books full of suspense.
115
FI C T I O N
Łukasz Orbitowski
It’s Coming
Nadchodzi
Sales points
•Wildly imaginative explorations of the darker side of reality
•A crossover writer who will appeal to both fans of the horror genre and those who
normally keep their distance from it
Description
Pages: 404
Category:
Łukasz Orbitowski prefers to write about the daytime. This is just one small
way in which his work departs from the cliches we expect from horror
writing, a genre much maligned by “serious” readers. Orbitowski is wise
enough to know that horror is most compelling in carefully measured doses
– and has clearly read enough Edgar Allen Poe to know what the genre is
capable of doing. The key to these short stories is their careful balance
between reality and the fantastic. The hospital that cures souls instead of
bodies could very well be the crazed hallucination of a woman undergoing
a traumatic pregnancy. A home where many infamies are committed might
be literally pursuing an old man, or it may be a metaphor for the
inescapability of the past. Orbitowski is clever enough to leave these
ambiguities unresolved in his fictions, which is why they are much more
than a guilty pleasure, and are avidly read by people who normally keep
a safe distance from “genre fiction.” Ultimately, the most disturbing part
about these tales of the fantastic is that they remind us very much of the
world we know and live in.
Reading Orbitowski’s latest collection of short stories, I wondered what was really
so compelling here (because it is compelling). The allure of the plots? The sureness
of the author’s literary craft? All this and more.
Robert Ostaszewski, “Gazeta Wyborcza”
116
FI C T I O N
Łukasz Orbitowski
Phantoms
Widma
Keynote
History, gore, science fiction, literary fireworks and conspiracy theories,
Orbitowski’s Phantoms is a tour de force that imagines an entirely different
post-war history for Poland.
Sales points
• An author with a strong following among philosophical sci-fi/horror enthusiasts in Poland,
with major crossover potential
• Nominee for the Zajdel Award for literature of the fantastic
Pages: 620
Category:
Description
Can science fiction that imagines an alternate history also be high literature?
Łukasz Orbitowski votes yes, and in this, his most accomplished novel
to date, he makes a compelling case for it. Here the Warsaw Uprising is
imagined with an entirely different conclusion, without a shot being fired.
A famous young poet who perished during the Uprising, Krzysztof Kamil
Baczyński, becomes the protagonist of our imaginary history – he is forced
to grapple with the Russian occupation, and writes a novel in the Social Realist
vein. The novel has three major sub-plots – a mystical one, involving a box
with the power to change the course of history, the story of the protagonists,
who were meant to have died in the Uprising, and the story of Wiktor,
a militiaman who was once a loyal friend of the people who almost participated
in the uprising. Will the country be saved this time around? Ten novels into his
literary career, Orbitowski is in top form.
Target market
Readers of fantasy, literature detailing alternate histories, and conspiracy theory
novels.
117
FI C T I O N
Krzysztof Piskorski
Krzysztof Piskorski (b. 1982) is a writer of fantasy and other genres and
a creator of games. He made his debut with the fantasy game The Rulers of Fate,
published in the New Wave series by Portal Publishers. He has published short
stories in the pages of Science Fiction, Magazyn Fantastyczny, and Nowa
Fantastyka, and articles in Chip, Magia i Miecz, and Portal magazines. His book
debut was the novel The Exile in 2005. He is the author of the Tale of the Sands
trilogy, several novels, and many short stories.
He has won many awards and distinctions, including the prestigious ESFS
Encouragement Award for the most promising writers in Europe, the Quentin
Award for fantasy game plots (2001), a nomination for the A. Zajdel Award for
his novel Splinter (2009), and a Żuławski Golden Distinction Award for Splinter
(2009).
118
FI C T I O N
Krzysztof Piskorski
Shadowcarving
Cienioryt
Keynote
A troublemaker and a world full of conspiracies – a novel full of astonishing
adventures and absurd events by one of the most interesting authors of the
younger generation
Sales points
•The winner of many awards and distinctions
•A winner of the prestigious ESFS Encouragement Award for the most promising writers in
Europe
•A novel by one of the most promising writers of Polish fantasy
Pages: 500
Category:
Description
Inspired by swashbuckling literature, the Three Musketeers, Arturo
Perez‑Reverte’s series and South American literature, this is a novel about
a troublemaking cavalier, a hired swordsman who is drawn into a multi-layered
conspiracy.
The action takes place in a world that recalls Baroque Spain, where the sun is
no ordinary ball of fire, it is a mystical being, and the shadows play a vital role
in everyday life in the complex Baroque culture.
The ruler of the land is an absolute monarch, a Sun King, and the action picks
up when a certain philosopher constructs a camera obscura, and then begins
showing projections of various objects and figures in public, using the sunlight.
In these projections the King is portrayed as the ideal essence, so beautiful and
noble that few can stand to look at him. The scholars hold heated discussions
as to what this might mean, but a theory quickly emerges that in reality this
projection is the royal antithesis. This would mean that the King is in fact evil
and rotten. Ultimately the inventor is forced to escape, starting an avalanche
of conspiracies in which the protagonist is swiftly embroiled…
“Krzysztof Piskorski has shown himself to be an able raconteur, who skillfully moves
between the worlds he ingeniously creates.”
Rafał «Capricornus” Śliwak, Książki Polter.pl
Target market
Readers of contemporary prose, adventure literature, thrillers, and fantasy
119
FI C T I O N
Krzysztof Piskorski
Volta
Wolta
Keynote
A steampunk vision of Europe in the first half of the 19th century. Pagan magic
versus contemporary science. Secret associations, Luddites, revolutionaries,
Masons. Politics and war just around the bend. On top of it all, love, envy,
revenge, and spirits from the past.
Sales points
•Winner of many awards and distinctions.
•Winner of the prestigious ESFS Encouragement Award for the most promising writers in
Europe.
in 2015
Pages: to come
Category: Science Fiction &
Fantasy
•A novel by one of Poland’s most promising fantasy writers.
Description
Volta, a sequel to the cult novel Splinter, takes the reader on a journey to an
alternate year 1831, where incredible technology transformed the world, and
historical figures from Mickiewicz to Metternich and Faraday appear in entirely
new roles.
The year is 1834. The discovery of ether – the energy of the vacuum – has
altered history. Ether gates have joined Europe with parallel worlds, while wars
and uprisings have followed a new path. No one is surprised at the air ships,
the ether shot puts, the living corpses, or the dragons.
Eliza Żmijewska, an insurgent, poet, the first woman in the Academy of
Sciences, and the heir to a long line of Lithuanian witches, arrives in England,
which is cut off by a continental blockade. Her goal? To find Polish industrialist
and inventor Konrad Załuski, whom his countrymen blame for the disastrous
uprising in Lithuania. And to kill him, to avenge her comrades-in-arms.
In London, drifting through conspiracies and secret brotherhoods, Eliza
stumbles upon other veterans of the uprising. They join forces to try to explain
the secret of what transpired eight years previous in the dark forests on the
Wila River. Who is the real traitor? Why did the uprising collapse? What did the
Russians import from the other side of the ether gates to suppress the
rebellion? The only clues are some hazy recollections and a certain anonymous
epic poem. Does this mean that Załuski – a deeply mysterious figure – is really
innocent?
Volta is a brilliantly written novel with a dynamic plot combining spy and
detective conventions, taking the reader from London, through Paris, to the
mist-shrouded ether factory in Krakow.
“Krzysztof Piskorski has already revealed himself to be a skillful raconteur, nimbly
navigating through the imaginative worlds he creates.”
120
Rafał “Capricornus” Śliwak, Książki Polter.pl
FI C T I O N
Target market
Lovers of fantasy, readers of contemporary prose, adventure literature, and
thrillers.
121
NO N - F I C T I O N
Andrzej Chwalba
Andrzej Chwalba is Jagiellonian University’s professor. His scholarly interests
concern religious, social, cultural and civilizational aspects of history of Poland
and Europe in 19th and 20th centuries. Author of 120 publications, including
books such as: Sacrum and revolution (Sacrum i rewolucja), Józef Piłsudski:
historian of military affairs (Józef Piłsudski – historyk wojskowości), Rzeczpospolita,
special report (Rzeczpospolita, Raport specjalny) – for this book Chwalba received
the Historical Award 2006 from the magazine Polityka. Author of academic
textbooks about 19th century history. Coeditor and coauthor of The Dictionary of
Polish History 1939–1948 (Słownik Historii Polski 1939–1948), editor of Calendar of
the History of Poland (Kalendarium Dziejów Polski). Member of learned societies,
e.g. Polish Historical Society, Historical Commission of Polish Academy of
Sciences, Women’s History Commission of Polish Academy of Sciences, Intern.
Tagung der Historkik (in Austria), European Community Liaison Committee of
Historians (Belgium), permanent associate of the French Centre de recherches
d’histoire des movement sociaux et du syndycalisme.
122
Andrzej Chwalba
Europe’s suicide.
World War I 1914–1918
Samobójstwo Europy. Pierwsza wojna światowa 1914–1918
Keynote
Everyone knows about World War II but no one can understand it well without
knowing World War I Sales points
•Centenary of World War I
Description
Pages: 648
Category: History
123
“Europe has decided to commit suicide – i.e. war – for fear of death”
For many years have historians insisted that World War II was only a run-off
of World War I. There is no chance to understand not only the history of World
War II but also of the entire modern history of Europe and the world without
knowing the Great War – the first cause of the most crucial phenomena of our
times, including the rise of Poland or Bolshevik and Nazi totalitarianism.
Andrzej Chwalba’s book is the first such comprehensive synthesis of the Great
War in the Polish language. By chronological discussion of the events of the
war, its origins and consequences for modern times, in his characteristic,
approachable style appreciated by many readers, Chwalba takes up many issues
that are passed over in more superficial publications and school textbooks but
that are often crucial for painting the picture of the era: war economy and
strikes, life of war prisoners and epidemics, deserters and soldier rebellions,
the fate of women and physical workers. Chwalba presents a lot of interesting
information about World War I that is crucial to understand our history.
Ryszard Kaczmarek
Ryszard Kaczmarek (b. 1959) is a historian, a professor at the University of
Silesia, director of the Silesian History Institute, head of the Father Augustin
Weltzl Górnośląski Tacyt Award Chapter. His books include: Under the Rule
of the Gauleiters, Upper Silesia during World War II, Poles in the Wehrmacht,
The History of Poland 1914–1989, Poles in the Kaiser’s Army; he is editor of the
collective work The History of Upper Silesia, author of many articles published
in the Polish and foreign press.
124
Ryszard Kaczmarek
Poles in the Wehrmacht
Polacy w Wermachcie
Keynote
An unflinching and groundbreaking look at the Polish participation in Nazi
German armies and the moral quandaries it involved.
Sales points
•A subject which has long been awaiting such thorough treatment
•A sober and humane treatment of a subject that still rouses much emotion both
in Poland and abroad
•Richly supplied with photographs and source materials
Pages: 448
Category: History
Description
There are books one reads because they are important, and others one reads
because they are so compellingly written. Poles in the Wehrmacht will be read
for both reasons. Based in part on newly-discovered archival materials,
Professor Ryszard Kaczmarek’s (of Silesian University) book reveals
the uncomfortable fact that as many as half a million Poles were recruited
for the Nazi army during World War II, mainly from the regions of Silesia
and Pomerania, with their large volksdeutsche populations. Far from settling
for blanket accusations of treachery, Professor Kaczmarek delves into their
motivations, and finds everything from a sense of family responsibility
(potential soldiers’ families were threatened with deportation
to concentration camps if their son did not support the Reich) to Wanderlust
(the author finds soldiers’ letters from France, Italy, or Greece filled
with pastoral descriptions of wine, sun, and women). Again and again,
Kaczmarek stresses – and convincingly proves – that the ethical motivations
and responses of Poles in the Wehrmacht were as various as there are
personalities in Poland. In other words, this is a history book that seeks less
to generalize than to show the almost unbelievable complexity
of a phenomenon that often evokes one-dimensional emotions. And this is
ultimately the great value of Poles in the Wehrmacht – whatever our stance
towards the issue when we begin reading the book, we are sure to find it
complicated, problematized, and perhaps ultimately shattered by the book’s
end.
In the People’s Republic-era Poland this history was passed over in silence,
and moreover, now we have access to sources that were previously unknown.
This publication [...] makes an essential contribution to our knowledge on the
subject.
Andrzej Kaczorowski, “Wiedza i zycie”
125
The detailed research [in this book] has given birth to a tale that delves into
a topic as unpopular as it is controversial. After all, the image we had created
after the war was one-dimensional, clearly saying that Poles refused all
collaboration with the occupants. But the truth turns out to be far more cruel and
shameful – some of our countrymen were posed with difficult decisions, and were
often forced to devote themselves to the Third Reich. There are still Poles living
today for whom this history is a nightmare to recall, or a shameful secret.
“Echo katolickie”
After 1989 much was written about our countrymen in the Wehrmacht. But now
we have a real hit on our hands. Professor Ryszard Kaczmarek’s Poles in the
Wehrmacht stands to become a bestseller. This is a solidly documented, brilliantly
written work that pulls you in from the first page till the last.
Rafał Geremek, “Newsweek”
Target market
Readers interested in challenging their own perspectives on history, those
interested in World War II and the moral conflicts involved, those in search
of books that handle taboo subjects in a graceful manner.
126
Ryszard Kaczmarek
Poles in the Kaiser’s Army
during World War One
Polacy w armii Kajzera podczas I wojny światowej
Keynote
The fates of Polish soldiers written into a scene where the Great War is being
waged: into mighty military operations and army mobilizations.
Sales points
•A book by a respected historian
Description
Pages: 560
Category: History
The history of Polish soldiers who fought in the ranks of the Prussian army
during World War One, in divisions that stretched from Pomeranian Gdańsk
through Greater Poland to Upper Silesia. Their tale has a tragic dimension –
for Poles, belonging to the conscription army necessitated fighting their own
countrymen.
Using a very wide range of materials, including memoirs, Kaczmarek
also presents – as in Poles in the Wehrmacht – the individual fates of people
who were, over time, to co-create the Polish army, the foundation
of independence.
No one before has told this story of thousands of Poles in Prussian uniform.
The hundred-year anniversary of the First World War seems an apt time
to do this.
This publication is illustrated, and includes appendices and maps.
Target market
Those interested in history, particularly that of the 20th century, of
the military, and the history of Poland; those hunting for books that
demythologize Polish history.
127
Ryszard Kaczmarek
The Silesian Uprising
Powstania śląskie
Keynote
A Polish-German clash and the lives of ordinary people thrust into the tides
of history – a powerful tale of the Silesian uprisings.
Sales points
•A book written by an outstanding authority on history.
•The first popular history book on the Silesian uprisings for many a year.
Description
Terror, large-scale politics, and a struggle for a land that was, for Poland,
the most important for the economy and the most highly developed.
Publication date:
forthcoming in 2016
Pages: to come
Category: History
The Silesian Uprisings.
15 August, 1919. A crowd of miners waiting for their pay for several hours lost
patience and crashed the square of a Mysłowice mine. The divisions of the
German Grenschutz opened fire... Ten people died, including a thirteen-year-old
boy. The first Silesian Uprising broke out the following day.
This book by Ryszard Kaczmarek, a peerless authority on the history of the
Silesians, is a popular publication on the most well-known events in the
contemporary history of Silesia. This is not only a tale of the famous armed
confrontation between the Germans and the Poles, which has been somewhat
neglected by the book market in recent years. Ryszard Kaczmarek provides
a colorful description of the lives of the people of the period, caught in the tides
of history, and pictures the realities of the front lines and the battles, along with
the wider context, i.e. the Silesians committed to the cause – their identity,
culture, and unique history.
A splendid book for every reader interested in the history of the 20th century.
The author keeps a safe distance from both the propaganda and the national
animosities that have lasted through the decades, as well as from contemporary
political debates.
Target market
Those interested in contemporary history and the history of Poland, Germany,
Silesia, armed conflicts, and readers of Ryszard Kaczmarek’s work.
128
Krzysztof Karpiński
Krzysztof Karpiński is a judge and president of an appellate court,
vice‑president of Polish Jazz Society, music critic, jazz expert and enthusiast.
Author of the biography of pianist Mieczysław Kosz. Coauthor of a jazz
standards record (with Krzysztof Sadowski).
129
Krzysztof Karpiński
The Once Was Jazz: The Cry of the
Jazz-Band in Interwar Poland
Był jazz. Krzyk jazz-bandu w międzywojennej Polsce
Keynote
History of jazz in Poland
Sales points
•Pioneer, exhaustive book about jazz
Description
Pages: 560
Category: History
130
The book on history of jazz in Poland is the effect of years of work and passion.
The author approaches the topic from a wide range. He speaks not only about
places, bands, events and personalities strictly connected with jazz – he is
interested with all jazz references and inspirations. That is why in the book
we can find names such as: Hanka Ordonówna, Eugeniusz Bodo, Adolf Dymsza,
Jerzy Petersburski, and authors of lyrics like Julian Tuwim or Światopełk
Karpiński.
Bands that appear on the book pages are: Oaza, Bristol, Europejska, Polonia,
Adria, Esplanada, Palais de Dance. The author describes the history of jazz
and popular music in Warsaw, Vilnius, Cracow, Lviv, Zakopane, Krynica, Łódź,
Poznań, Gdynia, Gdańsk, Sopot, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Białystok and Lublin,
but also outside Poland – Germany, Denmark, Sweden, CCCP, Czechoslovakia,
Great Britain, France (including jazz during World War II).
The book presents a material extremely interesting and valuable historically
and musicologically. This is the first so exhaustive and comprehensible book
about jazz. The author is both a diligent documentarian and wonderful
storyteller sharing interesting episodes and anecdotes from the lives of artists
and musicians. He presents a very broad material that has been unknown
before, including numerous exclusive photographs, posters, schedules, notes
and documents. There is a bonus for all music lovers – a collection of over 100
biographical entries.
Marek Kornat
Marek Kornat (b. 1971) is an historian and professor at the Cardinal Stefan
Wyszyński University and the History Institute of the Polish Academy of
Sciences in Warsaw. He is a member of the Polish Historical Society, the Polish
Institute of International Affairs, the European Memory Network, and Solidarity.
He contributes to the Nowa Europa Wschodnia bi-monthly journal. He is an
expert on Polish foreign policy during the inter-war period, a Sovietologist,
a winner of the Klio Award in 2003 for his work Poland 1939 and the
Molotov‑Ribbentrop Pact, as well as the Jerzy Giedroyć Award and Visegrad
Awards, among others. His speciality is the policies of Józef Beck – in 1995 he
received the Jagiellonian University Rector’s Award for his MA project on Beck.
131
Mariusz Wołos
Mariusz Wołos (b. 1968) is an historian and an authority on the Soviet Union.
From 2007 to 2011 he served as director of the Study Station of the Polish
Academy of Sciences in Moscow, and was the Polish Academy of Science’s
permanent representative to the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is a professor
of the National Education Commission Pedagogical University in Krakow and
the History Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. He has
written over 100 publications (books, collections of documents, articles,
reviews, brief biographies) printed in Polish, Russian, French, and English.
132
Marek Kornat, Mariusz Wołos
Józef Beck – A Biography
Józef Beck – Biografia
Sales points
•A history publication of the highest quality.
•Józef Beck is one of the most interesting and most colorful figures in Polish history.
Description
“Peace is valuable and desirable. Our generation, blood-stained by wars,
certainly deserves peace. But peace, like practically all things in this world, has
its price. It is high, but it is measurable. Only one thing in the lives of people,
nations, and states is priceless. That thing is honor!”
in 2016
Pages: to come
Category: History
Józef Beck, 5 May 1939, his most famous speech before the Polish Parliament
One of the most controversial politicians of the 1920s in Poland, a favorite and
the right-hand man of Marshall Piłsudski, a soldier, conspirator, diplomat,
subject of rumors, and the protagonist of a dramatic scandal.
Is he the main culprit of the Polish tragedy of the 20th century, or is he
wrongfully accused?
This popular history book by Kornat and Wołos, a duo with matchless
knowledge of the subject, will be an important voice in the debate on Polish
politics and the story of the life of a special tasks man, as Beck was for
Piłsudski, a life remarkably rich in events of historical interest.
Józef Beck ran conspiracy activities in a POW camp, in artillery, headquarters,
and in the secret service of the reborn Polish army. He made numerous
diplomatic trips, was a military attaché in Paris and Brussels. He took part in
the May Revolution, and served as Vice-premier and main executor of
Piłsudski’s foreign policy. He became the single-handed creator of Polish
diplomacy, and is considered one of the triumvirs who ran Poland.
Beck’s life story also includes a much-publicized divorce with his pregnant wife
and his conversion to Calvinism in order to marry the woman who stayed with
him till the end – Jadwiga. It is also made up of Beck’s well-known struggles
with alcohol, his sympathies and antipathies in Poland and abroad, which were
of no minor significance in the struggles for power in Poland and in Europe. But
also the Russian accusations of his secret-agent work for the Germans, and
French accusations of a sex scandal and affronts that caused disdain for the
Republic. In a word, this is the life story of one of the most colorful and
controversial figures in modern Polish history.
Target market
Those interested in Polish history, World War Two, the contemporary history of
the world, politics, diplomacy, and the lives of famous people.
133
Paweł Kowal
Paweł Kowal (b. 1975) is a politician, Doctor of Political Science, historian,
journalist, member of parliament, onetime Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs,
and since 2009, MP in the European Parliament, and since 2011 chairman
of the Polska Jest Najważniejsza party.
Piotr Legutko and Dobrosław Rodziewicz are journalists specializing in
publications on the media (Media Games, Myths of the Fourth Power), political
analyses, and interviews published in newspapers and weekly magazines.
Vitali Portnikov is a Ukrainian and Russian journalist who works with Radio
Svoboda in Moscow and with the Ukrainian Jerkalo Tyzhnya weekly. He is also
the head of the very popular Ukrainian TVi.
134
Paweł Kowal
Between Majdan and Smoleńsk
Interviewers: Paweł Legutko
and Dobrosław Rodziewicz
Pomiędzy Majdanem a Smoleńskiem.
Rozmawiają Paweł Legutko i Dobrosław Rodziewicz
Keynote
Matters that are vital and difficult, stormy and treacherous – a well-known
political scientist and historian holds an in-depth conversation with journalists
on the past, present, and possible futures in the East
Sales points
Pages: 296
Category: History
Rights sold: Ukraine (Litopys)
•Bold questions and answers from famous and respected specialists
•A book that discusses the latest topics and events
Description
Conversations about Eastern affairs: Ukraine, Belorus, Russia, Georgia, and
the Caucasus in general. Two seasoned journalists and Paweł Kowal – a close
collaborator with President Lech Kaczyński and a European Parliament Member.
The pages of Between Majdan and Smoleńsk contain original reflections in the
topic of Ukraine, Belorus, Russia, and Georgia, and vivid depictions of politicians
known to them in person, and to us from the front pages of newspapers.
Paweł Kowal appears not only as a political scientist and historian, but also as
a traveler and a journalist. This book contains reports on international meetings
and behind-the-scenes conversations, prognoses and scenarios for the future,
and finally, reports of an eyewitness on the dramatic events surrounding the
Smoleńsk catastrophe.
Piotr Kowal speaks of the past, the present, and possible future scenarios.
A political scientist by education and a politician by profession who spent the
past several years in close proximity to the Kaczyński brothers, Donald Tusk,
and other key Polish politicians, he took part in the most important political
endeavors. Moreover, he has a personal interest in the East.
This book contains a wealth of anecdotes, behind-the-scenes events from
the past few years in politics, and the most important figures in Central and
Eastern European politics seen from up close. Kowal exhaustively presents
Eastern politics and the situation in the East, explains it, and draws conclusions
that reach into the future.
«Paweł Kowal does not trivialize historical wrongs. Nor does he condemn Ukrainian
nationalism outright. He tries to see it for its positive potential.”
Filip Memches, Rzeczpospolita
135
“Paweł Kowal says things that might make us gnash our teeth, regardless of which
side of the political barricade we find ourselves.”
Dobrosław Rodziewicz, co-author, in an interview for Dziennik Polski
Ukraine. Their identity problem. What remains of the Orange Revolution,
who profited and who lost, who are Timoshenko, Yanukovich, and Yushchenko,
what have they been playing for? Is Ukraine lost to Europe, what does it mean
to us? Polish–Ukrainian relations in the shadow of Volhynia. The conflict
between the borderland areas and Kaczyński. Did the EURO competition change
anything?
Belorus. Was Lukashenko inevitable? Facts and fiction about Belorus, possible
scenarios for development. Why did we lose the Polish minority affair?
What about repatriation? How were the 2008 elections falsified? Do we have
a colorful revolution to look forward to, with Russia’s blessings?
The Caucasus. Ties between Georgia and Poland. The story of the friendship
between Kaczyński and Saakashvili. The history of the Russian-Georgian
conflict, dramatic moments in Tbilisi. What interests do we have in the
Caucasus? The Krakow summit as the greatest accomplishment of Polish
Eastern policy.
Russia. Putin. Gas instead of armored divisions. A powerhouse, or a colossus
with feet of clay? Moscow’s games with Poland, with Berlin, Brussels, Ukraine,
and Belorus. Polish sovereignty between Berlin and Moscow.
Smoleńsk. From the spectacular success in Samara (the EU stood behind
us in a quarrel with Russia over meat) through Katyń (Tusk and Putin),
to Westerplatte after the Smoleńsk catastrophe. The dramatic days following
the catastrophe. The games played around Smoleńsk. The breakthrough
in the Eastern policy of the Tusk administration, its failure and later
turnaround.
Target market
Those interested in politics, Eastern affairs, and history. Readers of political
and historical fiction, those interested in the contemporary world.
136
Grzegorz Motyka
Grzegorz Motyka (b. 1967) – a historian, journalist, and employee
at the Polish Academy of Sciences Political Studies Institute. He has written
and co authored several books, including How It Was in Bieszczady.
Polish/Ukrainian Struggles in Poland 1943-1948 (recipient of the Przegląd
Wschodni Award and the Polityka History Award) and The Ukrainian Partisan
1942–1960: The Activities of the Ukrainian Nationalist Organizations
and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Klio Award). The author of numerous
academic and popular‑science articles, published in many magazines,
including Zeszyty Historyczne, Gazeta Wyborcza, Polityka, and Newsweek.
137
Grzegorz Motyka
From the Volhynia Massacre to
Operation Vistula. Polish – Ukrainian
Conflicts 1943–1947
Od rzezi wołyńskiej do akcji „Wisła”. Konflikt polsko-ukraiński 1943–1947
Keynote
A picture of the most difficult period in the histories of two nations – Poland
and Ukraine – which will long endure in the memory.
Sales points
•The first popular-science book on Polish/Ukrainian relations in the years 1943–1947
•The winner of many awards
Pages: 524
Category: History
Rights sold: Russia (Rosspen),
Ukraine (Dom Wydawniczy
Akademia Kijowsko
‑Mohylańska)
Description
Tens of thousands of slain civilians, including women, children, and the elderly,
thousands of torched villages and towns, over one and a half million people
resettled, forced to leave their homelands and their livelihoods – here is the
terrifying picture of the history Poland shares with Ukraine.
The first popular history book serving as a full outline of Polish/Ukrainian
relations from 1943–1947. The author presents the course of the bloody conflict
that took place between the Poles and Ukrainians, whose chronological
framework is bookended by two frequently cited historical events: the Volhynia
Massacre, the ethnic cleansing performed upon the Poles by Ukrainian
nationalists in 1943, and Operation Vistula, the forced displacement
of Ukrainians from Southeast Poland. The chilling outcome of the conflict
continues to haunt the collective memory of both Poles and Ukrainians.
Grzegorz Motyka presents these events as the central point of a wider picture,
which also includes Polish/Soviet relations and the battles between the Red
Army and the Polish Partisans in the borderlands during the war, Operation
Storm, and the Soviet repressions, the January offensive, the Trial of Sixteen,
and the resettlement of Poles and collectivization of villages that followed. He
depicts the events from not only a Polish perspective, but to a large degree from
a Russian one as well, using materials found in Moscow archives, among others.
“This sums up the professor’s many years of research, but perhaps above all it is an
attempt to find the right concepts and words not only to describe the dramatic events
of decades past, but also to give them a dimension divorced of ethics, to situate them
in the contemporary reflections on war crimes, genocide, guilt, and punishment that
have been put forward since 1945.”
Target market
138
Wiesław Władyka, Polityka
Readers interested in contemporary Polish history, political and military history,
heroes of the resistance against communist power, and the history of the Polish
borderlands
Grzegorz Motyka
The Hunt is on for the White Poles…
The Battle between the NKVD
(Soviet Secret Service) and the Polish
Underground, 1944–1953
Na Białych Polaków obława… Walka NKWD z polskim podziemiem 1944–1953
Keynote
A book on the “forgotten Polish-Soviet war”
Sales points
•A field of Polish-Russian history that has never before been thoroughly described
and documented.
Pages: to come
Category: History
Description
The Soviets had rushed the footbridge. The crew of the first armored car
shot with its Spłonka anti-aircraft machine gun, and the second vehicle
was destroyed by a grenade. Soon the partisans had eliminated the Soviet
command, and the enemy scattered in disarray.
When did these events occur? In May 1945, immediately following the German
capitulation, in Stocki Forest. This is only one example – there were a great
number of conflicts like it in post-war Poland. Contrary to popular opinion,
the post-Home-Army underground was fought not only by armies under
the authorities of a vassalized Poland, but also by their Soviet allies: the NKVD,
SMERSH, and the NKGB. This was a forgotten Polish-Soviet war, waged by
“doomed soldiers,” and it took many different guises.
Grzegorz Motyka shows these events as the center point of a vast canvas,
including Polish-Soviet relations and the struggles between the Red Army
and the Polish partisans in the borderlands during the war, Operation
Storm and the Soviet repressions that followed, the January offensive,
the trial of sixteen, the deportation of Poles from the Eastern lands,
and the collectivisation of the villages. He sees the events from both a Polish
and a Russian point of view, making use of materials from Moscow archives.
Target market
Readers interested in modern Polish history, political and military history,
heroes of the resistance against the Communist powers, and the history
of the Polish borderlands.
139
Andrzej Nowak
Andrzej Nowak (b. 1960) is a historian and Sovietologist, full professor at the
Polish Academy of Sciences History Institute, head of the History of Eastern
Europe Institute of the Jagiellonian University. He has written over twenty
books, mainly devoted to the history and politics of Poland and Russia. He
has guest lectured at foreign universities, including Cambridge, Harvard, and
Columbia. He has won many awards and honors, including the Klio Award
(1995, 2001) and the Jerzy Giedroyć Award. He is also a right-wing journalist
(writing for W sieci, among others).
140
Andrzej Nowak
Forgotten Appeasement
Zapomniany appeasment
Keynote
A fascinating and thrilling tale of a dark episode in European inter-war history
– fearing a war with Soviet Russia, the states of Western Europe were prepared
to hand over Poland to the Bolsheviks...
Sales points
•A thrilling tale that sheds light on a new perspective on the Polish-Soviet war of 1920
•A subject that begs comparison with the present international situation (Russia’s actions
in Ukraine and the response of the international community)
•The author is an outstanding specialist on Polish and Russian history
Publication date:
forthcoming in 2015
Pages: app. 400
Category: History
Description
Almost one hundred years after the Polish-Bolshevik war, new facts come to
light – the Western powers were ready to trade Poland for a fragile peace treaty
with the Soviets
Summer of 1920. After a swift campaign the troops of the Soviet army are
closing in on Warsaw. The capital of the newly-regained country is preparing to
defend its fragile independence. The eyes of Europe are turned toward Poland
– if it does not manage to stop the Red invasion, no one knows how far it will
spread.
The decisive battle is to occur at any moment – heated diplomatic talks are
underway in the background between between representatives of the West and
the Russians. According to previously unseen documents, which Professor
Andrzej Nowak has managed to unearth, during these talks the European
powers secretly agreed to hand Poland to the Soviets in exchange for a promise
of peace...
Over a decade before the shameful Chamberlain appeasement policy, which
threw Czechoslovakia to the mercies of Hitler, the West was ready to perform
a similar maneuver – this time toward Poland and Lenin. Had it not been for the
Miracle on the Vistula, the passivity of the European powers would have made
Poland part of the Land of Soviets.
This book by Professor Andrzej Nowak, an outstanding historian and
Sovietologist, is a compelling tale that throws new light upon events that took
place many decades ago.
Target market
Those interested in politics, international relations, the history of Poland and
the inter-war period; readers of Andrzej Nowak’s journalism
141
Andrzej Pepłoński
Andrzej Pepłoński is a specialist on police and espionage in the 2nd Republic.
In the People’s Republic Poland he was a Lieutenant-Colonel of the Civic
Militia, and a lecturer at the Internal Affairs Academy.
142
Andrzej Pepłoński
War for Hidden Causes.
In the Second Polish Republic’s
Secret Service, 1918–1944
Wojna o tajemnice. W tajnej służbie Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej 1918–1944
Keynote
Real life stories of spies and secret agents, set against the tumultuous period
of the Second World War and the years leading up to it.
Sales points
•A little-known background to the Second World War.
•Catch a glimpse of the real-life precursors to James Bond.
Pages: 432
Category: History
Description
Perhaps few Western readers are aware today that in 1918, immediately
following World War I, Poland was frantically organising itself after over
a century without its independence. Fewer still will have a firm idea
of everything this entailed. The present book focuses on one of the most
exciting, and little explored aspects of this reorganisation: the construction
of a secret service. Pepłoński can not be faulted for his ambitions in this
book – he covers the whole period of Poland’s reborn “Second Republic”
(1918–1944). The effect is a volume that will satisfy history buffs with its
in-depth look into espionage and counterespionage, while remaining
eminently accessible to readers approaching the subject for the first time.
Target market
A book with great cross-over potential – it will appeal to those who read
history books, espionage novels, thrillers, books on the World Wars, or those
with an interest in the real-life workings of a secret service.
143
Sławomir Petelicki
Sławomir Petelicki (1946–2012) was a general of a brigade of the Polish
army in a state of rest, and the first head of the GROM Military Unit. In the
year 2000 he was chosen as gentleman of the year by ‘Gentleman’ magazine.
He is presently chairman of the Foundation for the Former Soldiers of the
GROM Special Unit.
144
Sławomir Petelicki, Michał Komar
GROM: Power and Honour
GROM. Siła i honor
Keynote
A behind-the-scenes look at Poland’s most well-trained secret forces unit.
Sales points
•The first such interview with a major player in the post-Communist Polish military.
Description
Pages: 304
Category: History
Old high-school friends meet after several decades for a series of interviews
that will put you at the edge of your seat – and keep you there. General
Petelicki spent twenty years in high ranking positions in the Communist
Polish government, in including diplomatic service in New York in the 1970s,
and in the 1990s he came to lead Poland’s most exclusive unit of crack
special forces assigned to fight terrorism – the legendary GROM [THUNDER]
unit. This is his first interview of such depth, revealing backroom politics
that will make readers smile and shudder in turn, the beginnings of his unit
and its consecutive hardships; and there are surely a number of passages
that read like the most gripping modern thriller. Interviewer Michał Komar
is just the man for the job: he is the author of plays, a journalist and a film
critic, and his long-term friendship with Petelicki gives him a special kind
of insight – and the interviews an intimacy that is rare.
Target market
Those who are interested in in-depth interviews, military strategy
and the behind-the-scenes world of politics and the army.
145
Andrzej Leon Sowa
Andrzej Leon Sowa (b. 1946) — a historian, many-year worker
at the Institute of History at the Jagiellonian University and the Jagiellonian
Library. His main areas of research are the First Republic (the 18th century)
and the history of the 20th century.
146
Andrzej Leon Sowa
A Political History of Poland 1944–1991
Historia polityczna Polski 1944–1991
Keynote
Andrzej Leon Sowa reveals the mechanics of the post-war system in Poland
in a fascinating and ruthless manner
Sales points
•Andrzej Sowa is a seasoned scholar of Polish 20th-century history
•An author of books that enjoy a great deal of recognition, and are now considered
classics
Description
Pages: 772
Category: History
The Political History of Poland 1944–1991, written by brilliant historian
Andrzej Leon Sowa, is the first such in-depth work on the post-war
political history of Poland. Essential facts form a full picture of a difficult
period in the country’s history, among them ones known to only a handful
of specialists.
“The following work is not a classic academic textbook,” the author writes
in his introduction. “I see it as a personal synthesis, and a reasonably
exhaustive compendium of knowledge on various political institutions.”
Following this principle, Andrzej Leon Sowa tries to maintain some
objectivity in describing situations, while interweaving his own evaluations
and opinions into this tale of recent Polish history, often provoking
discussion, and always – reflection.
“On every page of Sowa’s book we find evidence of his substantial didactic
training, his experience as a scholar and as an academic teacher. The construction
is clear, the narrative flowing, and the quality and quantity of the information
inspire respect for the author’s efforts.”
Andrzej Chwalba
Target market
Readers of history books, those interested in the history of post-war Poland,
historians, and students.
147
Andrzej L. Sowa
Who pronounced the “sentence on
the city”? Operational plans of Union
of Armed Struggle – Home Army
(1940–1944)
Kto wydał wyrok na miasto? Plany operacyjne ZWZ – AK (1940–1944)
Keynote
A powerful book debunking myths about the most controversial decision
of the Polish Army leaders in history.
Sales points
•Andrzej Leon Sowa is an expert scholar of Polish history in the 20th century.
•Author of books that are highly regarded and have joined the canon.
forthcoming in 2016
Pages: to come
Category: History
Description
„The uprising cannot fail” – General Komorowski’s words are used by Andrzej
Leon Sowa as starting lines of the tale of probably the most debated decision
of Polish leaders in our history.
What were the consequences of the death of General Sikorski and arrest
of Rowecki by the Gestapo? Did the Polish Home Army carry out only London’s
orders or did it act on its own, taking advantage of internal struggles over there?
Why was the commander of 27 Volhynian Infantry Division removed when
the division was the most successful? What roles did Generals Tatar and Okulicki
play? Was the Vilnius uprising a planned part of Operation Tempest – and why
was its image distorted? Was the common uprising supposed to be independent
or were the necessary army and resources aid envisaged? What military plans
did Mikołajczyk have after Warsaw’s defeat?
Who pronounced the “sentence on the city”? is much more than a critical analysis
of causes and meaning of Warsaw Uprising. Debunking myths, revealing secrets
and teaching about little known yet crucial details of the decision of Polish
commanders from 1939 onwards the author in a way shows the actions
of the Home Army anew, actions that in his opinion were from the very
beginning burdened with unrealistic expectations. It is also a book about how
Polish commanders distorted those events after war, by writing works that up
until today make up the core of official historiography of the Warsaw Uprising
and the Polish Underground State.
Target market
Those interested in modern history of Poland, World War II and Warsaw Uprising.
148
Mariusz Wołos
Mariusz Wołos (b. 1968) is a historian, professor at the Pedagogical University
of Cracow and the History Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences
in Warsaw, member of the Polish History Association, the Toruń Academic
Society, the Historical Sciences Committee of the Polish Academy of Science,
and the Association internationale d’histoire contemporaine de l’Europe,
with its headquarters in Strasbourg and Geneva. He has written over a hundred
academic publications (books, collections of documents, articles, reviews,
biographies) published in Polish, Russian, French, and English.
149
Mariusz Wołos
Of Piłsudski, Dmowski, and the May
Coup: Soviet Diplomacy toward
Poland during the 1925–1926 Political
Crisis
O Piłsudskim, Dmowskim i zamachu majowym. Dyplomacja sowiecka
wobec Polski w okresie kryzysu politycznego 1925–1926
Keynote
A probing analysis and a fascinating narrative – the May Coup from
a perspective heretofore unseen
Sales points
Pages: 400
Category: History
•A book based on newly unearthed archival materials
•The first Polish historian to perform a solid study of materials stored in Russian archives
•An outstanding knowledge of the issues and controversies of the thesis, supported by
reliable documentation
Description
An academic work on the May Coup from the point of view of Soviet
diplomats. Based on unseen Russian archival materials.
150
A respected historian addresses the realities reigning in the Soviet diplomatic
service of the epoch, describing Moscow’s first evaluations and plans
concerning the growing instability in Poland, the parliamentary crisis phase,
and early operations of Piłsudski, Moscow’s methods of gaining information
and their main sources, and the highly unstable period immediately preceding
the coup d’etat.
The May Revolution itself is shown, in turn, from the perspectives of Wasar,
Berlin, and Moscow. Wołos also devotes part of the book to the new camp’s
strengthening of power, the building of the bases of its diplomatic relations
with its neighbors, and presents an image of Polish foreign policy based
on an analysis of Soviet sources.
Mariusz Wołos’s monograph fills a major gaps in the history of the 20th-century
inter-war period – the lack of the Soviet Russian perspective on this period,
and then that of the USSR, an empire with a different political standpoint,
whose foreign policy, given its proximity to Poland, was of colossal importance.
In his research, Wołos has focused on a key period for Polish politics and for
foreign policy, a period covering the months prior to the May Coup, its course of
events, and immediate consequences.
The author is the first Polish historian to do in-depth research into the materials
stored in the Russian Federation Foreign Policy Archive, the Russian State
Archive of Socio-political History, and the Russian Military Archive in Moscow,
while also taking into account of the Polish sources from the News Acts Archive
in Warsaw and documents from the Central Military Archive in Rembertów.
He also consulted a great many documents in Polish, Russian, and French.
He makes liberal use of the research materials, demonstrating a keen grasp
of the customs, imperial impulses, and mentalities of the new political class
in Bolshevik Russia, including their diplomats.
Target market
Those interested in Piłsudski, the Second Polish Republic, history, academic and
scholarly communities, students; readers of history books and academic studies
151
Robert Brylewski, Rafał Księżyk
Robert Brylewski (b. 1961) – a legendary Polish rock musician; a vocalist,
guitarist, composer, lyricist, leader and co-founder of the legendary groups
Kryzys, Brygada Kryzys, Izrael, and Armia. He is also a music producer,
owner of a record studio, and creator of computer animation for music
videos.
Rafał Księżyk (b. 1970) – a journalist and music critic, author
of and interviewer for a Tomasz Stańko autobiography that was adored
by readers and critics. He had a hand in creating the image of the new music
and pop culture press scene that was born in the 1990s. He works
as the vice‑editor‑in‑chief of Playboy, and as a music critic works
with Machina magazine and with TVP Kultura.
152
Robert Brylewski, Rafał Księżyk
Crisis in Babylon
Kryzys w Babilonie
Keynote
Rock and roll lifestyle, nonconformity, with a changing Poland, communism
and the free market system in the background…
Sales points
•A legendary rock musician and a legendary music critic in a fascinating conversation
•A long-awaited biography of a man who created a rebellious youth culture in defiance
of his times
Description
Pages: 584
Rights sold: Czech Republic
(Smrst)
A master of the guitar, one of Poland’s most charismatic rock musicians,
in conversation with Rafał Księżyk about his tumultuous life, anti-rock-star
career, family and passions.
Robert Brylewski’s tale is a stormy one. The punk explosion at the height
of the communist crackdowns. Marihuana and reggae during Martial Law.
The beginnings of capitalism to the beat of techno and amphetamines.
Alternative societies clashing with market realities.
And the man himself? Messy and chronically late. A reggae lover. The creator
of a vast number of paintings, graffiti works, and collages, including
those depicting General Jaruzelski. Fascinated by the Theory of Relativity,
nanotechnology and history. After his birth it was foretold that he would
become a priest. He didn’t. He got music for breakfast every day. Raised
in a strange enclave. The great-grandson of a circus manager, grandson
of a painter and factory worker, son of a miner and a dancer. A powerful force
in the local underground, co-creator of groups like Kryzys [Crisis], Izrael [Israel],
Brygada Kryzys [Crisis Brigade], and Armia [Army].
The book contains a wealth of photographs from the family archive of Robert
Brylewski, and reproductions of the musician’s artwork.
“The life we led was utterly unlike the others. We even looked different. We didn’t
give a sh… about careers, studios, the army, or work. This gave us a great sense
of self‑confidence and immediacy.”
Robert Brylewski
“That guy awoke us from musical and ideological non-existence. A pioneer,
a precursor, a legend. It’s thanks to him I’m a punk, though neither one of us looks
it these days. Read this book and find out that Polish freedom wasn’t always born
in the shipyards.”
Kuba Wojewódzki
“The life of Robert Brylewski, with 49 years of Poland in the background. Fascinating,
and at times surprising.”
153
Lech Janerka
“If you want to find out how the steel of Polish punk was forged during Martial Law,
you won’t find a better book. Highly recommended.”
Jakub Ż� ulczyk, Wprost
“Brylewski’s autobiography is a real page-turner – in spite of its nearly 600 pages,
you gulp it down very quickly. Partly because Brylewski is talking about fascinating
things, and partly because the way he tells a story is fascinating.”
Przemysław Gulda, Gazeta Wyborcza
“Crisis in Babylon is more than an autobiography of Robert Brylewski.
It is the story of the Polish underground.”
Rzeczospolita
“Well-aimed questions, open-ended answers, and a piece of fascinating history.”
Target market
Wojciech Lada, Uważam Rze
Readers of memoirs, autobiographies, lovers of non-fiction and rock music.
Fans of Brylewski, and his various groups: Armia, Izrael, Brygada Kryzys.
154
Michał Głowiński
by Michał Głowiński
155
Michał Głowiński
ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED EXPERTS ON THE HISTORY
OF POLISH LITERATURE
THE AUTHOR OF POLISH STUDIES BOOKS THAT ARE NOW
CONSIDERED CLASSICS
Michał Głowiński (b. 1934) — literary theorist and authority on the
contemporary history of Polish literature, professor at the Institute of
Polish Literary Research at the Polish Academy of Sciences, an academic
with a great deal of innovation and puissance, with inspiring influence,
the author of basic texts on Polish literature, as well as of original and
important memoirs (including Black Seasons, and A Footbridge over Time.
Pictures from a Town, 2005). In 1999 his book entitled Black Seasons was
nominated for the Nike Polish Literary Award.
Nominated for the prestigious Nike Polish Literary Award for Black Seasons
Winner of the Jan Parandowski literary award, given out by the PEN Club for lifetime
achievement
Honorary doctorates from the Adam Mickiewicz University and Opole University
Winner of the Herder Award, given out by the Alfred Toepfer Foundation in Hamburg
BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR AVAILABLE FROM
WYDAWNICTWO LITERACKIE PUBLISHERS
Other
Wings and Heel
Telimena’s Interior Monologue
A Footbridge over Time. Pictures from a Town
Broken Tales. Small Sketches 1998–2007
156
Michał Głowiński
Autobiography
Kręgi obcości. Opowieść autobiograficzna
Keynote
An insightful, personal and universal study by one of Poland’s most admired
literary critics.
Sales points
•An author of Polish literary criticism that is already regarded as classic
•One of the most highly-ranked critics of Polish literature
•Winner of the prestigious PEN Club Award for lifetime achievement
Description
Pages: 536
In his autobiography, Michał Głowiński appears as a careful observer and
sober commentator, and a writer able to forge increasing existential
suspense. He tells not only of his own personal experiences, but places them
in a broader context — his generation’s experiences, and those of the world
in which he grew up in and presently inhabits.
The times of the occupation, his family home after the war, his studies
in the Stalinist era, March ’68, work at the Institute for Literary Research,
which was then an oasis of freedom, his first travels abroad, the carnival
of Solidarity… With his customary passion, the author describes these
political, social and cultural realities, while adding in some private
confessions.
Target market
Readers of autobiographies, memoirs, non-fiction, those interested in history
and literature
157
Katarzyna Grochola, Dorota
Szelągowska
Tapestry
Makatka
Keynote
An intimate, revealing, and heartwarming look into the lives and
relationship of Poland’s favorite mother and daughter.
Sales points
•Grochola’s every book tops the national bestseller charts in Poland
•Full of photographs, reflections on life and the family, and bite-sized pearls of wisdom.
Description
Pages: 376
It’s an idea so natural and appealing that one wonders how it hadn’t been
conceived before. Take two of Poland’s most beloved and best-selling authors
– who also happen to be mother and daughter – and have them compose an
intimate, playful and often touching double portrait. The result is something
like a (s)he says/she says compilation of takes on events both major and
minor, from dealing with Facebook and household pets to betrayal and
surviving toxic relationships, seen through the eyes of two women from
different generations, with different ranges of experience. Their versions
quarrel, contradict each other, come together in surprising places, and
ultimately go to prove that no matter how much they may disagree on the
details, the love between a daughter and a mother is a marvelous thing.
Tapestry is a kind of homage to a bond that is too rarely celebrated in
literature – mother and daughter – written by two sparkling personalities.
My life was calm and settled. A son, a Financé, a house, a loan, a job, some dogs.
A dinner out on the town from time to time, friends and acquaintances. A nice
set-up. And then the telephone rang. ‘Hello, dear, we’re going to be on Dancing
with the Stars,’ my mother said, which sounded more or less the same as being
told that we would be flying to the Moon the week following, or that we would
be starting up a silkworm farm. I honestly admit that I originally ignored this
information, as I did with other news my mother gave me. That was my mistake.
– From the book.
Target market
Enthusiasts of “chick lit” with a heart, those looking for a good read about
mother/daughter relationships, or wanting a glimpse “behind the scenes” at
Grochola’s life.
158
Julia Hartwig
Julia Hartwig (born in 1921 in Lublin) is a poet, essayist and translator.
She has written a couple of collections of poems, which allowed her
to become one of major authors of contemporary poety. She is not
easily classified, but rather treated as a stand-alone, exceptional figure,
who does not succumb to either passing fashion or snobbery.
AWARDS:
ZaiKS Award (1976),
Fondation d’Hautvilliers “Prix de Traduction” Award (France, 1978),
Polish PEN Club Award (1979, 1997),
Jurzykowski Literary Award (USA, 1981),
Thornton Wilder Prize (USA, 1986),
Georg Trakl Award (Austria, 1991),
Ministry of Culture Award for lifetime achievement (2001),
Władysław and Nella Turzański Foundation Award (2004),
Great Cultural Foundation Award,
Polish PEN Club Jan Parandowski Award (2009).
Four-time nominee for the Nike Literary Award.
OTHER BOOKS FOR WL:
Poezje wybrane / Selected Poems
159
Julia Hartwig
Diaries
Dziennik
Keynote
An extraordinary document by a famous poetess, showing how colorful and
inspiring the post-war period could be
Sales points
•The winner of many prestigious awards, four-times nominated for the NIKE Award.
•One of Poland’s most outstanding poets, an acknowledged translator of literature
• Entering her ninetieth year, Hartwig is a major figure in the history of Polish literature
• Features recollections of many important names in 20th century literature
Pages: 464
Description
This journal speaks more in-depth of Hartwig’s work and important
events in social and political life than her previous works have, but it
perhaps focuses most strongly on divulging the poet’s own trials, and on
descriptions of her friends, including those who have passed away. She also
devotes a great deal of space to books – as, alongside her own writing, these
occupy the most important place in her life.
The following day Ania and I make an excursion to Campo de’ Fiori, where
we delighted in seeing the booths filled with vegetables and flowers. Beautiful
weather, a bit chilly, but the sun is warm. We seat ourselves in a restaurant on
the sunny side of the street, already filling up with tourists in search of some sun
and good coffee, just like us. We lunch in the same restaurant, I order canelloni
with ricotta and spinach. The previous day we had eaten lunch near the Fontanna
di Trevi with Adam, who was leaving the next day. Adam threw a coin into the
fountain and hoped that he would have the chance to return to Rome. Ania
immortalized it in a photograph.
22 February 2010
Target market
Readers of memoirs, of fine and ambitious contemporary literature,
and of non‑fiction.
160
Józef Hen
Józef Hen (b. 1923) is a writer, journalist, dramaturg, scriptwriter, and reporter
of Jewish extraction. He spent the war in the Soviet Union. He has published
a novel for children, The Battle for Goat Manor, the war novel April, two
autobiographical novels making up the Herod Theater series about coming of
age just before the Second World War and during the siege of Warsaw in 1939
(Before the Great Pause and Resistance), numerous collections of short stories,
including Cross of the Valiant, a historical novel, Crimen: A Fairground Tale, as
well as volumes of essays, I Am Not Afraid of Sleepless Nights, and the
recollections Nowolipie. He is also a famous author of literary biographies,
including I, Michel de Montaigne and Jester – Great Statesman.
161
Józef Hen
Journals, Continued
Dziennika ciąg dalszy
Keynote
A journal by one of the most famous Polish writers of the older generation,
delighting readers with his style, his insight, and his vast appetite for living.
Sales points
•Contemporary life seen through the eyes of one of Poland’s oldest living writers.
Description
Pages: 350
A journal of contemporary life and returning to what once was, full of
important encounters, reflections, and books that remain forever in the
memory.
One of Poland’s best known writers of the older generation, who continues to
delight with his style and his vast appetite for life.
Journals, Continued by Józef Hen is an extension of the author’s previous
memoirs, which have been fascinating readers for years with their insight and
constant moving forward – whether as a writer or a man, a friend, or a reader.
Hen does not stop scooping life up by the handful – in meeting with friends,
going to book readings, pondering various books and returning to those that
remained with him for a long time. His notes are compelling, they are vivid and
reflective – they concern matters both great and small, views on literature and
his own writing, events in life and in politics.
At almost one hundred years of age, he speaks about both the present world,
and that which has passed. His notes concern everyday, average events, but
they also reach into a broader dimension. At the same time, they are always
peppered with an interesting anecdote, a joke, or a wry, visual description,
which brings the reader into the world being described.
Target market
Readers of memoir literature, those interested in history and culture.
162
Iza Komendołowicz
Iza Komendołowicz is a journalist, vice-editor-in-chief of Pani magazine,
and co-author of an extensive interview with Witold Pyrkosz.
OTHER BOOKS FOR WL:
Witold Pyrkosz. Twice Born. Memoirs
163
Iza Komendołowicz
Elka
Elka
Keynote
A story that Dostoyevsky might have written – a portrait of the Polish
Marylin Monroe, full of ups and downs, successes and failures, loves
and solitude.
Sales points
•The compelling story of Elżbieta Czyżewska – outstanding actress, loved and loathed
at the same time.
Description
Date of publication:2012
Pages: 408
A bold and factual book, providing a behind-the-scenes look
at the legend‑shrouded private and professional life of one of the most
popular – and most controversial – Polish film actresses of the 1960s.
Successes and failures, loves and solitude, grappling with alcoholism
and a cancerous tumor, a vivid picture of the cinema artists’ environment,
full of romances, intrigues, and ruthless rivalries. The story of a unique,
proud, and intelligent woman, who was also cruel, lost, and storing some
painful memories from her childhood. She was phenomenal, devilishly
seductive, constantly on the prowl, and greedy for love and acceptance.
Among those speaking about the starlet are actors, directors, writers,
artists, friends, and acquaintances, from both Poland and the USA:
Agnieszka Holland, Daniel Olbrychski, Andrzej Wajda, Joanna Pacuła,
Omar Sangare, Kazimierz Kutz, Krystyna Zachwatowicz, Olga Lipińska,
Daniel Passent, Barbara Sass, and Nancy Weber.
The book is richly illustrated with photographs and documents.
Target market
Readers of memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, adorers of E. Czyżewska’s
talents, those interested in the history of cinema.
164
Ewa Kuryluk
ANOTHER OUTSTANDING BOOK BY THIS FAMOUS KRAKOW
ARTIST
NOMINATED FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS NIKE LITERARY AWARD
Ewa Kuryluk (b. 1946) — a famous painter, writer, poet, essayist and art
historian. Born in Krakow, presently lives in Paris, New York and Warsaw.
A pioneer in avant-garde textile installations. She has written twenty books,
including numerous essays on art. She was nominated for the prestigious
Nike Literary Award in 2005 for her most personal novel, Goldi, which
features her childhood recollections.
Nominated for the prestigious Nike Literary Award for Goldi.
BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR PUBLISHED BY WYDAWNICTWO
LITERACKIE
Novels
Frascati (2009)
Goldi (2011, re-edition)
165
Ewa Kuryluk
Frascati
Frascati
Keynote
Sincere and uncompromising confessions, and an attempt to understand things
that are not spoken of, that are forgotten and discarded.
Sales points
•The twentieth book by this internationally recognized painter, essayist, translator
and writer
•The Jewish experience of Central Europe through the 20th century told by an
accomplished writer and an intellectual
Pages: 344
Description
Just when you think you know something about the twentieth century, a book
like Ewa Kuryluk’s “Frascati” comes along, revealing conflicts and intensity
from a pivotal, yet entirely unknown perspective. Her father, Karol, died shortly
after the furor that erupted when a frank entry about the Jewish deaths in the
Holocaust was placed in the Polish Encyclopedia in 1967. Her mother, a Jewish
survivor of the ghetto in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), suffered persecution mania
for years, believing she had to escape SS men everywhere. Her brother planned
to immigrate to the moon in 1968, but instead ended up schizophrenic and in
an insane asylum. “Frascati” (the name refers to the street where the Kuryluks
lived in Warsaw) flows along as transcribed conversations between Ewa and her
mother, the protagonist of the story, which grants this family autobiography
the feeling of a shared intimate talk with the reader. And though the truths
exposed in this sometimes harrowing saga are hard ones indeed – for Europe,
for humanity in general – Kuryluk’s voice speaks with such warmth and
understanding that the reader’s overwhelming response is to believe that hope
exists in spite of the cruelest adversity.
A sincere and shattering tale. [...] And one that is outstanding from a literary
perspective, for although a stream-of-consciousness novel can’t be written about the
lives of those who survived, Kuryluk proves that you can give testimony to the
Holocaust and search for new forms to do it in.
Jan Strzalka, “Polityka”
“Frascati” is a novel about how little we might know about the people closest to us,
even those we live with.
Agata Pyzik, “Lampa”
Target market
Lovers of Ewa Kuryluk’s work, readers of memoirs, autobiographies, those who
prefer non-fiction, those interested in post-war Polish history and Jewish issues,
and those who would like to discover a slice of unfamiliar history.
166
Ewa Kuryluk
Goldi
Goldi
Keynote
The first installment of an autobiography that encapsulates Poland’s
troubled history in a single woman.
Sales points
•The book was a finalist for the prestigious Nike Award.
•Part one of a saga whose third volume is currently being written.
Description
Pages: 208
Artist and art historian, a writer of Jewish extraction residing in Paris,
Ewa Kuryluk is a figure of many faces. Goldi is chiefly the story of her
father – a Polish Minister of Culture, Polish Ambassador in Vienna, and one
of the Righteous among Nations – and of his relationship with his daughter.
The family is presented here as a kind of island refuge against the turmoil
of the outside world. Compelling, authentic and sincere, this book is above
a view of personal and private history seen through the eyes of a young girl.
The focus therefore shifts from events of world significance to accounts
of strolls through Vienna, a dress purchased for a chess convention,
and meetings with a writer whose works were never to be read, having been
devoured by a precocious little guinea pig named Goldi. The book is richly
furnished with photographs from the time period.
[Ewa Kuryluk’s] family concentrates all the most important things, as if through
a lens. Great love, terrible disease, the beauty of coincidence, flourish and sorrow,
misery and ecstasy, whispers and screams, absurdity and abundance.
Agnieszka Drotkiewicz, “Lampa”
This may be a personal memoir, but its significance stretches far beyond the
frame of a family story. Goldi is perhaps the most intimate of Ewa Kuryluk’s
books to date.
Marek Radziwon, “Gazeta Wyborcza”
Target market
Those interested in memoirs and historical sagas, post-war Polish history
and Jewish issues, those who would like a first-hand view of a complex
historical time period.
167
Dorota Masłowska
Dorota Masłowska (b. 1983) is one of the most famous young writers in Poland,
having taken the literary market by storm. She grew up in Wejherów. She began
studying psychology at Gdańsk University, then moved to Warsaw to attend
a cultural studies program.
Her first book, Snow White and Russian Red, advertised as “Poland’s first thug
novel,” received glowing reviews from Jerzy Pilch and Marcin Świetlicki, was
promoted by Robert Leszczyński on the Idol television program, and became
a bestseller (over 120,000 copies sold), while raising a good deal of controversy.
Snow White… won its author the Polityka Passport in the literature category,
and a nomination for the Nike literary award. The novel has been translated
into many European languages.
Author photograph
© Marcin Nowak
2005 saw the release of Masłowska’s second novel, The Queen’s Peacock, for
which she received the Nike Literary Award in 2006. In 2006 Masłowska
published her debut drama, Two Poor Romanians Speaking Polish, which was
presented to the public in the form of a rehearsed reading at TR Warsaw
(previously the Rozmaitości Theater). Masłowska wrote a column for Przekrój,
published under the title “A Diary from the Land of Glitter,” and reviews books
for Wysokie Obcasy. She has also worked with Lampa magazine since she began
her career. In 2008 she published her most recent drama, entitled Everything’s
All Right Between Us. In early 2009 she left (with her daughter) for Berlin on
a year-long DAAD scholarship.
168
Agnieszka Drotkiewicz (b. 1981) has written the novels Paris London Dachau,
The Same for Me, and Now. She graduated in cultural relations from the Oriental
Studies Institute of Warsaw University, and from cultural studies at the same
school. She works regularly with Lampa magazine.
Her published works include:
• Paris London Dachau (2004)
• Same for Me (Dla mnie to samo, 2006)
• Now (Teraz, 2009)
She coauthored the following books:
• Speak up! Interviews with female writers (Głośniej! Rozmowy z pisarkami, 2006)
– with Anna Dziewit
• People, cities. Literature of Belarus, Germany, Poland and Ukraine. Anthology
(Ludzie, miasta. Literatura Białorusi, Niemiec, Polski I Ukrainy. Antologia
tekstów, 2008)
• The drone theory and others (Teoria trutnia i inne, 2009) – with Anna Dziewit
• Far from Wuthering Heights (Daleko od Wichrowych Wzgórz, 2010) –
anthology
• I haven’t sat down today yet (Jeszcze dzisiaj nie usiadłam, 2011) – interviews
• The world soul (Dusza światowa, 2013) – interview with Dorota Masłowska
Translations:
• Sylvie Baussier, Les rêves (O snach, 2010)
169
Dorota Masłowska, Agnieszka Drotkiewicz
The World Soul
Dusza światowa
Keynote
The first book-length interview with the most fascinating writer of the
younger generation. Dorota Masłowska: an author whose every book attracts
a readership, draws like a magnet, and avoids every pigeonhole.
Sales points
•Masłowska and Drotkiewicz: two women, two writers who have known each other for
years, with a profound mutual understanding – this makes their conversation true and
sincere, and decidedly beyond what we expect from a standard interview.
•Dorota Masłowska speaks privately and critically about herself and the world: individually
and unpretentiously.
Pages: 234
170
•Masłowska’s judgments, opinions, eccentricity, and her critical accounts of reality cannot
fail to interest the reader.
Description
Dorota Masłowska – one of the most spectacular debutantes in recent years –
speaks with Agnieszka Drotkiewicz, a writer and editor of Lampa. This is the
first time she speaks of herself so frankly, without unnecessary cynicism – of
her life in Wejherów, her love of the sea, which is probably in her genes, her
toxic love for the city, her reluctance to ride the metro at rush hour, the magic
of the crowd… But also about her books – the early and later ones, past and
future.
Masłowska reveals new and unseen worlds – the writer’s words give us
a picture of her life and work, but also of the young artist herself: creative, and
increasingly mature and self-aware. The everyday Dorota, and Dorota the writer
– the former is fairly nice and devoid of charisma, the second can sometimes be
terrifying.
In The World Soul the young writer addresses many contemporary issues, such
as the primitivization of art, which increasingly serves up ready-made world
views, the antagonism of the media, which is always ready for a conflict, not for
dialogue, freedom and the lack thereof. Sometimes brutal, but always sincere,
she speaks of daily life in Poland, politics, consumerism, the drawbacks of
being famous, the increasingly superficial contact between people, the general
dissipation, the obsession with creativity, fashion, and also… professional
ailments. Why isn’t she a feminist, and what does it mean that her brain has
not been gender-oriented? Why does she no longer believe that stains and
dirt lend clothing charm and character? Since when has she begun ironing her
clothes again? Why can’t she stand anecdotes and recollections? And what is
“eating with a burst,” which she so adores?
“I’m quite convinced that you have to invest in analogue contacts and in an
analogue lifestyle, because no one can predict the fate of Facebook and those
ephemeral relationships and emotions based on ‘Like!’, and the substances
produced in the brain when you get absorbed in it. It all seems monstrously
dangerous to me, and I think that soon the ability to hold a conversation will
signal great potential. Because instead of talking, we’ll just click ‘Like!’ ”
“Personally I love dreams, I’m a great fan of them, I think that people
underestimate their ghostly power.”
“This book is a question: can an international book be written, free of a national
context, history, and consequently, a particular culture, a question as to
whether one can write a „general book’.”
(Fragments from the book)
Target market:
The numerous admirers of Dorota Masłowska’s work, readers of memoirs
and long interviews; those interested in literature, and contemporary life.
171
Franceska Michalska
Franceska Michalska was born in 1923 in Kamienic Podolski. Her childhood
years were spent in the era when the new Soviet rule was taking shape,
when a new social order was being introduced, which turned out to be no
more than a ruthless and cruel form of terror. By some miracle she survived
the great famine in Ukraine, one of the major examples of this terror.
In 1936, when she was twelve years old, she and her family joined
thousands of Poles in being shipped from pre-partition Polish lands
to Kazakhstan; here too, with the severe climate, famine and disease,
survival verged on miraculous.
In 1941 she began her studies in Alma Ata. Moving gradually further west,
through various medical academies, first in Kharkov, then in Chernovitz, she
finally ended up in Poland, though not without difficulty in acquiring
repatriate status. She graduated in medicine from Wrocław University.
Since 1955 she has lived in Siemiatyczy, in the Podlasie region (where she
and her husband had intended to stay only a few years).
She devoted her entire professional life to working in the hospital there,
as an administrator of the children’s ward. To this day she is known
throughout the area as a pediatrician, and is visited by patients from all
over the region and beyond.
172
Franceska Michalska
All the Joy of Living.
In Volhynia, in Kazakhstan, in Poland
Cała radość życia. Na Wołyniu, w Kazachstanie, w Polsce
Keynote
A child’s incredible odyssey through one of the 20th century’s darkest times.
Sales points
•A side of World War Two and a chapter in history virtually unknown in the West
•A book that underlines joy and optimism in life in spite of the harshest adversity
Description
Pages: 176
There are some books that charm you by being so familiar, while others
expand your sense of the world that you live in, and the history that
composes it. All the Joy of Living. In Volhynia, in Kazakhstan, in Poland, the
gripping and extraordinary autobiography of Franceska Michalska,
chronicling her years spent as a child during the Second World War
and the time of the great famine in Ukraine, is this second kind of book
precisely. With her wealth of startling experiences, and her talent
for descriptions so vivid and sensory they approach the surreal, Michalska
pulls the reader into times and landscapes most would find utterly foreign.
“They began cleaning the well. The water sprang forth dirty and red,
but people started drinking it anyway.” “What did we eat? Grandpa went to
the forest and tore down linden leaves […]. He dried them on boards
or sheets, then crushed them into flour and made something like pancakes
out of them.” With a remarkable eye for detail, Michalska’s narrative
combines childlike wonder with one of the most horrific chapters in
European history, and along the way performs the miraculous – she makes
this exotic and remote piece of time something the reader experiences
as immediate and richly compelling.
Bypassing the major historical events and concentrating on personal experiences,
this book makes the reader an authentic witness to history, like it or not.
The reader comes to history from the most important sort of perspective, the point
of view of the individual. He/she has the chance to visualize some of the most
extreme conditions people have ever had to survive.
Wojciech Jaskuła
You devour these incredible memoirs all in one gulp. Many of the anecdotes here
are presented with humor. There are many copies of documents, a few
photographs. And only the memories of people who remained in the fearsome
steppe, with only themselves to rely on, keeps us from feeling a truly carefree joy
of living.
Tadeusz Nyczek, “Przekrój”
173
Łukasz Modelski
Łukasz Modelski – historian and journalist. He studied in Warsaw, Poitiers
and Paris. Currently he is the assistant editor-in-chief of the magazine Twój Styl
(Your style).
Author of books:
• Dziewczyny wojenne (War girls)
• Fotobiografia PRL (Photo-biography of the People’s Republic of Poland)
174
Łukasz Modelski
The Fifth Taste
Piąty smak
Keynote
Interviews with internationally famous people that have something to do with
cuisine – either due to their profession or passion
Sales Points
•A book for every cuisine lover and amateur cook
Pages: 300
Category: Culinary essays
175
Description
A collection of interviews with famous people for whom taste is often the
centre of their life. Conversations about cuisine, tasting, drinking, about
literature, history, love, coincidences and senses. There is a reason why there
are no professional cooks in the book – it is to some extent a tale about cuisine
enthusiasts (like ourselves) committed to matters connected with taste.
Auguste Escoffier, the world’s greatest cook of the 20th century, often spoke
about the existence of the fifth taste. He suspected that apart from sweet,
salty, sour and bitter we can taste something else. He called this taste
“deliciousness”. A hundred years later Japanese scientists managed to find and
study the receptors of the fifth taste. They called it “umami” – it is the “full”
taste, “completing” others.
The interviewees include:
• Agnieszka Kręglicka – a restaurateur and the most important figure in the
Polish culinary time of changes, today a culinary trend-setter
• Marek Bieńczyk – writer, gourmet, wine lover, holder of the Nike award for
his Face Book (Książka Twarzy)
• Anna Komorowska – Polish President’s wife, home cook, lover of Lithuanian
cuisine, promoter of Polish cuisine
• Anne Applebaum – Polish American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning
author. She has been an editor at The Economist, and a member of the
editorial board of The Washington Post and Slate Magazine. Wife of Poland’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs Radek Sikorski
• Susana Osorio-Mrożek – twice a restaurateur, woman of theatre and wife of
a playwright – Sławomir Mrożek
• Carlo Petrini – the man who stood up to McDonalds, creator of the global
slow food movement
• Carl Honore – author of the world bestseller In Praise of Slow: Challenging the
Cult of Speed, a man who went a step further than Petrini and looked at the
pace of life holistically
• Michel Escoffier – great grandson of the greatest French cook of the 20th
century and curator of his legacy
• Danielle Delpeuch – popular protagonist of the film Les Saveurs du Palais.
Housewife from Perigord, whom Francois Mitterand assigned as his
personal cook. Amateur who cooked in the Élysée Palace.
• Patricia Atkinson – author of bestsellers: The Ripening Sun: One Woman and
the Creation of a Vineyard and La Belle Saison, an enthusiast who quit her job
at a London bank in order to set up a vineyard in France – her Clos d’Yvigne
is now one of the best wines in the region of Bergerac
• And many more!
176
Sławomir Mrożek
Sławomir Mrożek (1930–2013) – one of the most remarkable Polish
contemporary authors. Prose writer, playwright, satirist, cartoonist
and letter writer. One of the most often staged – both in Poland and
overseas – Polish playwrights. His plays have been translated into
many languages and staged in theatres over the entire world. Holder
of many prestigious awards and honorary mentions, including the Kościelski
Foundation Award and the Polish Culture Foundation Award; decorated
with the National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Author photograph © Michał Łepecki
177
Scenes with Mrożek: 39 Stories
from Different Places and Times,
ed. by Magdalena Miecznicka
Mrożek w odsłonach. 39 opowieści z różnych miejsc i czasów, pod redakcją
Magdaleny Miecznickiej
Keynote
Sławomir Mrożek: man of few words. Eccentric. Outsider.
Excellent companion with great sense of humour. Wonderful friend.
Famous writer and playwright in the eyes of his friends and co-workers.
Sales points
•Legendary Polish playwright and author.
•His plays are staged all over the world.
•Holder of many prestigious awards and honorary mentions.
forthcoming in 2014
Pages: to come
Description
A touching and surprising portrayal of Sławomir Mrożek composed
of reminiscences of people who knew him best – his loved ones, friends,
acquaintances, co-workers.
Stories and bits and pieces of memories comprise an intimate portrait
of Mrożek parallel to – but also very different from – the one we know
from Journals. A portrait of Mrożek, man of inexhaustible sense of humour,
good friend, loyal companion, always ironical towards his stance
as the commentator of reality. Mrożek who hated 22 Krupnicza Street,
wore a too-short coat, shied away from girls, cooked noodles with meat for
Witold Gombrowicz, spent a New Year’s Eve in Naples with Gustaw
Herling‑Grudziński, sat silent over a glass of Irish whisky with Beckett,
groomed his moustache and fought with a lobster using pliers.
This captivating story starts in Cracow of 1940s – here we get to know
the events from the time of Mrożek’s primary education, studies and living
on 22 Krupnicza Street. Then we move to European and world capitals and
cities of 1960s and 1970s, that is mostly to Chiavari in Italy and Paris.
In 1980s and 1990s we return to Cracow and in 2000 and 2013 we follow
Mrożek’s life in Nice.
About their always unique and unforgettable encounters with Mrożek speak
his writer colleagues, directors and actors working with him on staging
of his plays, journalists following his career for years, photographers who
created his greatest portraits, finally friends, acquaintances, companions
of various of his life events, including: Rita Gombrowicz, Lidia Croce,
Romana Próchnicka, Marta Herling, Antoni Libera, Antoine Van Houtte, Viet
Tu Laura Tran, Ludwik Flaszen, Wojciech Plewiński, Wojciech Pszoniak,
Tadeusz Nyczek, Jerzy Stuhr, Jan Nowicki, Amparo „Payin” Cejudo.
Target market
Admirers of Sławomir Mrożek’s works, readers of journals, memoirs, letters,
those interested in history and culture of 20th century.
178
Tadeusz Pankiewicz
Tadeusz Pankiewicz (1908–1993) — a pharmacist, graduate
of the Jagiellonian University, and owner of the Pod Orłem [Under the
Eagle] Pharmacy in Krakow, which functioned in the Krakow Ghetto,
with the permission of the German authorities, from 1941–1943. For helping
and rescuing Jews, he was given a Righteous among the Nations Medal.
179
Tadeusz Pankiewicz
The Pharmacy in the Krakow Ghetto
Apteka w getcie krakowskim
Keynote
Tadeusz Pankiewicz’s memoir is one of the most important testimonies
to the saving of the Krakow Jews.
Sales points
•One of the most important testimonies on the history of the Krakow Jews
•Moving recollections of the ghetto inhabitant, later awarded the Righteous among the
Nations Medal.
Description
Pages: 280
Rights sold:
Italy (Fondazione Museo
della Shoah)
Complete English translation
available
“From the moment the ‘Jewish district’ was created, I unexpectedly became
its inhabitant, as the owner of the Pod Orłem Pharmacy at Zgody Square 18.”
Tadeusz Pankiewicz
An extraordinarily precise and shattering tale of a tragedy that occurred
not only in Krakow, but in many other cities in Poland. The story of events
that should never be forgotten.
Tadeusz Pankiewicz lived and worked for two-and-a-half years in the ghetto,
and lived through all the stages of its existence: from the closing of the
gates and the first harassments, through the deportations, conducted
with increasing cruelty, until the total liquidation.
During this time, the Pod Orłem Pharmacy served as an asylum and point
of contact between two worlds: the Jewish population shut off behind
the walls and the “free” people living outside of them. Its staff became a link
between these two worlds.
This was a place where you could read the latest news from the front,
find underground press, or get shelter during nighttime arrests. Letters
and packages were left here for people living on the Aryan side, and news
and deliveries were also made the other way.
The few ghetto inhabitants who managed to survive the cruel time
of the war still retain grateful memories of the Pod Orłem Pharmacy
and its proprietor.
Target market
Readers of memoirs, non-fiction, those interested in history,
and the Holocaust in particular.
180
Krzysztof Penderecki,
Katarzyna Janowska, Piotr Mucharski
Krzysztof Penderecki — Polish composer and conductor born in 1933 in
Dębica. The Guardian has called him Poland’s greatest living composer. Among
his best known works are his Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, St. Luke
Passion, Polish Requiem, Anaklasis, four operas, eight symphonies and other
orchestral pieces, a variety of instrumental concertos, choral settings of mainly
religious texts, as well as chamber and instrumental works.
Penderecki studied music at Jagiellonian University and the Academy of Music
in Kraków. After graduating from the Academy of Music, Penderecki became
a teacher there and he began his career as a composer in 1959 during the
Warsaw Autumn festival. His Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string
orchestra and the choral work St. Luke Passion have received popular acclaim.
During his life Penderecki has won several prestigious awards, including the
Commander’s Cross in 1964, the Prix Italia in 1967 and 1968, the Knight’s Cross
of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1964, three Grammy Awards in 1987, 1998
and 2001, and the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music
Composition.
Katarzyna Janowska — Polish journalist, acting director of Polish TV cultural
channel TVP Kultura, former director of channel nTalk and editor-in-chief of the
weekly Przekrój. Graduate in film and Polish studies at the Jagiellonian
University. Trained in journalism when working in Gazeta Krakowska. She writes
on cultural matters for the weekly Polityka. Together with Piotr Mucharski she
has conducted a series of TV interviews with the most prominent
representatives of Polish culture, science, humanities and religion (including
Czesław Miłosz, Marek Edelman or Władysław Bartoszewski). The interviews
were also published in a book form by Znak.
Piotr Mucharski — (born in 1959) journalist, editor-in-chief of the weekly
Tygodnik Powszechny (after Adam Boniecki MIC). Co-author of a series of TV
interviews and a book interview with philosopher Barbara Skarga (both with
Katarzyna Janowska). With Kamil Durczok, Polish newcast presenter, he has
co-authored two books. For many years he was the art director of the Conrad
Festival co-organised by Tygodnik Powszechny. Together with Janowska
Mucharski has received the Polish TV Academy award – Wiktor – for the best TV
programme, and the Dariusz Fikus Award for exceptional journalism.
181
Krzysztof Penderecki,
Katarzyna Janowska, Piotr Mucharski
The Penderecki Family. A Saga
Pendereccy. Saga rodzinna
Keynote
Remarkable characters, exceptional talent, difficult decisions, successes and
failures, joys and sorrows. The value of having a shoulder to lean on and a place
to feel at home.
Sales points
•Private life of world-renown composer never before revealed
•Greatest Polish maestro’s more accessible side
Description
Pages: 350
When he sent three musical pieces to a competition for young Polish composers
organised by the Polish Composers’ Association, he won all three prizes.
He is one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. He has devoted all his
life to music, but as he says, his biggest love is… trees.
On his 80th birthday Krzysztof Penderecki is presenting readers with an
exceptional gift: an autobiography, where he reveals his more private side
that has so far remained hidden. Of course those who would like to trace the
Maestro’s musical path will not be disappointed, however this book in the first
place shows Krzysztof Penderecki among his family and friends in Lusławice,
surrounded by trees and sounds.
His grandmother was Armenian and grandfather – German. Father and
grandfather were interested in Greek literature and culture, hence Penderecki
says he was raised in a Meditteranean tradition. The author recollects his
youth: studies, friends, first successes, the beginnings of international fame.
The book includes answers to many questions, which will reveal who Krzysztof
Penderecki is to his family and friends, students and colleagues, what he thinks
about his life and the path that he has traveled, whom he owes his success to,
what he values the most in his life, how and when he spends his leisure time,
when he likes seeing people and when he prefers to be on his own.
Target market
Readers of popular biographies of famous people, diaries, historical novels,
non-fiction, and memoirs; those interested in classical music and the history
of music.
182
Halina Poświatowska
Halina Poświatowska (1935–1967) was a poet. She fell ill at a very young age,
and the result of her sicknesses was a serious and incurable heart defect. She
studied at Smith College in Northampton and at the Jagiellonian University. She
also had a scholarship in Paris. Her debut came in Gazeta Częstochowska, with
poems about love. She published many volumes of poetry, including Idolatrous
Hymn, The Present Day, Ode to Hands, and One More Recollection.
She wrote reflective love poetry, often delving into the themes of solitude and
death, with which she tried to cope.
183
Story for a Friend
Opowieść dla przyjaciela
Keynote
A moving tale of an insatiable love of life, of the suffering and acceptance that
come from wisdom.
Sales points
•A book by one of Poland’s most famous poets.
•Halina Poświatowska is called the Polish Sappho.
•Editions of her books have sold several hundred thousand copies in Poland alone.
Publication date: first
edition 1967
Pages: 268
Category: Biography Autobiography - Memoirs
Description
A beautifully written story of love, illness, and a great passion for life. Life,
which is everything – despite the pain and the suffering.
Those who have never before read Halina Poświatowska or have not managed
to fall in love with her poetry should begin with Story for a Friend. This book,
written as a confession to a particular person, is in fact a letter to readers. It is
an autobiographical tale of a poet and a woman who crafted every word she set
down on paper, showing how beautifully one can live and fight for every
minute of this life.
There are two worlds here – one filled with fear and pain, with hospital beds
and illness; the other full of joy, with a love of life and its exploration. There are
travels, unforgettable encounters, intense feelings. There is a heroic struggle for
life – a life beyond the white rooms, a life of laughter and dance.
Both the prose and the poetry of Halina Poświatowska will long remain with
everyone who reads it. Her words strike the reader and move him or her deeply.
This intimate diary addressed to a nameless friend, a shattering description of
the anxieties and obsessions of a person flirting with death on a day-to-day
basis, is the key to interpreting Poświatowska’s highly original and continually
rediscovered poetry.
Target market
Readers of contemporary poetic prose, lovers of Halina Poświatowska’s work.
184
Jadwiga Staniszkis, Artur Cieślar
Jadwiga Staniszkis — a famous and celebrated sociologist, a professor
at Warsaw University and the National-Louis University in Nowy Sącz,
and a journalist.
Artur Cieślar — a writer, reporter, translator, poet, and traveler wrapped
into one.
185
Jadwiga Staniszkis, Artur Cieślar
East and West. An Encounter
Wschód i Zachód. Spotkania
Keynote
Getting inside the Middle Kingdom: a remarkable encounter between two
people and two worlds: a professor and a writer/traveler, East and West
Sales points
•A highly regarded professor and a Buddhist writer hold a fascinating conversation
about the similarities and differences between the worlds of the West and the East
Description
Pages: 280
A famous professor speaks with a writer, poet, and traveler.
An exchange between two people fascinated with the East for different
reasons. Jadwiga Staniszkis is interested in comparing the thought of
the Orient with that of the West – she is fascinated by the philosophy,
the literature, the concept of the person, society, and power. She considers
the differences and tries to understand them. In the first part of the book,
the authors discuss her path to encountering the East.
In the second part, Artur Cieślar speaks of his adventures in the East.
He does not focus on understanding it intellectually. He is more interested
in what will give him spiritual development, and allow him to function
better in the contemporary world.
Target market
A wide range of readers: those interested in the culture of the East,
philosophy, sociology, history, politics, and spirituality.
186
Tomasz Stańko, Rafał Księżyk
Tomasz Stańko (b. 1942) — is a world renowned trumpet player, considered
to be one of the best jazz trumpet players in the world. His concerts have
always drawn a huge audience, with the concert halls all over the worl
being filled up.
Rafał Księżyk (b. 1970) — is a journalist and a music critic. He has
participated in creating the contemporary Polish music and pop culture
press since the 1990s. He has worked as an editor in such magazines as
“Brum”, “Plastik”, “Antena Krzynu”, and his articles on mucic appeared in
all major specialist newspapers as well as “Gazeta Wyborcza”, “Newsweek”
and “Przekrój”. He is currently a subeditor in “Playboy”, and he writesmusic
reviews for “Machina” and cultural programme TVP Kultura.
187
Tomasz Stańko, Rafał Księżyk
Desperado
Desperado
Keynote
A feast of private interviews with legendary Polish jazz trumpeter Tomasz
Stańko.
Sales points
•The most in-depth series of interviews with Tomasz Stańko available to date.
•The story of a vivid life through turbulent times.
•Supplemented with plenty of photographs, a timeline, and Stańko’s discography.
Description
Pages: 544
Rights optioned: Germany
German sample available
“I chose the life of a desperado. On the edge. On the brink of death.” This
quote from one of the many generous interviews with Tomasz Stańko
included in this volume both explains the title and gives you some idea of
what to expect. The book traces the musician’s 50-year jazz odyssey from
his first steps in the 1960s to the present, beginning with his days in the
famous Krzysztof Komeda ensemble, making soundtracks to Roman Polanski
films and living as a student in Krakow, and concluding with the established
international celebrity we now know, recording for the cult ECM label and
touring the world with his trumpet. Stańko seems to have met everyone
making jazz on the scene in Poland over the years – which were much less
than favorable times for jazz musicians – but he also has a great deal to
say about musicians active in the West throughout the same period – Miles
Davis, Ornette Coleman, John Coletrane, and many others. Like many of
his Western counterparts, Stańko also struggled with drug addiction for
decades, and in “Desperado” he speaks frankly of his use of heroin, hashish,
copious alcohol and many other substances, and of his ultimate triumph
over his addictions. The rest of the book’s five hundred pages cover a wide
variety of topics, from Stańko’s loves and travels, his long path to success,
his family, and communist Poland, but above all the conversations deal
with music – reflections on his own work as a composer and musician,
and fresh takes on jazz music from Duke Ellington and Chet Baker to Cecil
Taylor and Sun Ra. In sum, this is compulsory reading for anyone interested
in the history of jazz, from a perspective seldom encountered in the West,
and a fascinating account of what it meant to be a brilliant jazz musician in
a communist country.
Stańko talks like he plays. His phrases come out a bit messy, but they’re honest
and compelling. These are fascinating confessions by one of Poland’s greatest
artists.
Donata Subbotko, Gazeta Wyborcza
188
This is also a book of very private confessions. Stańko’s taut responses contain
more truth than other people’s long-winded statements.
Jacek Marczyński, Gazeta Rzeczpospolita
The image of Stańko that emerges from these interviews might surprise
you. Everyone knows that he’s a great trumpeter. What’s interesting are the
circumstances surrounding how he came onto the gray, communist Polish jazz
scene “like a tornado,” his life with groupies, and his balance on the edge of life,
as fragile as a line of cocaine.
Magazyn Literacki
Target market
Jazz lovers, those interested in intimate interviews with famous celebrities.
189
Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr (b. 1947) – one of the most popular and most versatile Polish
actors, a film and theater director affiliated with Krakow’s Stary Theater
from 1972–1991, a lecturer at Krakow’s Theater School and rector
of the same learning institution, the winner of many prestigious awards,
member of the European Film Academy that awards the Felix.
Aleksandra Pawlicka – a journalist working in the national news team
of the Przekrój weekly, Polish Studies graduate from Warsaw University,
and Brussels correspondent for the Polish Section of BBC Radio from
1999–2002.
190
Jerzy Stuhr
The Stuhrs. A Family History
Stuhrowie. Historie rodzinne
Keynote
Great loves, remarkable characters, difficult decisions, successes and failures,
joys and sorrows – the value and power of a family slowly unfolds
Sales points
The tale of the family of one of Poland’s most famous actors
Won accolades from readers and critics both
Description
Pages: 280
The Stuhrs – A Family Portrait with a Historical Backdrop
In the latter half of the 19th century Jerzy Stuhr’s great-grandfather, Leopold,
came to Krakow, where he bought a building on Podgórze Square and set up
a restaurant. From then on Polish, Austrian, Czech, and Hungarian sub-plots
weave in with the fascinating story of Krakow’s Stuhr family.
In Jerzy Stuhr’s tale, family history interweaves with the history of Krakow,
Poland, and Europe. The household archive holds photographs, portraits,
a service medal, a cutlass, a glass, and a show cabinet – the true
and reconstructed family history is woven around these objects. There are also
the compelling notes from Auschwitz by one family member, Oskar Stuhr,
a lawyer who took part in the Second World War, who was arrested
and imprisoned in the Montelupa Prison, in Wiśnicz, and in Auschwitz.
Another attraction of the book is the wide selection of photographs from
the family archive and the family tree prepared by Marianna Stuhr.
“A great-grandfather who dearly believed that his dreams would only come
true in Krakow. A grandfather whose favorite entertainment was to pretend it
was his own funeral. An aunt who said that a woman was only worth as much
as the man’s pants she hung up to dry. Mrożek mixed with Gombrowicz, says
Jerzy Stuhr. It’s a good thing he decided to write this Family History. And not
just because he owes it to his children, as he says.”
Target market
Iza Bartosz, Viva!
Readers of popular biographies of famous people, diaries, historical novels,
non-fiction, and memoirs; those interested in film, theater, and acting
191
Jerzy Stuhr
That’s What I Think…
Tak sobie myślę…
Keynote
The portrait of a master – a beautiful and heartwarming tale of one year in the
life of a man and a year of fighting for life.
Sales points
•One of the most anticipated books of the season
•A book that swiftly became a bestseller
Description
Pages: 272
When in fall 2011 information was released on Jerzy Stuhr’s serious illness,
all of Poland held their breath. This beloved actor began fighting for his life...
and began to write. In the notebooks his daughter gave him almost every day,
in the hospital and at home, in every free moment he wrote down his thoughts,
reflections, and observations. Thus emerged a remarkable diary, which is not
only the record of a struggle, but also a testimony of a love of life. However it
might show itself.
In That’s What I Think… Jerzy Stuhr comments on current events in Poland
and in Europe, sometimes bitterly, and sometimes very seriously follows sports
events. But he devotes the most space to culture. He writes about his career
and his mission as an actor, wondering what it means to be an actor in
the contemporary world. At times he even turns into a film critic and offers
deep analyses of films. And his illness? Of course it is there, but in
the background. Jerzy Stuhr is most fascinated by what is outside the hospital
window.
The closer we get to the book’s end, the longer the gaps between notes.
This marks the actor’s return to his professional life, and thus brings us
to the end of this remarkable conversation between Jerzy Stuhr and himself –
and with the reader at the same time.
“For the reader this book is an intimate meeting with a great artist, an experienced
actor, and above all, with a wise, witty, and warm human being.”
“One of the most highly anticipated books of the season.”
Target market
Anna Sobańda, Dziennik
Aleksandra Pawlicka, Newsweek
Readers of memoirs and conversations, lovers of film and theater, readers
of biographies and opinion weeklies.
192
Dorota Sumińska
by Dorota Sumińska:
193
Dorota Sumińska
Dorota Sumińska – a practicing veterinarian for many years,
and a pet psychologist by passion, who has hosted popular radio
and television programs about animals for several years.
She has written books about animals and guides for pet owners, including
the best‑selling Autobiography on Four Paws, An Animal in the Bed
and the novel The World according to a Dog; she is also the co‑author
of a guide entitled How to Raise a Child, a Dog, a Cat, and a Boyfriend.
Author photograph
© B. Kwasek
194
Dorota Sumińska
Animal in the Bedroom
Zwierz w łóżku
Keynote
Science written in a language and with a warmth that everyone can enjoy
Sales points
•Fun and accessible, yet thought-provoking
•A unique combination of popular psychology and zoology
Description
Pages: 282
Some ten years ago, a film called Microcosmos paired opera music with a pair
of romantically entwined snails and proved that, incredibly enough, these
lowly creatures could be seen as passionate. In Animal in the Bedroom,
veterinarian and animal psychologist Dorota Suminska goes a step further
– she rifles through a whole catalogue of human emotions and behaviors
and demonstrates how they are reflected or even partially explained by close
observations of the animal world. Whether comparing a mother’s first kisses
to her child with dogs’ regurgitation of food into the mouths of their young,
or the mother African buffalo’s overpowering love for her son with the
drunken exploits of a friend and his all-forgiving mother, Suminska’s tales
maintain a warmth and humor that will keep readers engaged and amused
through its many and varied chapters. Ultimately, the real value
of Suminska’s book goes much deeper, however – it teaches us to see
ourselves and our foibles in a whole new light, and it imparts a sense
of wonder and a whole new affection for the natural world surrounding us.
A page-turner – as this author’s books always are. And a real eye-opener!
“Wrozka” Christmas guide
In this book we come across parrots, horses, octopi, leopards… […] The masses
of interesting details and Suminska’s light touch are the aces up the sleeve
of this very enjoyable book.
“Dziennik Polski”
195
Dorota Sumińska
Still on Four Paws
Dalej na czterech łapach
Keynote
A tale chock full of anecdotes, hairpin turns and astonishing events,
in which animals and people play equally important roles Sales points
• A continuation of the unforgettable Autobiography on Four Paws
•Each new book by this author wins the hearts of faithful readers, and new ones as well
Description
Pages: 292
A wise, moving, and bracing tale of the fortunes of beloved animals, families,
and friends known by this veterinary doctor.
Dorota Sumińska writes of the home she now has, and her loved ones –
of what makes the household go round, who has made the latest appearances,
and what defines it. Thus she speaks of the joyful pastime of acquiring new
family members – among others, there appear a new husband, grandchildren,
another Pekingese etc. We also gradually learn of departures: of the author’s
mother, the death of her father, the husband of a close friend, as well as of pets,
including Slipper, who had theretofore created a hierarchy of relationships
between the pets. The book weaves final farewells with the power of love,
hope, and faith.
There are also journeys: mainly to the author’s beloved Asia. During her
faraway excursions, the author has a look at some exotic nature, and makes
contact with her favorite animals. This personal story includes many anecdotes,
which create a colorful and charming world that holds the reader’s fascination
till the final page.
This book is abundantly illustrated with photographs from the author’s archive.
Target market
Animal lovers of every age, readers of memoirs, autobiographies, travel
enthusiasts
196
Tymon Tymański
Tymon Tymański (b. 1968) is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, author of
lyrics, vocalist, columnist, prose-writer, actor, and producer. He is famous for
his provocative artistic ideas and controversial statements. He had his first
bands back in elementary school. Miłość, a band he led, is considered to have
revamped Polish jazz. From 1994–1998 Miłość was chosen the best Polish
acoustic jazz band of the year; in 2001 it was declared the most interesting jazz
group of the decade.
Tymon Tymański has been the founder and leader or co-leader of such bands
as Kury, Czan, NRD, Tymon i Trupy, Masło, Poganie, The Users, Tymański Yass
Ensemble, Tymon & The Transistors, Polish Brass Ensemble, and Jazz Out. He
has composed music to the following films: Stroke, Metamorphoses, The Wedding
(for which he received the Polskie Orły film award in 2005), and for many
plays in the theater. He has appeared as an actor in the films Segment ‘76, The
Wedding, and Satan Spa, and in plays (including Musicians of the Great Field and
Enter the Dragon – Trailer).
He has won many awards and distinctions, including the Polityka Passport 2000,
the Fryderyka 1998, and Machinera 1998.
197
Rafał Księżyk
Rafał Księżyk (b. 1970) is a journalist and music critic, and the author and
interviewer of the Tomasz Stańko autobiography that was so well received by
readers and critics. Since the early 1990s he has co-created the face of the music
press and pop culture, since its very infancy. He serves as vice-editor-in-chief
of Playboy, and as a music critic he works with Machina magazine and TVP
Kultura. He has co-written enormously successful biographical books about
Tomasz Stańko, Desperado: An Autobiography, and about Robert Brylewski,
A Crisis in Babylon.
198
Tymon Tymański, Rafał Księżyk
A Biography of Tymon Tymański
Biografia Tymona Tymańskiego
Keynote
A master of musical improvisation and a legendary music critic in fascinating
conversation.
Sales points
•Tymański is considered to have reinvented Polish jazz.
•One of Poland’s most famous and controversial artists.
•The winner of many prestigious awards and distinctions.
Description
Pages: 350
Autobiography – Memoir
An autobiography of one of the most distinctive and rapacious contemporary
Polish musicians and composers, leader of the cult groups Miłość, Kury, and
Trupy – in conversation with Rafał Księżyk.
There was always a lot of music in Tymon Tymański’s home. His brother had
a tape deck and was always recording things off the radio, or taping music
from his friends. They listened to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin,
Pink Floyd, Yes, and Genesis. Music was his constant companion. Ever since his
childhood he was a great fan of the Beatles. It was back then that he first had
the idea of being a musician. When he was ten years old, he was certain. His
plans came true in every way.
One of his bands, Miłość, was chosen best group of the year four times
running, and was named best Polish jazz band of the 1990s. For some years
now, Tymański has been simultaneously heading alt-rock and jazz groups,
playing bass or electric guitar. He loves various kinds of happenings, and
unconventional art and cultural projects.
He has worked with Lester Bowie, John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Chris Speed, Jim
Black, Lech Janerka, Robert Brylewski, Antoni Gralak, Aleksander Korecki,
Włodzimierz Kiniorski, Mikołaj Trzaska, Leszek Możdżer, and Jacek Olter.
The backdrop of this autobiographical story is a picture of Polish culture of the
1990s, a portrait of today’s show business in Poland, the Polish music scene,
and the dynamic Gdańsk-area arts scene.
The book contains a wealth of photographs from Tymon Tymański’s family
archive.
Target market
Readers of autobiographies, book-length interviews, and memoirs, admirers of
Tymon Tymański’s work, those interested in history and music.
199
Danuta Wałęsa
Ed. Piotr Adamowicz
Danuta Wałęsa (b. 1949) — from 1990 to 1995 the First Lady of Poland,
social activist.
On 8 september 1969 she became the wife of Lech Wałęsa, future leader
of Solidarity, president of Poland from 1990 to 1995. On behalf of her
husband she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December 1983.
She is the honorary president of the Gdańsk Fund for the Development
of Culture (Fundacja na Rzecz Rozwoju Kultury). Member of the Honorary
Council of the Darboven Idee Grant contest for enterprising women
and member of the Honorary Council of the International Centre for Missing
and Exploited Children.
Piotr Adamowicz — a journalist, he was an active member of the Soldarity
movement in the 1980s. He worked for Agence France Prese in 1988–1992
and was a correspondent for Reuters in 1991–1994. Since 1993 he writes
for Rzeczpospolita daily. He is a social advisor for the Foundation for
Solidarity Centre and European Solidarity Centre.He represents the following
politicians in the Institute for National Remembrance: Bogdan Borusewicz,
Aleksander Hall, Bożena i Maciej Grzywaczewscy, Bogdan Lis, Donald Tusk,
Lech Wałęsa. He is a co-author of an entry in Opposition in the Polish Peaople’s
Republic. A Dictionary of Biographies 1956–1989.
200
Danuta Wałęsa
Dreams and Secrets
Marzenia i tajemnice
Ed. Piotr Adamowicz
THE BESTSELLING POLISH BOOK OF 2011 – OVER 400 000 COPIES SOLD
Pages: 552
Rights sold: Czech Republic
(Euromedia),
France (Buchet Chastel),
Portugal (Aletheia),
The Ukraine (Folio),
Bulgaria (Iztok Zapad),
Romania (Curtea Veche)
A biographical tale by Danuta Wałęsowa, her memoirs recounting the story of
her life and the lives of the Wałęsa family. A self-portrait of a woman – mother
and wife – accompanying Lech Wałęsa first when he was a trade unionist,
then an oppositionist, and finally the president, always supporting him
unconditionally.
She was a silent participant and a witness of the most important,
groundbreaking political events in the history of the second half of the 20th
century. She looked at them through the filter of her family, for which she was
responsible, especially when her husband could not stand by her. She had to
bear the distress of her husband the oppositionist being persecuted, she had to
endure the controversies around the trade unionist and politician, and last but
not least learn her new role of the First Lady.
Honest and authentic in its directness, it is a tale of life, growing up in
the countryside, studying and starting the first job. It is a story of major
groundbreaking moments and important people: the husband, the children,
friends, confidants, befriended men of the cloth and other people tied to the
Wałęsa family by friendship and union or political functions.
Dreams and secrets is a truly honest, very intimate and bold private tale about
living in the shadow of one’s husband and of great politics. It is a sometimes
painful and tense confession about the price Danuta Wałęsa and her family had
to pay for being in the centre of political events, of living with Lech Wałęsa.
The story is illustrated with private photographs from the Wałęsas’ archives.
201
Paulina Wilk
Paulina Wilk (b. 1980) – author who took the Polish book market by storm;
documentary and feature writer. For her literary debut Dolls on Fire: Stories from
India (Lalki w ogniu. Opowieści z Indii) she was awarded Arkady Fiedler’s Amber
Butterfly (Bursztynowy Motyl im. Arkadego Fiedlera) for the best travel
and tourist book by a Polish author. Her book was also shortlisted for the Nike
Literary Award and the Beata Pawlak Award. The documentary proved to be
a bestseller sold in over 160 000 copies and it received enthusiastic reviews,
which stressed the author’s literary talent. Paulina Wilk published a children’s
book as well – Adventures of Kazimierz the Teddy Bear (Przygody misia Kazimierza,
2012).
Travelling is her passion. As a documentary writer she has worked in India,
China, Kenya, Brazil or Israel.
Author photograph © Rafał Guz
202
Paulina Wilk
Distinguishing Marks
Znaki szczególne
Keynote
A demanding travel to the past and a difficult walk through the present –
a Bildungsroman of new times
Sales points
•Author who took the book market by storm
•Holder of many prestigious awards and honourable mentions.
•Critics have noticed incredible literary talent of the author, her sensitivity and
perceptiveness in writing
•Book touching upon current matters
Pages: 300
English and German
samples available
Description
An autobiography of the generation born around 1980 and growing up in the
transformation era, at the decline of People’s Republic of Poland and in the first
years of Polish democracy – a book by a rising star of literature
Distinguishing Marks is a story that reads like a great novel, full of turning
points, colourful histories and intense emotions.
Childhood in the 1980s. Final years of the People’s Republic of Poland,
remembered by a child’s memory as an idyllic time devoid of tensions and
hurry, and an era of similarities and commonly experienced deficiency.
First years of transformations, growing up in the epicenter of changes, early
necessity to adapt immediately. An outburst of new dreams, a new face of
competition, emergence of social differences.
Travelling in the 1990s. Generational aspirations to rule the world, to feel at
home everywhere, to make up for the deficiencies on behalf of previous
generations.
Education in the brave new world. Time of secondary school and college,
a generational rush for knowledge. Obsession of gaining cosmopolitan skills,
intensification of competition. Looking up to Europe, joining EU and NATO –
clash of hopes with reality.
A gap between the generation of parents and the growing generation of
freedom – different experience, different expectations, a modified value system,
mutual estrangement.
First decade of the 20th century as time of career making – rapid professional
development, determination to meet goals at work. Consternation caused by
the clash of visions of career with mechanisms of capitalism.
Living on credit. Young years spent on hard work that. Contrary to forecasts –
no freedom, life regulated by corporations and banks.
Everyday exercises in illusion – everything that you have is owned by banks.
First tiredness and disillusionment with freedom.
203
Ludwika Włodek
Ludwika Włodek is a great-granddaughter of Jarosław and Anna
Iwaszkiewicz. She is an assistant professor at the University of Warsaw,
a journalist for Gazeta Wyborcza daily, she writes for Wysokie Obcasy
women’s magazine and Duży Format (reportages about Eastern affairs,
Iran, Jewish culture and women’s issues).
204
Ludwika Włodek
A Tale of the Iwaszkiewicz Family
Pra. Opowieść o rodzinie Iwaszkiewiczów
Keynote
Memoirs of a turbulent period in Polish history, and one of its most
memorable literary figures, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz – written by his
great‑granddaughter.
Sales points
•Włodek is perhaps of the last generation that can write of Iwaszkiewicz’s life
and the era emotionally, and not historically
•A book which opens a whole, colorful world, and one to which the Western reader
seldom has access
Pages: 384
Description
For Ludwika Włodek, writing is a grand adventure, and even readers utterly
unfamiliar with Poland directly before and after the Second World War,
or those with little exposure to the great Polish writer Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz
(whose stories have provided the basis for many of Andrzej Wajda’s films),
cannot fail to fall into Włodek’s infectious way of creating an atmosphere,
of spinning a tale. She culls from a wide range of sources – letters, diaries,
notes, anecdotes – but the most precious source here is Włodek’s own
memory, from which she draws liberally. The result is thus somewhere
between a report from a bygone era and a personal record of a life
with a remarkable family.
Target market
Readers of memoirs and personal histories.
205
Andrzej Wiśniewski
Andrzej Wiśniewski – a psychologist and psychotherapist. For twenty-five
years, he has been engaged as a family and marriage therapist, and also
conducts individual therapy. He lectures at the College of Social Psychology
and is psychology supervisor at the Polish Psychological Association and
Polish Psychiatric Association. He works in the Psychoeducation Laboratory
team. Co-author of the book Loving Relationships and Separations.
206
Katarzyna Grochola, Andrzej Wiśniewski
Marital and Extra-Marital Fun and
Games
Gry i zabawy małżeńskie i pozamałżeńskie
Keynote
A self-help guide which throws new light on every relationship and proves that
not much is needed for the word “forever” to become reality.
Sales points
•The most popular drama novel writer in Poland, whose books sell by the millions.
•Each of her books is a major best-seller.
Description
Pages: 336
Category: Self-Help
Serious questions and honest answers, humour and surprising comparisons,
but above all an unswerving search for the truth – one of the most popular
Polish female authors talks with famous therapist Andrzej Wiśniewski about
games and fun in relationships, those which are innocent and those which are
risky.
“The reader merely needs to have the courage of her convictions when taking
a decision, and no prescriptions or ready solutions should be needed, all the
more so, as there are none. The authors have therefore supplied the pleasure
that flows from animated conversation, while having a clean conscience in
the knowledge that they are fulfilling the expectations of those who turn to
Marital and Extra-Marital Fun and Games”.
Andrzej Wiśniewski
Target market
Champions of Katarzyna Grochola’s output, readers of self-help guides, those
interested in psychology, sociology and psychotherapy.
207
Katarzyna Grochola, Andrzej Wiśniewski
Loving Relationships and Break Ups
Związki i rozwiązki miłosne
Keynote
A self-help guide which is provoking a storm and lending hope to the idea of a
happy, error-free tomorrow.
Sales points
•The most popular drama novel writer in Poland, whose books sell by the millions.
•Each of her books is a major best-seller.
Description
Pages: 306
Category: Self-Help
Far from obvious questions and surprising answers, sparkling wit and moments
of reverie, true stories and original reflections – one of the most popular
female authors talks with Andrzej Wiśniewski, a family therapist, about loving
relationships, those that are good and those that are bad.
“The reader merely needs to have the courage of her convictions when taking
a decision, and no prescriptions or ready solutions should be needed, all the more so,
as there are none. The authors have therefore supplied the pleasure that flows from
animated conversation, while having a clean conscience in the knowledge that they
are fulfilling the expectations of those who turn to this book”.
Andrzej Wiśniewski
“This book is a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation about marriage
and loneliness, love and hate, fidelity and unfaithfulness – about what binds people
and what divides them. There’s one single thing in the world for which it’s worth
doing anything. That’s love of course”.
Katarzyna Grochola
Target market
Champions of Katarzyna Grochola’s output, readers of self-help guides, those
interested in psychology, sociology and psychotherapy.
208
Edward Kajdański
Edward Kajdański (b. 1925) – a writer, journalist, and diplomat. Born
in Manchukuo, where he attended a Polish gymnasium (middle school)
and began pharmacy studies at the North Manchurian University. In 1951
he left for Poland during the repatriation. He worked at the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, as a trade advisor in Beijing, and also served as consulate
in the Canton Province.
209
Edward Kajdański
Chinese Medicine for Beginners
Medycyna chińska dla każdego
Keynote
The world of Chinese medicine from the perspective of a many-year resident
of China – a remarkable combination of knowledge, passion and talent
Sales points
•A multi-angled guide through Chinese medicine for the beginner
•A guidebook written by a specialist, born and raised in China
Description
Pages: 320
Category: Self-Help
A popular guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine for everyone who would
like to find out how to restore harmony to the body and mind, how to
improve vital energy, and how to live a long and healthy life.
The “specialist from China” guides the reader through the best-kept
secrets of the world of Chinese philosophy, culture, medicine, and customs,
as a person who once lived among the Chinese long enough to understand,
learn, and communicate their mindset and tradition.
The reader will encounter the mysterious-sounding yin/yang theory,
the transformation of the five elements and chi (lifeforce), and will also
find out how precise diagnoses can be made through testing the pulse and
the color of the tongue. Later comes the mighty acupuncture, a method
used for years during anaesthetic operations. There are also descriptions
of the most important herbs and minerals used by Chinese doctors.
The reader will also find out how doctors used a very complex procedure
to perform check-ups on Chinese lady aristocrats, and how the medical
Canon of the Golden Emperor arrived in Gdańsk and Krakow back during
the Renaissance. The book also reveals from whom Avicenna would have
copied his medical textbook, and whether Copernicus could have known
about the Chinese vaccines against measles.
E. Kajdański makes splendid use of his vast knowledge and passion,
combining stories about himself and his ties with China with explanations
of Chinese philosophies and customs.
The volume is richly illustrated with materials from old Chinese medical
textbooks. Accompanying the main text, there is a list of the books
and medicines mentioned in the text, and their brief descriptions.
Target market
A book for everyone, especially those curious about alternative medicines
and the culture of the East; for those suffering from an illness, and in search
of an alternate cure. Readers of guidebooks.
210
Mikołaj Spodaryk,
Elżbieta Grabowska
Mikołaj Spodaryk – a pediatrician, creator and administrator
of the University Children’s Hospital in Krakow-Prokocim, and Vice‑dean
of the Health and Medical Sciences Department of the Andrzej Frycz
Modrzewski Krakow Academy. He is an organizer of camps for children
and an activist. In 2010 he oversaw a project to make flower gardens around
Krakow’s hospitals, where young patients could spend their free time
in an active way. He is the founder of Poland’s first division of Municipal Bike
Emergency Unit. In 2008 he was honored with the title of Good Samaritan
in the health services category.
Elżbieta Gabrowska – a clinical dietician at the Nutritional Care Ward
of the University Children’s Hospital in Krakow-Prokocim. She runs classes
with students at the Jagiellonian University’s Collegium Medicum –
at the Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition Clinic.
211
Mikołaj Spodaryk, Elżbieta Grabowska
I Know What My Child Is Eating
Wiem, co je moje dziecko
Keynote
A book that is indispensable to all adults, about how the right nutrition is the
best life investment.
Sales points
•Written by top specialists
•Very well received by readers and critics
Description
Pages: 308
Category: Self-Help
A guidebook for parents, nannies, grandparents, and doctors! The first
book to be so reliable, accessible, and practical. Professor Mikołaj Spodaryk
and dietician Elżbieta Gabrowska share their knowledge and experience,
while effectively, thoughtfully, and often humorously dealing with today’s
myths and doubts. Do you wonder:
– whether you should let your child eat chips?
– if pizza is a good idea for lunch?
– what you should be absolutely careful to do as a parent?
Then pick up I Know What My Child Is Eating. There are a number of example
breakfasts and lunches and practical recipes written by an experienced dietician
to help even the most clueless parents feed their children wisely. She explains
to how to feed your children from the first days onward, so that they are
healthy, avoid illness, and grow resistant to various kinds of illnesses
and ailments; what to buy and where; and what rules a parent should always
follow.
“This is the first guidebook to contain such reliable information on feeding children
from the first months to eighteen years of age. A number of example breakfasts
and lunches and practical recipes written by an experienced dietician can help even
the most clueless parents feed their children wisely.”
XXI wiek
“Every page of this guide gives us answers to questions that eventually crop up
in every family.”
Gazeta Wyborcza
Target market
All those interested in healthy eating and diet. Parents, grandparents,
caretakers, dieticians, and doctors
212
Irena A. Stanisławska, Dorota Krzywicka,
Dorota Sumińska
How to Live in Harmony with
the Bigger and Smaller Members
of the Household
Jak wychować dziecko, psa, kota… i faceta
Keynote
A unique and lively approach to some very challenging issues.
Sales points
•All three “authors” have a great deal of experience behind them, and they make an electric
combination.
Pages: 326
Category: Self-Help
•A very new slant on a familiar – and ever-popular – subject: how to be happy with the
ones you love.
Description
The interviewers are Irena Stanisławska, onetime journalist on extreme sports
for “Playboy” magazine, and more recently a writer of books on psychology, and
Dorota Krzywicka, a psychologist who has earned some popularity on a Polish
talk show and through her newspaper columns. Their subject is Dorota
Sumińśka – a veterinarian, writer, and author of radio and television
programmes about animals. In this book-length interview the women explore
family relationships, contact with pets, and the analogies between them.
Dynamic, funny, and sometimes arrestingly intimate, this book succeeds with
its sheer charm, and with its unexpected flashes of wisdom and insight. The
language is not afraid to be intelligent, but this never gets in the way of the fun
and delight of reading, and taking part in the interplay between these three
women. “Chick lit” for the whole family.
Target market
Those look for intelligent and modern advice on family matters,
without judgement or moralising.
213
Renaissance of family life. Recreating loose connections. Love, relationships,
kids in a fast-forward reality.
One of the most promising writers daringly tells the story of her generation,
in which a lot of hope was placed and which is written about in the press
probably the most. Distinguishing marks is an important personal comment on
the contemporary world, of Poland, changes in mentality, spirituality and
attitude towards material things.
Target market
Readers of novels, fans of big names in writing, literary events, enthusiasts
of Lalki w ogniu
214
Ewa Woydyłło
How to Live with Depression,
but Not in Depression
Bo jesteś człowiekiem. Żyć z depresją, ale nie w depresji
Keynote
This book takes an illness that strikes growing numbers of people and
strives to make it comprehensible and less frightening, without trivializing
its gravity.
Sales points
• An author of around ten popular psychology titles, and a major voice in spreading
Alcoholics Anonymous around Poland.
• A book that is helpful, wise, and perhaps most importantly, healing.
Pages: 284
Category: Self-Help
Description
For her latest installment in a series of books that invite the reader into
the therapist’s office, Woydyłło tackles depression. She begins with simple
observations, allowing for the sickness to be diagnosed and differentiating
it from temporary mood swings, which are often mistaken for depression.
Additionally, the author urges visiting a psychologist or a doctor. With deep
sympathy for the gravity of depression, she helps the reader on the road
leading out of the sickness. Free of specialist jargon, this book speaks to the
reader in simple, clear language, explaining non-medical ways of treating
the illness, and concluding with numerous varieties of professional help.
She also makes use of concrete examples taken from literature or real
life. The psychological tests featured in the book help readers figure out
if they is prone to depression, how they deal with problems, what kind
of relationships they have with other people, and if their life is likely to
make them depressed or not. After reading, we have come to a firmer
understanding of this sickness, and we believe that getting better is possible
– and this is the book’s most important and valuable message.
Target market
Readers of self-help books and psychology “work-books”, readers of women’s
magazines.
215
Michał Głombiowski
Michał Głombiowski (b. 1975) is a journalist, editor, traveler, and photographer.
His articles have been published in Rzeczpospolita, Gazeta Wyborcza, Polityka,
Przekrój, Newsweek, Podróży, and Traveler. He has written a book that records
his several-month journey through Spain, entitled The Third Day. He lives in
Gdańsk.
216
Michał Głombiowski
Come to Zócalo in the Evening
Wieczorem przyjdź na zócalo
Keynote
Tastes, colors, and sounds unknown to Europe: a picturesque road novel
displaying the beauty of Central America
Sales points
•Written for experienced travelers, and for those who only dream of remote escapades
•The publishing debut by an author of a popular travel blog
Description
Pages: 364
Category: Travel
An incredible journey that takes several months, through unknown lands of
Central America – Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Encounter tastes, smells, places and customs. A slow journey from place to
place. Conversations and observations of people’s everyday lives. Mountains,
exotic nature, bustling cities, the remains of Mayan culture, volcanoes, Natives,
and Caribbean people. Crime mixed with ingenuity, poverty mixed with a sense
of freedom, the kingdom of coffee and bananas.
Avoiding the hubbub of the tourists, Michał Głombiowski and a mysterious
girlfriend reach places only dreamed of by real and virtual travelers: places
slightly forgotten, off the beaten track, but which show the real face of the
countries at hand.
After an exhausting day, the writer sits in a Zócalo, a central square in the local
cities, and watches the street musicians, shopkeepers, Natives trading handmade clothing and toys made of rags, the fishermen and the owners of the local
fleabag hotels.
This is an essential addition to the library of every lover of travel and
adventure.
Target market
Lovers of travel books, Latin American culture, Native heritage, and travelers;
a good vacation read.
217
Tomasz Grzywaczewski
Tomasz Grzywaczewski (b. 1986) is a traveler and a reporter. He graduated
from Łódź University with a degree in law. As a reporter he has worked with
Wprost and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, and has published in numerous magazines.
He conceived the Long Walk PLUS Expedition – a well publicized journey
in the footsteps of Witold Gliński’s escape from a gulag, and co-created the
documentary film on the same expedition. He is passionate about searching
for and discovering forgotten stories. In 2012 he joined Belgian traveler LouisPhilippe Loncke in organizing the Poland Trek from the Tatra Mountains to the
Baltic Sea to promote the beauty of Poland’s wilderness.
218
Through the Wild East.
8000 Kilometre Journey Following
the Footsteps of a Famous Esccape
from Gulag
Przez Dziki Wschód. 8000 km śladami słynnej ucieczki z gułagu
Keynote
Wild places, remarkable people, and dangers: an extreme journey from Yakutsk
to Siberia, through the Taiga, Buryatia, Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, China, Tibet,
the Himalayas, Nepal, and India – ending in Calcutta.
Sales points
Pages: 444
Category: Travel
•The author sets off in the footsteps of Sławomir Rawicz’s bestselling The Long March,
on whose basis Peter Weir made the famous film The Way Back
•A book that generated great interest even before it was released
•Through the Wild East pays tribute to the forgotten tale of Witold Gliński – a real-life hero
of this impossible journey seventy years ago
Description
A powerful reportage/adventure book, ideal for travelers and people with
adrenaline, and also for those who only dream of travel and adventure.
May 2010: a trio of friends set off on a six-month journey, following the path of
Polish war veteran Witold Gliński, and the protagonists of Sławomir Rawicz’s
The Long March. Their journey becomes famous: and small wonder, because the
conditions are extreme!
Tomasz Grzywaczewski, Filip Drożdż, and Bartosz Malinowski covered the road
on foot, on horseback, by bicycle, and by boat – a sum total of 8,000 kilometers!
They were driven by a yearning for adventure, to test their strength, and to feel
that they were doing something of importance. Their route leads from Yakutsk
to Siberia, through the Taiga, Buryatia, Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, China, Tibet,
the Himalayas, Nepal, and India, ending in Calcutta.
Strength of spirit, courage, and manhood, and above all, a great desire for
freedom – what could be better material for an unforgettable, epic novel?
“We wanted to recall this remarkable story, and pay tribute to the Poles sent to ‚the
edges of the earth.’ Traveling on foot, on horseback, or by bicycle, we relived the route
journeyed by the participants of the great escape seventy years ago.”
“Seventy years after the fact, Tomasz Grzywaczewski has decided to repeat Gliński’s
feat. Or to beat him, in fact, because his route took him from Yakutsk to Calcutta; he
and Filip Drożdż and Bartosz Malinowski covered 8,000 kilometers. The record of this
six-month journey makes for truly incredible reading.”
219
Witold Lada, Uważam Rze Inaczej Pisane
“The author shows us fascinating, virginal, wild, and yet terrifying landscapes and
places. The incredibly visual descriptions are matched by a large number of brilliant
photographs. These are a major plus of the book. When we look at them we feel as
though we are taking part in this murderous expedition. I had fixed before my eyes
those endless, uninhabited lands, and in my mind I saw Witold Gliński’s struggles,
wandering hungry, frozen, and terrified for so many months. Man is able to endure
a great deal. Highly recommended.”
A reader’s review from empik.com
“This book is a fascinating account of an incredible journey.”
Paweł Stachnik, Dziennik Polski
“Through the Wild East is a book filled with adventure and passion. A book that
does not let us sit still. It is inspiring and urges us to travel.”
Dziennik Polski Magnes
Target market
Readers of travel books and reportage; travelers interested in extremes
journeys; readers interested in the history of Poland
220
Life and Death on the Road of Death
Życie i śmierść na Drodze Umarłych
Keynote
Along the Road of Death to Siberia – a reporter’s tale of inaccessible places
shrouded in mystery, with a dark chapter of history in the background.
Sales points
•Tomasz Grzywaczewski is a charismatic reporter; this time he is hunting down some
historical mysteries to reach forgotten corners of the world.
•A book for all travelers and travel-lovers.
•A documentary film will also be released covering this expedition.
Description
Publication date:
forthcoming in 2015
Pages: to come
Category: Travel
A tale of a remarkable journey through inaccessible parts of the world – along
the Road of Death to the wastelands of the northern part of Krasnoyarsk Krai,
to Siberia.
Illustrated with unique photographs and archival materials.
The Salekhard–Igarka Railway is known as the Road of Death – Stalin’s last
great construction. The tracks ran through the virgin regions of the Siberian
Taiga, and the line was built entirely through the slave labor of the Gulag
prisoners. Sixty years after Stalin’s death, Tomasz Grzywaczewski joins a film
and study crew – Maciej Cypryk, Anna Hyman, Łukasz Orlicki, and Marek
Kozakiewicz – in traveling the Salekhard–Igarka Railway.
The author pairs the history of the Salekhard–Igarka Railway with the present
of the region’s inhabitants, the “small peoples” of the North, those who
remained in Northern Siberia.
We follow Grzywaczewski and his crew along the Road of Death, we meet the
people who live there, we find out how history has left its mark on this place.
We float down one of the largest rivers in Siberia until we reach the town of
Turukhansk, where we find the Road of Death, and from there to Janov Stan –
an abandoned settlement situated directly on the Road of Death, where only
three people live at present – workers at a meteorological station. The author
finishes his tale in Igarka – the town where the Salekhard–Igarka Railway was
meant to end.
Life and Death on the Road of Death is a compelling journey, full of melancholy,
unforgettable images and encounters. This is powerful reportage that is sure to
delight not only travelers and all those who dream of journeys to the most
far-flung corners of the world, but also those fascinated by history. It is also
a testimony to the existence of places about which few are aware…
Target market
Readers of travel books, reportage; travelers, those interersted in extreme
journeys; readers interested in history.
221
Dorota Sumińska
Dorota Sumińska (b. 1957) – veterinary doctor with many years of practice,
animal psychologist by passion, host of popular radio and TV programs about
animals. Author of guide books and other books about animals, including
the bestselling Autobiography on Hind Paws (Autobiografia na czterech łapach),
An Animal in Bed (Zwierz w łóżku) and the novel The World According to Dog
(Świat według psa); co-author of the guide book How to Raise a Child, Dog, Cat
and Guy (Jak wychować dziecko, psa, kota i faceta).
222
Dorota Sumińska
Smile of the Gecko. Asia You Do Not
Know
Uśmiech gekona. Azja, jakiej nie znacie
Keynote
Asia in the eyes of a traveller, animal psychologist and writer – a true Jungle
Book of guide books!
Sales points
•Each new book by this author wins hearts of both her old and new readers.
Description
Pages: ca. 350
Category: Travel
A book full of passion and understanding towards Asia.
Dorota Sumińska has been for years in love with Asia, where she spends
holidays almost every year. There is no country, no interesting place she would
not have visited. She claims to have been everywhere. When she travels,
she most of all tries to get to know those least known, exotic animals and reach
the natural “paradises”, places where nature has remained largely intact.
The book is a subjective guide to Asia. Dorota Sumińska speaks of places
that are missing in tourist guides, of mysteries of nature that this fascinating
continent hides. She advises her readers where to go and which places to avoid.
The book is also full of stories about people, customs, about everything we need
to know when we make a trip to individual parts of the continent.
All this accompanied by anecdotes and practical tips.
Target market
Lovers of nature, travels, animals, Asia, readers of Dorota Sumińska; the book
is great as a gift, inspiring, helpful when planning a trip to Asia.
223
Barbara Włodarczyk
Barbara Włodarczyk (b. 1960) is a television journalist who has received many
awards. She graduated from the Journalism and Political Sciences Department of
Warsaw University. From 2004–2009 she was a TVP correspondent in Moscow,
and at present is a political commentator for TVP. In the Wide Rails series
she wrote over one hundred pieces of reportage devoted to the lives of the
inhabitants of the former USSR. The series received awards including the Grand
Press and The International Chicago Television Awards in the documentary film
categories.
Author photograph
© Janusz Wiechowski
224
Barbara Włodarczyk
There Is No One Russia
Nie ma jednej Rosji
Keynote
A wild panorama of Russia – a country of contrasts and paradoxes, melancholy
and madness, full of odd events and unusual protagonists.
Sales points
•A journalist who has received many awards.
•A book written on the basis of the famous Wide Rails television reportage series.
Description
Pages: 356
Category: Travel
A little-known and fascinating part of the „Russian soul” seen through the
eyes of Barbara Włodarczyk, a journalist much admired for her television
reportage on Russia.
In this book Russia goes well beyond Moscow and the glamor of the capital city.
The journalist peeks in on teenagers learning to shoot at the Moscow cadets’
school for girls, follows the story of a girl kidnapped in Dagestan, and in the
village of Nizhnyevasilyevka she meets a millionaire who had a sudden religious
conversion. The protagonists of her tales are seemingly average people, and yet
can be astonishing, much like the times they live in. Their trials are followed
with growing interest, and the Russian kaleidoscope only becomes more
fascinating as the perspectives multiply. Barbara Włodarczyk is a masterful
chronicler of human lives.
„I had already seen the brilliant television reportage, now I’m devouring the book:
There Is No One Russia.
The author managed to reach not only people for whom the word ‚democracy’ means
the anarchy of the Yeltsin days, a lack of social security and extreme poverty, but also
those who had an easy time of it in the new system. People who are reluctant to open
the door to strangers, all the more so when they see a camera.
Reading Barbara Włodarczyk’s book one gets the impression that the author knows
Russia inside-out, which is why there is neither xenophobia nor condescension.
A great read! Highly recommended.”
Jerzy Hoffman
225
„These are the portraits of a few people… But the portraits contain all of Russia – the
world’s largest country, browbeaten by authoritarianism, divided into over a dozen
planets. There is the planet of millionaire oligarchs, show–business and New-Yorkstyle glitter. There is also the planet of desperates, in the world’s largest pensioners’
home, and ‚głubinka,’ which is cut off from civilization. Włodarczyk masterfully
shows the mirage of planets that make up today’s Russia. And though she does not
write about politics, it appears nonetheless in the narratives of her protagonists –
Putin lovers, neo-fascists, and those hoping for a ‚Russia without Putin.’ Reading all
of these tales we form the conviction that there are many planets from Kaliningrad to
Siberia, and many Russias.”
Małgorzata Nocuń, Nowa Europa Wschodnia
„This is a fairly explosive patchwork full of contrasts. The journalist tracks down the
absurd, which is in no short supply in the former USSR; she describes a religious cult
that praises Vladimir Putin as an incarnation of Saint Paul, the Potemkin Village
of Mansurovo, which was changed beyond recognition before the visit of Dmitri
Medvedev, and rich people who get their kicks by pretending to be poor. She addresses
the adoration Russians feel for those more powerful than themselves, and their vast
need to demonstrate their power. Włodarczyk has made some brilliant expeditions
into the depths of the ‘Russian soul,’ described in an unpretentious fashion; they
speak more of Mother Russia than academic essays could. You won’t regret the time
spent.”
Hanna Rydlewska, Przekrój
Target market
Lovers of reportage, readers of non-fiction, those interested in the history and
day-to-day life of Russia
226
PO E T RY
Urszula Kozioł
Urszula Kozioł, born 1931, is one of the most outstanding living Polish poets.
Author of novels and plays, columnist, editor of a monthly Odra. In 2003
she received an honorary degree at the University of Wrocław. In 2005 and 2007
she was nominated for the Nike Literary Award.
AWARDS:
The Kościelski Award
Polish PEN Club Award
Eichendorff-Literaturpreis
WORKS:
Grave (Żalnik 1989)
The Great Pause (Wielka pauza 1996)
In liquid state (W płynnym stanie 1998)
Supplications (Supliki 2005)
In passing (Przelotem 2007)
Something horrible (Horrendum 2010)
227
PO E T RY
Urszula Kozioł
Clang
Klangor
Keynote
Threnodies after the death of the poet’s husband
Sales points
•New poems by one of the most remarkable Polish contemporary poets
•Huge literary event
•The poems received great reviews from Zygmunt Bauman
Description
Pages: 100
Category: Poetry
228
A new collection of poems – dramatic threnodies after the death of the poet’s
husband. The trauma of old age, the pain of passing away and the severity
of this thought. Masterly poetry showing the meaning of words and poems
as an important element linking the persona of those poems with the forces
of life. Meditative poetry of the greatest quality.
PO E T RY
Ewa Lipska
Ewa Lipska was born in 1945 in Krakow. She is one of the most celebrated
poets whose works stimulate the readers intellectually as well as are
considered to be widely accessible to general public. Her poems were first
published in Gazeta Krakowska while she was still in high school in 1961.
She is a member of Polish and Austrian PEN Club, the Polish Academy of Arts
and Sciences as well as a member – founder of The Association of Polish
Writers.She was an editor at the poetry department at Wydawnictwo
Literackie. She worked at the Polish embassy in Vienna and was a head
of the Polish Institute there. She currently lives and works in Krakow.
She has received up to date numerous literary awards and has participated
in many international festivals of poetry. Her poems are widely translated
and have appeared in over forty collections. Her recent volumes of verse
include Newton’s Orange (2007), Echo (2010) and Dear Ms Schubert (2012).
She published her first novel – Sefer – in 2009.
229
PO E T RY
Ewa Lipska
Dear Ms. Schubert
Droga pani Schubert
Pages: 64
Category: Poetry
230
The eponymous Ms. Schubert appeared for the first time in the II part
of Ludzie dla początkujących (People for Beginners). The latest book is a series
of twenty three “letters” addressed to “Dear Ms. Schubert” and – to quote
professor Marian Stala – “rather quasi-letters, letters-poems written in
prose, which are concise and highly metaphorical and whose leading theme
is the intangibility of the internal and external experience, a peculiar
distraction of time… Lipska’s poetical prose is as much replete with
meanings and as disturbing as her poems. It is impossible to grasp them
in one reading, they are worth returning to, thinking into them, looking
through their perspective at the world around. It has always been like this
with exquisite poetry.”
PO E T RY
Ewa Lipska
Echo
Pogłos
Keynote
The long-awaited return of one of Poland’s most celebrated poets.
Sales points
• A living classic of Polish literature, whose work only continues to mature.
• Poetry that is both intellectually rewarding and widely accessible.
Description
Pages: 56
Category: Poetry
In her native Poland, each new volume of Ewa Lipska’s poetry is a publishing
event, eagerly awaited by readers and critics alike. Echo, a slim volume of
eighteen poems interspersed with short prose-poems, has been no exception
to this rule. The prose poems are affectionate letters to Franz Schubert,
alternately filled with a longing and nostalgia for a simpler, more tranquil
reality, and expressing a desire for the tragic drama felt in opera. The poems
“proper” often deal with the subject of Lipska’s homeland, and the yearning
to gain some distance from it. As such, they are much more than reflections
on Polish identity; Lipska is wise enough to universalize her work to deal
with the connection between the individual and the national identity.
The other major theme of Echo concerns death, which appears in numerous
guises, whether a looming presence, or a dog left tied outside a shop,
muzzled but patiently waiting. As Professor Marian Stala has summed up:
“Ewa Lipska’s latest volume is the ever-revitalizing, intense poetry well
all know so well, the kind that demands repeated readings. The “echo” of
the title is a metaphor for the stubborn return of the past. It is an invitation
to think over your own life, to look at the space and the time of existence
once more, to look at oneself and at others.”
This is the Lipska I like. I’d advise all beginning poets [...] to start reading her
work.
Malgorzata I. Niemczynska, Gazeta Wyborcza
One of our most outstanding contemporary poets has made us wait a long time
for her new book. But it was well worth the wait. As usual, her wise and beautiful
poems delight with their profound reflections on passing, life and death, and love
– including love of one’s homeland.
Gala
Target market
Those looking for a confident, assured, and deeply intelligent voice in
contemporary poetry.
231
PO E T RY
Piotr Matywiecki
Piotr Matywiecki (b. 1943) is an eminent author of volumes of verse,
an essayist and a literary critic.
His collection of poems – Ta chmura powraca – was shortlisted for the Nike
Prize in 2006 and his biography of Julian Tuwim entitled Tuwim’s Face
was shortlisted for the same prize in 2008.It also received Nagroda Literacka
Gdynia in the essay category.
232
PO E T RY
Piotr Matywiecki
The Audience
Widownia
Keynote
Contemporary poetry for the discerning reader by a contemporary master
of the form.
Sales points
• Winner of the Silesius and the Gdynia awards, and nominee for the Nike and Gdynia
• A poet of the older generation in top form
Description
Pages: to come
Category: Poetry
Matywiecki’s poetry demands a great deal of concentration from the reader,
but the effort pays off in spades. The poet sets out on his project with a great
deal of focus; he is always distrustful of language, suspicious of philosophical
slogans and thought cliches. The “Audience” of the title can be taken
as metaphor for the situation the poet participates in. The paradoxes
that Matywiecki culls from language serve to show numerous ruptures in our
understanding of the world and ourselves, our understanding of history
and memory. The audience is a place where observers, including the poet
himself, are placed at the mercy of the ongoing spectacle – but also where
the poet can look to find someone to listen. Matywiecki here reaffirms
his reputation as one of Poland’s most thought-provoking and conscious
contemporary poets.
The Audience should be shelved with lyrical/meditative poetry, strongly tied
to the historical, existential, and artistic experience of the individual. This is a book
for all those in search of a book of profound thoughts and moving experiences.
These readers will appreciate how outstanding Piotr Matywiecki’s work is.
Marian Stala
Target market
Readers of challenging, ambitious contemporary poetry.
233
PO E T RY
Jarosław Mikołajewski
Jarosław Mikołajewski (b. 1960) — a poet, writer, and translator from
the Italian; he writes on literature and art. He is the author of six volumes
of poetry, as well as novels. His poems have been translated into Italian,
German, Hebrew, and Greek. He has won many prestigious award. He is also
a journalist at Gazeta Wyborcza.
AWARDS
Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna Poetry Award
Brother Albert Award
The Barbara Sadowska Literary Award
The New Poets’ Neighborhood Award
OTHER BOOKS FOR WL:
Tea for a Camel
A Sentimental Portrait of Ryszard Kapuściński
The Male Sense
234
PO E T RY
Broken Glasses
Zbite szklanki
Keynote
A master of poetry hits the mark with a minimum of words
Sales points
•One of Poland’s most praised contemporary poets
•Winner of many prestigious awards
•His poetry has been translated into many languages
Description
Pages: 92
Category: Poetry
A new volume of poetry by one of Poland’s most highly praised
contemporary poets.
“Your poems have found not only recognition in my eyes, but in me you have
a true lover of your poetry. What strikes me is the simplicity which is generally
achieved after many years of struggling, generally just prior to death. There is
a certain danger here of being too literal, but you – with the help of our God
Apollo – happily avoid this trap…”
Zbigniew Herbert to Jarosław Mikołajewski
“In terms of the density of emotion, Mikołajewski’s most recent volumes exceed
the work of all our other poets. Alongside the joy of life we find a premonition
of death – almost every poem runs through the entire gamut of moods,
from joyful vitality to despairing melancholy. This poet can be a magician,
an illusionist – he knows the power of fascination, he seduces.”
Piotr Matywiecki, poet and literary critic
Target market
Lovers of contemporary Polish poety.
235
PO E T RY
On the Inhalation
Na wdechu
Keynote
The latest volume of poetry from Jarosław Mikołajewski
Description
Mikołajewski is a lyricist by the grace of God. It cannot be overestimated that here
we have a poet with an original, immediate voice – in a time when most poems
are written by parodists who play with conventions, ironists, or “banalists.” If poetry
is indeed a “sign of the times,” then Mikołajewski’s works indicate that the need
for purity of emotions, perhaps even sentimentality, has not utterly vanished.
And more importantly, these works evoke and cultivate a similar sentimentality.
Amid today’s brutality this is an enormous advantage.
forthcoming
Pages: 44
Category: Poetry
Piotr Matywiecki
Target market
Lovers of contemporary Polish poetry.
236
PO E T RY
Halina Poświatowska (1935–1967) was a poet. She fell ill at a very young age,
and the result of her sicknesses was a serious and incurable heart defect. She
studied at Smith College in Northampton and at the Jagiellonian University. She
also had a scholarship in Paris. Her debut came in Gazeta Częstochowska, with
poems about love. She published many volumes of poetry, including Idolatrous
Hymn, The Present Day, Ode to Hands, and One More Recollection.
She wrote reflective love poetry, often delving into the themes of solitude and
death, with which she tried to cope.
237
PO E T RY
Complete Poems
Wiersze wszystkie
Keynote
This is the most complete collection of poetry by Halina Poświatowska – the
most read Polish poetess apart from Wisława Szymborska, and one who has
won the hearts of millions of readers.
Sales points
•A book by one of Poland’s most famous poetesses.
•Halina Poświatowska has been called the Polish Sappho.
•Editions of her books have sold several hundred thousand copies in Poland alone.
Publication date: numerous
editions
Pages: 652
Category: Poetry
Description
The most complete collection of poetry by Halina Poświatowska – the most read
Polish poetess apart from Wisława Szymborska, and one who has won the
hearts of millions of readers.
Halina Poświatowska is one of the most interesting Polish poetesses. She is the
ideal of feminine subtlety and literary sensitivity. Her love poetry is, above all,
sensual, brave, and lyrical. An incurable heart disease had a major effect on the
poet’s work, marking each of her poems with intensity, a love for life, and an
unquenchable desire to love, be loved, to survive and to experience. Until her
breath expired.
Complete Poems is the fullest collection of Poświatowska’s poetry in a single
volume, providing a remarkable chance to become acquainted with the whole
of her lyrical work.
“Poświatowska’s poetry is earthly, not heavenly, it is devoted, not sovereign. It feeds
upon earthly things, I believe it could not make do without them. There are poets
from whom one can subtract everything. But just try to subtract the love from
Poświatowska…”
Jerzy Kwiatkowski, poet
“Paradise for the eyes, a feast for the soul. We have a real collision of the epic with
the delicate euphoria of Romanticism. Sublime, with a scrupulous seriousness, the
smile fights its way onto the lips when it hears of love walking barefoot through the
snow.”
From a reader’s review, Merlin.pl
Target market
Readers of contemporary poetry, lovers of Halina Poświatowska’s work.
238
PO E T RY
Piotr Szewc
Piotr Szewc (b. 1961) is an outstanding prose writer and poet of the middle
generation, editor of Nowe Książki, and an influential figure in writers’ circles.
He has been nominated for the NIKE Award. He is also the author of two
important books devoted to Julian Stryjkowski: Salvaged in the East and Son of
a Priest. His debut novel, Annihilation, was translated into several foreign
languages, and published in Germany and the USA, among others.
239
PO E T RY
Piotr Szewc
Thin Glass
Cienka szyba
Keynote
A remarkable and personal testimonial to his hometown of Zamość,
and an intimate and poetic farewell to two of the people closest to the author
– his mother and grandmother.
Sales points
•The latest volume by one of the most outstanding Polish poets of the middle generation.
•A solid candidate for the most important poetry awards.
Description
Pages: 52
Category: Poetry
A melancholy and intimate volume by an outstanding poet, dealing with the
loss of those nearest to him and a changing city remembered from childhood
How does the world remembered from childhood change when one becomes an
adult? How is he affected by the death of two of the most important people
from that time – his mother and grandmother?
Ordinary, everyday life becomes, in the eyes of the poet, a spiderweb of
half‑recalled tastes, smells, sights, and voices. Suspended between worlds –
the present and the future, the city and the country, childhood and adulthood,
auto-reflexivity and extraversion – the poet stands guard over memory
and witnesses the vanishing of the world in which he was raised.
A powerful, personal tale of the inevitable passing of time and the loss of “what
is dearest” to us.
Target market
Lovers of good poetry
Readers of niche poetry journals
240
PO E T RY
Janusz Szuber
Janusz Szuber (b. 1947) – poet from Sanok known in Poland and outside of it,
author of numerous volumes and selections of poems. His pieces have been
translated into over a dozen languages. Member of the PEN Club of Polish
Writers’ Association. Holder of many literary awards, including Culture
Foundation Award and the Turzański Award. An artist well set in an
opinion‑making literary circle. His poetical book Entry in the land and mortgage
register (Wpis do ksiąg wieczystych) was shortlisted for the prestigious
J. Czechowicz Award (finalist).
Author photograph
© Władysław Szulc
241
PO E T RY
Janusz Szuber
This Time Clearly
Tym razem wyraźnie
Keynote
Szuber asks questions about identity and passing in a surprising, poetically
sublime collection, whose construction is reminiscent of Czesław Miłosz’s
cycles that use the “more spacious form.”
The author refers to Miłosz’s cycles
Sales points
•Outstanding modern Polish poet, appreciated in Poland and outside of it.
•Each new collection by this author if a literary event.
•Holder of many prestigious awards and honourable mentions.
Pages: 100
Category: Poetry
Description
New, surprising and thoughtfully constructed collection by the remarkable poet
Janusz Szuber
Highly-regarded Sanok poet offers something new to us – this time in
the collection we have various forms and styles intertwining, including many
oneiric themes, word plays, reminiscing and remembering details. There is also
a lot of delving into the matter of our “identity” in the passing time, a lot
of ingenious ekhprases or references to individual illustrations of Szuber’s
favourite artist, Leszek Rózga.
Target market
Modern poetry lovers, enthusiasts of reflective poetry.
242
PO E T RY
Adam Waga
Limping
Chromając
Sales points
•Top-shelf Polish poetry and artistic prose.
Description
An endearing volume of poetry by Adam Waga, in which philosophical
questions intermingle with pondering over one’s fate and flowing of time.
It draws on the literary tradition, the Bible and, together with this poetic
remembering about the loved ones and artists who are important for the
author, the whole volume forms a very personal expression of thought,
where the reflection on the meaning of life and death takes the centre stage.
Pages: 56
Category: Poetry
243
Target market
PO E T RY
Adam Waga
Obolus
Obol
Marian Pilot
Final Resolutions
Postanowienia końcowe
Sales points
•Top-shelf Polish poetry and artistic prose.
Description
Pages: 76
Category: Poetry
A reprint of a collection of poems by Klemens Górski (writing under the
pseudonym Adam Waga) with a short story by Marian Pilot, as a commentary
of sorts upon his friend’s poem “A Trifle,” addressing the motifs of time passing,
and of a boat.
Target market
244
List of Authors Available for Translation
245
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10.
13.
20.
23.
32.
33.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
11.
12.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
21.
22.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
34.
35.
Aleksandrowicz Julian, „Kartki z dziennika doktora Twardego”
Anderman Janusz, „Fotografie”
Anderman Janusz, „Gra na zwłokę”
Anderman Janusz „Łańcuch czystych serc”
Anderman Janusz, „Największy słoń na świecie”
Anderman Janusz, „Cały czas”
Axer Erwin, „Czwarte ćwiczenia pamięci”
Baniewicz Elżbieta, „Erwin Axer. Teatr słowa i myśli”
Bartoszewski Władysław, Rogulski Rafał & Rydel Jan, „O Niemcach
i Polakach”
Bauman Zygmunt, Obirek Stanisław, „O Bogu i człowieku: rozmowy”
Bereś Stanisław, Konwicki Tadeusz, „Pół wieku czyśćca”
Bikont Piotr, Makłowicz Robert, „Listy pieczętowane sosem, czyli
gdzie karmią najlepiej w Polsce”
Błoński Jan, „25 kawałków”
Błoński Jan, „Biedni Polacy patrzą na getto”
Błoński Jan, „Witkacy za zawsze”
Błoński Jan, „Wszystkie sztuki Sławomira Mrożka”
Błoński Jan, „Wybór pism” t. 1–3
Bocheński Jacek, „Kaprysy starszego pana”
Bolecki Włodzimierz, „Ciemna miłość. Szkice do portretu Gustawa
Herlinga-Grudzińskiego”
Bomba Jacek, Terakowska Dorota, „Być rodziną”, volume 1 and 2
Borkowska Grażyna, „Maria Dąbrowska i Jerzy Stempowski”
Borkowska Grażyna, „Nierozważna i nieromantyczna. O Halinie
Poświatowskiej”
Boy Tadeusz, „Słówka”, selected by H. Markiewicz
Bronner Irena, „Cykady nad Wisłą i Jordanem”
Brylewski Robert, „Kryzys w Babilonie. Autobiografia”
Burzyńska Anna, „Ostatnia miłość i inne kłopoty”
Chętkowski Dariusz, „L.d.d.w. – osierocona generacja”
Chętkowski Dariusz, „Z budy. Czy spuścić ucznia z łańcucha?”
Chrzanowski Tadeusz, „Kresy”
Chwalba Andrzej, „Samobójstwo Europy, czyli I wojna światowa”
Czapliński Przemysław, „Efekt bierności. Literatura w czasie
normalnym”
Czapliński Przemysław, Leciński Maciej, Szybowicz Eliza, Warkocki
Błażej, „Kalendarium życia literackiego 1976–2000”
Czapliński Przemysław, „Ślady przełomu”
Czapliński Przemysław, „Wzniosłe tęsknoty”
Ćwięk Henryk, „Rotmistrz Sosnowski”
246
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Dasko Henryk, „Dworzec gdański”
Długosz Leszek, „Dusza na ramieniu” (with a CD)
Długosz Leszek, „Piwnica idzie do góry”
Drotkiewicz Agnieszka, „Nieszpory”
Dudzińska Magda, Dudziński Andrzej, „Mały alfabet Magdy i Andrzeja
Dudzińskich”
Dudziński Andrzej, „Pokrak”
Dyduch Grzegorz, Świetlicki Marcin, „Katecheci i frustraci”
Dygat Stanisław, „Podróż”
Dygat Stanisław, „Rozmyślania przy goleniu”
Dygat-Dudzińska Magda, „Biedna pani Morris”
Dygat-Dudzińska Magda, „Kupić dym, sprzedać mgłę’”
Dygat-Dudzińska Magda, „Rozstania”
Elektorowicz Leszek, „Niektóre stronice. Wiersze wybrane”
Fabiański Marcin, „Drugi Rzym”
Ficowski Jerzy „Pantareja”
Ficowski Jerzy, „Zawczas z poniewczasem”
Filipiak Izabela, „Alma”
Filipowicz Kornel, „Cienie”
Fox Marta, „Kobieta zaklęta w kamień”
Fox Marta, „Zuzanna nie istnieje”
Franczak Jerzy, „Da capo”
Franczak Jerzy, „Nieludzka komedia”
Frankowska Karolina, „Zaczaruj mnie”
Gabryś Mirosław, „Zwłoki monterów idą w miasto”
Galewicz Włodzimierz, „Sokrates i Kirke”
Galewicz Włodzimierz, „Z Arystotelesem przez greckie tragedie”
Garbicz Adam, „Kino – wehikuł magiczny”
Glensk Urszula, „Proza wyzwolonej generacji”
Głombiowski Michał, „Wieczorem przyjdź na zócalo”
Głowiński Michał, „Autobiografia”
Głowiński Michał, „Czarne sezony”
Głowiński Michał, „Gombrowicz i nadliteratura”
Głowiński Michał, „Historia jednej topoli”
Głowiński Michał, „Magdalenka z razowego chleba”
Głowiński Michał, „Przywidzenia i figury”
Głowiński Michał, „Skrzydła i pięta”
Grochola Katarzyna, „Cud w eterze” (excluding World English rights)
Grochola Katarzyna, „Houston, mamy problem”
(excluding World English rights)
Grochola Katarzyna, Wiśniewski Andrzej, „Gry i zabawy małżeńskie
i pozamałżeńskie”
Grochola Katarzyna, „Kryształowy Anioł”
Grochola Katarzyna, Szelągowska Dorota, „Makatka”
(excluding Word English rights)
Grochola Katarzyna, „Podanie o miłość”
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Grochola Katarzyna, „Przegryźć dżdżownicę”
Grochola Katarzyna, „Trochę większy poniedziałek”
Grochola Katarzyna, „Trzepot skrzydeł”
Grochola Katarzyna, „Upoważnienie do szczęścia”
Grochola Katarzyna, „Zielone drzwi” (excluding World English rights)
Grochola Katarzyna, Wiśniewski Andrzej, „Związki i rozwiązki
miłosne”
Gross Natan, „Kim pan jest, panie Grymek”
Grzegorzewska Gaja, „Betonowy pałac”
Grupińska Anka, „Odczytanie Listy. Opowieść o powstańcach
żydowskich”
Górski Klemens, „Obol”
Grzywaczewski Tomasz, „Przez dziki wschód. 800 km śladami słynnej
ucieczki z gułagu”
Grzywaczewski Tomasz, „Życie i śmierć na Drodze Umarłych”
Gutowski Wojciech, „Z próżni nieba ku religii życia”
Harasymowicz Jerzy, „Późne lato”
Hartwig Julia, „Dzienniki”
Hen Józef, „Dziennika ciąg dalszy”
Hennelowa Józefa, „O Kościele”
Herling-Grudziński Gustaw, „Przewodnik po sobie samym”
Huberach Marek S., „Balsam długiego pożegnania”
Huberath Marek S., „Miasta pod Skałą”
Hubertah Marek S., „Vatran Auraio”
Janowska Katarzyna, Bomba Jacek, „Rozmowy o seksie i seksualności”
Jan Paweł II, „Autobiografia”
Jan Paweł II, „Elementarz Jana Pawła II, cz. I i II”
Janko Anna, „Dziewczynka z zapałkami” (excluding German rights)
Janko Anna, „Mała Zagłada”
Janko Anna, „Pasja według świętej Hanki” (excluding German rights”
Jarzębski Jerzy, „Wszechświat Lema”
Jastrun Mieczysław, „Dzienniki”
Jeromin-Gałuszka Grażyna, „Nie zostawiaj mnie”
Jurewicz Aleksander, „Dzień przed końcem świata”
Kaczmarek Ryszard, „Polacy w armii Kajzera”
Kaczmarek Ryszard, „Polacy w Wermachcie”
Kaczmarek Ryszard, „Powstania śląskie”
Kajdański Edward, „Medycyna chińska dla każdego”
Kamińska Anna, „Adoptowani”
Karpiński Daniel, „Fikcja”
Karpiński Krzysztof, „Był jazz. Krzyk jazz-bandu w międzywojennej
Polsce”
Karpowicz Ignacy, „Balladyny i romanse”
Karpowicz Ignacy, „Cud”
Karpowicz Ignacy, „Gesty”
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Karpowicz Ignacy, „Niehalo”
Karpowicz Ignacy, „Ości”
Karpowicz Ignacy, „Sońka”
Kasdepke Grzegorz, „Sprzedawca uśmiechów. Poradnik hodowcy
aniołów aniołów”
Kępiński Antoni, „Autoportret człowieka”
Kępiński Antoni, „Jak leczyć i poznawać człowieka”
Kępiński Antoni, „Lęk”
Kępiński Antoni, „Podstawowe zagadnienia współczesnej psychiatrii”
Kępiński Antoni, „Poznanie chorego”
Kępiński Antoni, „Psychopatie”
Kępiński Antoni, „Psychopatologia nerwic”
Kępiński Antoni, „Rytm życia”
Kępiński Antoni, „Schizofrenia”
Kępiński Antoni, „Z psychopatologii życia seksualnego”
Kern Ludwik Jerzy, „Abecadłowo”
Kern Ludwik Jerzy, „Cztery łapy”
Kern Ludwik Jerzy, „Dyskretne podglądanie rodaków”
Kern Ludwik Jerzy, „Ferdynand Wspaniały”
Kern Ludwik Jerzy, „Imiona nadwiślańskie”
Kern Ludwik Jerzy, „Litery cztery
Kern Ludwik Jerzy, „Zbudź się, Ferdynandzie”
Klejnocki Jarosław, „Opcje na śmierć”
Klejnocki Jarosław, „Południk 21”
Kłoczowski Jan Andrzej, Badeni Joachim, Jan Strzałka, Artur Sporniak,
„Boskie oko”
Kobza Piotr, „Polskie rekolekcje”
Koehler Krzysztof, „Trzecia część”
Komar Michał, Petelicki Stanisław, „Generał Grom”
Komendołowicz Iza, „Elka”
Kopka Bogusław, „Gułag nad Wisłą”
Kornat Marek, Wołos Mariusz, „Józef Beck. Biografia”
Kornhauser Julian, „Księżyc jak mandarynka”
Kornhauser Julian, „Poezja i codzienność”
Kornhauser Julian, „Uśmiech Sfinksa. O poezji Zbigniewa Herberta”
Kott Jan, „Szekspir współczesny”
Kott Jan, „Szekspir współczesny 2”
Kowal Paweł, „Pomiędzy Majdanem a Smoleńskiem. Rozmawiają
Paweł Legutko i Dobrosław
Rodziewicz”
Kowalewski Włodzimierz, „Ludzie moralni”
Kozioł Urszula, „Deseń”
Kozioł Urszula, „Supliki”
Krajewski Kazimierz, „Armia Krajowa na Wschodzie”
Kraskowska Ewa, „Siostry Brönte”
Krakowiak – Kondracka Agnieszka, „Jajko z niespodzianką”
Krenz Katarzyna, „Lekcja tańca”
Krenz Katarzyna, „Podróż”
Krupiński Wacław, „Głowy piwniczne”
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Kruszyński Zbigniew, „Ostatni raport”
Kruszyński Zbigniew, „Powrót Aleksandra”
Kruszyński Zbigniew, „Szkice historyczne”
Kubica-Heller Grażyna, „Siostry Malinowskiego”
Kuryluk Ewa, „Frascati” (excluding English rights)
Kuryluk Ewa, „Goldi”
Kwiatkowski Tadeusz, „Lunapark”
Kydryński Lucjan, „Kroniki rodzinne”
Legutko Piotr (ed.), „Rozmowy o dorastaniu”
Legutko Piotr, Rodziewicz Dobrosław, „Mity czwartej władzy”
Leociak Jacek, „O ratujących z Zagłady”
Ligęza Wojciech, „O poezji Wisławy Szymborskiej. Świat w stanie
korekty”
Lipska Ewa, „1999”
Lipska Ewa, „Droga pani Schubert”
Lipska Ewa, „Gdzie Indziej”
Lipska Ewa, „Ja”
Lipska Ewa, „Pogłos”
Lipska Ewa, „Pomarańcza Newtona”
Lipska Ewa, „Sefer”
Lipska Ewa, „Sklepy zoologiczne”
Lipska Ewa, „Uwaga: stopień”
Lisowski Krzysztof, „Feng shui dla bezdomnych”
Lupa Krystian, Matkowska-Święs Beata, „Podróż do Nieuchwytnego”
Lupa Krystian, „Utopia 2. Penetracje”
Łopuszański Piotr, „Leśmianowie”
Madej Bogdan, „Abonament”
Madej Bogdan, „Maść na szczury”
Madej Bogdan, „Piękne kalalie”
Madeyska Ewa, „Katoniela”
Maicher Katarzyna, Persymona
Majewski Lech, „Metafizyka”
Makowski Jarosław (ed.), „Dziesięć ważnych słów”
Maleńczuk Maciej, „Chamstwo w państwie”
Małecki Jan, „Historia Krakowa”
Margański Janusz, „Geografia pragnień. Opowieść o Gombrowiczu”
Markiewicz Henryk, „Cytaty mądre i zabawne”
Markiewicz Henryk, „Jeszcze dopowiedzenia”
Markiewicz Henryk, „Mój życiorys polonistyczny z historią w tle”
Markiewicz Henryk, Romanowski Andrzej, „Skrzydlate słowa”
Markowski Michał Paweł, „Anatomia ciekawości”
Markowski Michał Paweł, „Czarny nurt. Gombrowicz, świat,
literatura”
Masłowska Dorota, „Jak zostałam wiedźmą”
Masłowska Dorota, Drotkiewicz Agnieszka, „Dusza światowa”
Masłoń Krzysztof, „Lekcja historii najnowszej”
Maślanka Mariusz, „Jutro będzie lepiej”
Mateja Anna, „Cud w medycynie”
Mateja Anna, „Cud w medycynie – historie pacjentów”
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Matkowska-Święs Beata, „Krakowskie gadanie”
Matywiecki Piotr, „Powietrze i cień”
Matywiecki Piotr, „Ta chmura powraca”
Matywiecki Piotr, „Widownia”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Gra o Ferrin”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Powrót do Ferrinu”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Wojna o Ferrin”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Pani Ferrinu”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Lato w Jagódce”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Powrót do Poziomki”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Rok w Poziomce”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Wiśniowy dworek”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Dla ciebie wszystko”
Michalska Francesca, „Cała radość życia”
Michałowska Danuta, „Pamięć nie zawsze święta. Wspomnienia”
Miecznicka Magdalena, „Cudowna kariera Magdy M”
Miecznicka Magdalena, „Złość”
Mikołajewski Jarosław, „Herbata dla wielbłąda”
Mikołajewski Jarosław, „Męski zmysł”
Mikołajewski Jarosław, „ Na wdechu”
Mikołajewski Jarosław, „Zbite szklanki”
Mikrut Grzegorz, Wiktor Krzysztof, „Sekty za zamkniętymi drzwiami”
Miłaszewski Stanisław, „Poezje”
Mitosek Zofia, „Pelargonie”
„Mrożek w odsłonach. 39 opowieści z różnych miejsc i czasów”,
ed. by Magdalena Miecznicka
Moczulski Leszek Aleksander, „Jej nigdy za późno”
Motyka Grzegorz, „Od rzezi wołyńskiej do akcji «Wisła». Konflikt
polsko–ukraiński 1943–1947”
Mrożek Sławomir, Tarn Andrzej, „Listy”
Musiał Stanisław, „Dwanaście koszy ułomków”
Musiał Stanisław, „Czarne jest czarne”
Komendołowicz Iza, „Elka. Wspomnienie o Elżbiecie Czyżewskiej”
Nasiłowska Anna, „Czteroletnia filozofka”
Nasiłowska Anna, „Jean Paul Sartre i Simone de Beauvoir”
Niemczuk Jerzy, „Bat na koty”
Nowak Andrzej, „Zapomniany appeasement”
Nowak Ewa, „Bransoletka”
Nowak Katarzyna, „Kasika Mowka”
Nowak Katarzyna T., „Moja mama czarownica. Opowieść o Dorocie
Terakowskiej”
Nyczek Tadeusz, „Kos. O poezji Adama Zagajewskiego”
Odija Daniel, „Niech to nie będzie sen”
Olejnik Agnieszka, „Zabłądziłam”
OleśOwczarkowa Teresa, „Rauska”
Olszewski Michał, „Low tech”
Orbitowski Łukasz, „Nadchodzi”
Orbitowski Łukasz, „Święty Wrocław”
Orbitowski Łukasz, „Tracę ciepło”
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Orłoś Kazimierz, „Bez Ciebie nie mogę żyć”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Dom pod Lutnią”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Drewniane mosty”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Historia leśnych kochanków i inne opowiadania”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Opowieść mazurska”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Wspomnienia rodzinne”
Ostaszewski Robert, „Dola idola i inne bajki z raju konsumenta”
Orwid Maria, „Przeżyć… I co dalej?”
Orwid Maria „Trauma”
Paczkowski Andrzej, „Droga do mniejszego zła”
Penderecki Krzysztof, „Pendereccy. Saga rodzinna”
Pankiewicz Tadeusz, „Apteka w getcie krakowskim”
Peiper Tadeusz, „Wśród ludzi na scenach”
Pepłoński Andrzej, „Wojna o tajemnice. W tajnej służbie Drugiej
Rzeczpospolitej 1918–1944”
Petelicki Sławomir, Michał Komar, „GROM: Siła i honor”
Pilch Jerzy, „Bezpowrotnie utracona leworęczność”
Pilch Jerzy, „Rozpacz z powodu utraty furmanki”
Pilch Jerzy, „Spis cudzołożnic”
Pilch Jerzy, „Tezy o głupocie, piciu i umieraniu”
Pilch Jerzy, „Tysiąc spokojnych miast”
Pilch Jerzy, „Upadek człowieka pod Dworcem Centralnym”
Pilch Jerzy, „Wyznania twórcy pokątnej literatury erotycznej”
Pilch Jerzy, „Zuza albo czas oddalenia”
Pilot Marian, „Nowy Matecznik”
Pilot Marian, „Osobnik”
Pilot Marian, „Pantałyk”
Pilot Marian, „Pióropusz”
Piskorski Krzysztof, „Cienioryt”
Piskorski Krzysztof, „Wolta”
Podraza-Kwiatkowska Maria, „Wolność i transcendencja”
Porębski Mieczysław, „Krytycy i sztuka”
Porębski Mieczysław, „Nowosielski”
Porębski Mieczysław, „Polskość jako sytuacja”
Porębski Mieczysław, „Spotkanie z Ablem”
Porębski Mieczysław, „Wakacje Sinobrodego”
Polkowski Jan, „Elegie z Tymowskich Gór”
Poświatowska Halina, „Opowieść dla przyjaciela”
Poświatowska Halina, „Wiersze wszystkie”
Protasiuk Michał, „Święto rewolucji”
Praca Zbiorowa, „Kalendarium dziejów Polski”
Przygodzki Błażej, „Z chirurgiczna precyzją”
Przygodzki Błażej, „Szczera prawda”
Pszoniak Wojciech, Komar Michał, „Rozmowy”
Purchla Jacek, „Przewodnik po architekturze Krakowa”
Pyrkosz Witold, Grużewska Anna, Komendołowicz Iza,
„Podwójnieurodzony”
Rogowski Sławomir, „Zima stulecia”
Rolicz-Lieder Wacław, „Wybór poezji”
252
305.
314.
334.
341.
306.
307.
308.
309.
310.
311.
312.
313.
315.
316.
317.
318.
319.
320.
321.
322.
323.
324.
325.
326.
327.
328.
329.
330.
331.
332.
333.
335.
336.
337.
338.
339.
340.
342.
343.
344.
345.
346.
347.
348.
349.
350.
Romanowski Wiesław, „Śmierć we Lwowie”
Romanowski Wiesław, „Ukraina. Przystanek wolność”
Ronikier Adam, „Pamiętniki”
Ronikier Joanna, „Piotr”
Różewicz Tadeusz, „Duszyczka”
Sadaj Ryszard, „Terapia Pauliny T.”
Sapieżyna Maria ze Zdzichowskich, „Moje życie, mój czas”
Sapieżyna Matylda, „My i nasze Siedliska”
Słomczyńska-Pierzchalska Małgorzata, „Nie mogłem być inny. Zagadka
Macieja Słomczyńskiego”
Sobolewska Anna, „Maski Pana Boga”
Sosnowski Jerzy, „Ach!”
Sosnowski Jerzy, „Instalacja Idziego”
Sosnowski Jerzy, „Spotakamy się w Honolulu”
Sowa Andrzej Leon, „Historia polityczna Polski 1944–1991”
Spodaryk Mikolaj, Gabrowska Elżbieta, „Wiem, co je moje dziecko”
Stala Marian, „Przeszukiwanie czasu”
Staniszkis Jadwiga, „O władzy i bezsilności”
Staniszkis Jadwiga, Cieślar Artur, „Wschód i zachód. Spotkania”
Stańko Tomasz, Księżyk Rafał, „Desperado! Autobiografia”
Stawiarska Agnieszka, „Przedwojenny Gombrowicz”
Stefko Jolanta, „Ja nikogo nie lubię oprócz siebie”
Stefko Jolanta, „Kolorowe wiersze”
Stefko Jolanta, „Omnis moriar”
Stefko Jolanta, „Pół książki o kocie, pół książki o psie”
Stefko Jolanta, „Wódociąg”
Stephan Halina, „Życie w przekładzie”
Stryczek Jacek ks., „FaceBóg”
Strzałka Jan, „O psach, kotach i aniołach”
Strzałka Jan, Sporniak Artur, „Autobiografia – rozmowy z ojcem
Badenim”
Stuhr Jerzy, „Stuhrowie. Historie rodzinne”
Stuhr Jerzy, „Tak sobie myślę”
Stuhr Marianna, Stuhr Jerzy, „Kacperek w bibliotece”
Sumińska Dorota, „Autobiografia na czterech łapach”
Sumińska Dorota, „Dalej na czterech łapach”
Sumińska Dorota, „Jak jeż Jerzy został ojcem”
Sumińska Dorota, Krzywicka Dorota, „Jak żyć w zgodzie z większymi
i mniejszymi domownikami. Rozmawia Irena A. Stanisławska”
Sumińska Dorota, „Świat według psa”
Sumińska Dorota, „Zwierz w łóżku”
Sumińska Dorota, „Zwykłe, niezwykłe życie”
Szatkowska Anna, „Był dom … Wspomnienia”
Szewc Piotr, „Całkiem prywatnie”
Szewc Piotr, „Cienka szyba”
Szczawiński Wojciech, „Myśli przy końcu drogi”
Szczepański Jan Józef, „Przed Nieznanym Trybunałem”
Szczepański Jan Józef, „Rozłogi”
Szczepkowska Joanna, „Fragmenty z życia lustra”
253
351.
358.
369.
390.
352.
353.
354.
355.
356.
357.
359.
360.
361.
362.
363.
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380.
381.
382.
383.
384.
385.
386.
387.
388.
389.
391.
392.
393.
394.
395.
396.
Szczepkowska Joanna, „Sześć minut przed czasem”
Szczepkowska Joanna, „Goła baba”
Szewc Piotr, „Bociany nad powiatem”
Szewc Piotr, „Pajęczyna”
Szewc Piotr, „Zmierzchy i poranki”
Szlosarek Artur, „Wiersze powtórzone”
Sztaudynger Jan, SztaudyngerKaliszewiczowi Anna, „Chwalipięta,
czyli rozmowy z Tatą”
Sztaudynger Jan, „Piórka”
Sztaudynger Jan, „Puch ostu”
Sztaudynger Jan, „Szczęście z datą wczorajszą”
Szuber Janusz, „Tym razem wyraźnie”
Szuber Janusz, „Wpis do ksiąg wieczystych”
Szymańska Adriana, „In terra”
Szymborska Wisława, „Lektury nadobowiązkowe”
ŚwidaZiemba Hanna, „Młodzież PRL-u. Portrety pokoleń”
Świda-Ziemba Hanna, „Młodzi w nowym świecie”
Świda-Ziemba Hanna, „Urwany lot”
Terakowska Dorota, „Być rodziną, czyli jak zmieniamy się przez całe
życie”
Terakowska Dorota, „Córka czarownic”
Terakowska Dorota, „Dobry adres to człowiek”
Terakowska Dorota, „Lustro pana Grymsa”
Terakowska Dorota, „Muzeum Rzeczy Nieistniejących”
Terakowska Dorota, „Ono”
Terakowska Dorota, „Poczwarka”
Terakowska Dorota, „Samotność Bogów”
Terakowska Dorota, „Tam gdzie spadają Anioły”
Terakowska Dorota, „W krainie Kota”
Terakowska Dorota, „Władca Lewawu”
Terlecki Ryszard, „Profesorzy UJ w aktach SB”
Terlecki Ryszard, „Historia służb specjalnych PRL-u”
Tomaszewska Anna, „Wiersze do czytania”
Tomaszewski Mieczysław, „Fryderyk Chopin i George Sand”
Tymański Tymon, Księżyk Rafał, „Biografia Tymona Tymańskiego”
Twardoch Szczepan, „Drach” (excluding French rights)
Twardoch Szczepan, „Morfina”
Twardoch Szczepan, „Wieczny Grunwald” (excluding French rights)
Twardowski Jan, „Abecadło ks. Jana Twardowskiego”
Twardowski Jan, „Autobiografia”, ed. A. Iwanowska
Twardowski Jan, „Elementarz księdza Twardowskiego dla
najmłodszego, średniaka i starszego”,
Ed. A. Iwanowska
Waga Adam, „Chromając”
Waga Adam, „Obol”/ Pilot Marian „Postanowienia końcowe”
Walas Teresa, „Zrozumieć swój czas”
Wałęsa Danuta, „Marzenia i tajemnice”
Waniek Henryk, „Sprawa Newtona”
Wencel Wojciech, „Ziemia Święta”
254
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408.
420.
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433.
398.
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416.
417.
418.
419.
421.
422.
423.
424.
425.
427.
428.
429.
430.
431.
432.
434.
Wilk Paulina, „Znaki szczególne”
Winklowa Barbara, „Wanda i Narcyza”
Wiśniewski Janusz L., „Czy mężczyźni są światu potrzebni”
Wiśniewski Janusz L. „Intymna Teoria Względności”
Wiśniewski, Janusz L., „Moja bliskość największa”
Wiśniewski Janusz L., „Molekuły emocji”
Wiśniewski Janusz L., „Sceny z życia za ścianą”
Wiśniewski Janusz L., „Ukrwienia”
Włodarczyk Barbara, „Nie ma jednej Rosji”
Włodek Ludwika, „Pra”
Wołos Mariusz, „O Piłsudskim, Dmowskim i zamachu majowym.
Dyplomacja sowiecka wobec Polski w okresie kryzysu politycznego
1925 – 1926”
Wołos Mariusz, Kornat Marek, „Biografia Becka” (working title)
Woydyłło Ewa, „Buty szczęścia”
Woydyłło Ewa, „O depresji”
Woydyłło Ewa, „Podnieś głowę”
Woydyłło Ewa, „Szczęśliwe życie”
Woydyłło Ewa, „Z zgodzie ze sobą”
Woźniak Maciej, „Iluzjon”
Woleński Jan, „Granice niewiary”
Wyka Marta, „Autobiografia”
Wyka Kazmierz, „Wśród poetów”
Wysocki Radek, „Human Tuman”
Zając Andrzej, „Elementarz świętego Franciszka dla wszystkich,
którzy mieszkają na całym świecie”
Zaleski Marek, „Zamiast. O twórczości Czesława Miłosza”
Zblewski Zbigniew „Wolność i Niezawisłość”
Zechenter-Spławińska Elżbieta, „Pod gwiaździstym niebem”
Zettinger Piotr, „Nietutejszy”
Ziemny Aleksander, „Późne sonety”
Zimmerer Katarzyna, „Zamordowany świat. Losy Żydów w Krakowie
1939–1945”
Zimmerer Katarzyna, Orwid Maria, „Nie wszystko opowiem”
Zoll Andrzej, „Saga rodzinna”
Żabińska Antonina, Borsunio”
Żabińska Antonina, „Dżolly i Ska”
Żabińska Antonina, „Ludzie i zwierzęta”
Żabińska Antonina, „Rysice”
Życiński Józef, „Elementarz księdza Życińskiego dla biskupa
i świeckiego”
Życiński Józef, „Odyseusz czy playboy? Życiowa odyseja człowieka”
Życiński Józef, „Wiara wątpiących”

The Frankfurt Book Fair 2014

Transcription

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