Frankfurt Book Fair 2013

Transcription

A
Frankfurt Book Fair 2013
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
Secretary Beata Krupa
e-mail: sekretariat@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
2013
Rights Catalogue 2012
Wydawnictwo Literackie
www.wydawnictwoliterackie.pl
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Contents
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About Wydawnictwo Literackie
FICTION
Contemporary Fiction
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Anderman Janusz – All the Time
Anderman Janusz – That’s All
Anderman Janusz – The Chain of Pure Hearts
Franczak Jerzy – Da capo
Franczak Jerzy – The Inhuman Comedy
Grzegorzewska Gaja – The Return
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
Kobza Piotr – Polish Retreat
Kowalewski Włodzimierz – Moral People
Maicher Katarzyna – Persimmon
Miecznicka Magdalena – Fury
Miecznicka Magdalena – The Marvelous Career of Magda M.
Orłoś Kazimierz – The Forest Lovers’ Tale and Other Stories
Orłoś Kazimierz – The House under the Sign of the Lute
Orłoś Kazimierz – I Can’t Live Without You
Pilch Jerzy
Pilot Marian – Character
Pilot Marian – Plume
Pilot Marian – Vim
Pilot Marian – The New Wilderness
Przygodzki Błażej – With Surgical Precision
Twardoch Szczepan – Eternal Grunwald
Twardoch Szczepan – Morphine
Twardoch Szczepan – The Land of the Quads
Women’s Fiction
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Fox Marta – Zuzanna Doesn’t Exist
Grochola Katarzyna – The Crystal Angel
Grochola Katarzyna – The Flutter of Wings
Grochola Katarzyna – The Green Door
Grochola Katarzyna – Houston, We Have a Problem
Grochola Katarzyna – A Slightly Bigger Monday
Jeromin-Gałuszka Grażyna – Don’t Leave Me
75 Michalak Katarzyna – The Cherry Manor
76 Michalak Katarzyna – Return to Poziomka
77 Michalak Katarzyna – Summer in Jagódka
78 Michalak Katarzyna – A Year in Poziomka
79 Michalak Katarzyna – In the Name of Love
81 Michalak Katarzyna – The Ferrin Game
82 Michalak Katarzyna – Return to Ferrin
83 Michalak Katarzyna – The Heart of Ferrin
84 Michalak Katarzyna – The War of Ferrin
85 Michalak Katarzyna – Miss Ferrin
88 Wiśniewski Janusz – Blood Flow
89 Wiśniewski Janusz – My Greatest Intimacy
90 Wiśniewski Janusz – Scenes from the Life through the Wall
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Young Adult Fiction
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Nowak Ewa – Bracelet
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
Orbitowski Łukasz – It’s Coming
103 Orbitowski Łukasz – Phantoms
105 Piskorski Krzysztof – The Chiaroscuro Chronicles
107 Protasiuk Michał – Revolution Day
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NON-FICTION
History
Ćwięk Henryk – Captain Sosnowski
111 Kaczmarek Ryszard – Poles in the Wermacht
113 Kaczmarek Ryszard – Poles in the Kaiser’s Army During World War
One
115 Kopka Bogusław – A Gulag on the Vistula. On Labor Camps in Poland
117 Kowal Paweł – Between Majdan and Smoleńsk. Interviewers:
Paweł Legutko and Dobrosław Rodziewicz
120 Motyka Grzegorz – From the Volhynia Massacre to Operation Vistula.
Polish-Ukrainian Conflicts 1943–1947
121 Motyka Grzegorz – The Hunt is on for the White Poles… The Battle
Between the NKVD (Soviet Secret Service) and the Polish Underground,
1944–1953
123 Pepłoński Andrzej – War for Hidden Causes. In the Second Polish
Republic’s Secret Service, 1918–1945
125 Petelicki Sławomir, Komar Michał– GROM: Power and Honour
127 Sowa Andrzej Leon – A Political History of Poland 1944–1991
129 Wołos Mariusz – Of Piłsudski, Dmowski, and the May Coup: Soviet
Diplomacy toward Poland during the 1925–1926 Political Crisis
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Biography – Autobiography – Memoirs
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Baniewicz Elżbieta – Erwin Axer. The Theatre of Words and Thoughts
Robert Brylewski, Rafał Księżyk – Crisis in Babylon
Głowiński Michał – Autobiography
139 Grochola Katarzyna, Szelągowska Dorota – Tapestry
141 Hartwig Julia – Diaries
143 Komendołowicz Iza – Elka. Recollections about Elżbieta Czyżewska
145 Kuryluk Ewa – Frascati
146 Kuryluk Ewa – Goldi
149 Masłowska Dorota, Drotkiewicz Dorota – The World Soul
152 Michalska Francesca – All the Joy of Living
154 Pankiewicz Tadeusz – The Pharmacy in the Krakow Ghetto
156 Staniszkis Jadwiga, Cieślar Artur – East and West. An Encounter
158 Stańko Tomasz, Księżyk Rafał – Desperado
161 Stuhr Jerzy – The Stuhrs. A Family History
162 Stuhr Jerzy – That’s What I Think…
165 Sumińska Dorota – Animal in the Bedroom
166 Sumińska Dorota – Still on Four Paws
169 Tymański Tymon, Księżyk Rafał – A Biography of Tymon Tymański
171 Wałęsa Danuta, ed. Adamowicz Piotr – Dreams and Secrets
173 Włodek Ludwika – A Tale of the Iwaszkiewicz Family
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Religion
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Bauman Zygmunt, Obirek Stanisław – Of God and Man: Conversations
Stryczek Jacek – The FaceGod Project
Self-Help
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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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Głombiowski – Come to Zocalo in the Evening
191 Grzywaczewski Tomasz – Through the Wild East
194 Włodarczyk Barbara – There Is No One Russia
POETRY
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Ewa Lipska – Dear Ms. Schubert
Ewa Lipska – Echo
Matywiecki Piotr – The Audience
Mikołajewski Jarosław – Broken Glasses
Mikołajewski Jarosław – On the Inhalation
Waga Adam – Limping
Waga Adam – Obolus (Pilot Marian – Final Resolutions)
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LIST OF AUTHORS AVAILABLE FOR TRANSLATION
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About Wydawnictwo Literackie
For 60 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 (this year we are celebrating our 60th anniversary!),
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, Marek S. Huberath,
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, Katarzyna T. Nowak,
Agnieszka Pilaszewska, Janusz L. Wiśniewski, Dorota Terakowska
HISTORIANS
Andrzej Andrusiewicz, Henryk Batowski, Czesław Brzoza, Andrzej Chwalba,
Henryk Ćwięk, Ryszard Kaczmarek, Kazimierz Krajewski, Jan M. Małecki,
Mariusz Markiewicz, Grzegorz Motyka, 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, Walter Benjamin,
Hans Georg Berg, Thomas Bernhard, Jorge Luis Borges, Michael Brooks,
Emmanuel Carrere, 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, William Golding,
Tim Harford, Venedict Yerofeyev, Hedi Kaddour, Asa Larsson, Doris Lessing,
Primo Levi, Jonathan Littell, Armistead Maupin, Cormac McCarthy,
Alice Munro, Orhan Pamuk, Wiktor Pielewin, Sylvia Plath, Thomas Pynchon,
Atiq Rahimi, Philippe Segur, Elif Shafak, Ian Stewart, Jurgen Thorvald,
Mika Waltari, Virginia Woolf, Lucy Maud Montgomery
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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
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FI C T I O N
Jerzy Franczak
Jerzy Franczak (b. 1978) — prose-writer, poet, literary scholar and critic,
and academic teacher. The author of novels, short-story collections
and essays, including: Three Histories (2001), Murmurings (2004), Algae,
Calques and Gear Racks (2004), a collection of essays called Gravitations (2007)
and a novel, The Changing Room (2008). He has also written two books
on contemporary literature: On Unreality. Sartre — Gombrowicz —
Nabokov (2002) and In Search of Reality. The World View of Polish Modernist
Prose (2007).
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Winner of the Stanisław Grochowiak Award (1999).
Winner of the Stanisław Czycz Award (2000).
Winner of the Premio Tivoli Award (2001).
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS
Italian, French, German, English, Czech.
BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR PUBLISHED BY WYDAWNICTWO
LITERACKIE
Novels
The Inhuman Comedy (2009)
Da Capo (2010)
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FI C T I O N
Jerzy Franczak
Da Capo
Da Capo
Keynote
A young author with a wealth of books and a substantial following,
addressing problems of modern-day youth
Sales points
•A rugged, gritty take on youth culture and corporate indoctrination in trendy Krakow
•Savvy and street-smart, but also a book with a heart, unafraid to tackle difficult family
dynamics
•Franczak has already been translated into several languages, including, English,
German and French
Publication date: 2010
Pages: 256
Category:
Rights sold: Slovenia
(KUD Police Dubove)
Description
Is Da Capo a rollicking adventure in the spirit of Roman Polanski’s Frantic,
replete with a young femme fatale and a man with nothing left to lose?
Is it an unflinching examination of dysfunctional family relationships
(both with one’s parents and with one’s wife and child) and a valiant
attempt to salvage something from them? An inside look at the seedy
underbelly of Krakow’s bars and night life? A lesson in how to get fired
from your corporate office job? Well, it’s all of these things, obviously, as
well as a sequel to Franczak’s previous Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishers
success, The Inhuman Comedy — the new novel’s protagonist is the brother
of the previous one’s. Franczak’s great achievement here is to have not sat
content with writing a gripping novel that young people will identify with.
He has upped the stakes by also making this a novel that takes emotional
risks, and demonstrates a universal comprehension of human interaction
way beyond his years.
Target market
For young people — does a good job addressing itself to those up on
the latest fashions.
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FI C T I O N
Jerzy Franczak
The Inhuman Comedy
Nieludzka komedia
Keynote
Written with spleen, full of black humor, this is an intellectually refined tale
of the horrors of daily life and modern crime.
Sales points
•One of Poland’s most promising young writers.
•Winner of many prestigious literary awards and scholarships.
•Recipient of many scholarships (from the Minister of National Education, the City
of Krakow, ‘Polityka’ Weekly, and the Foundation for Polish Education).
Pages: 168
Category:
Description
The Inhuman Comedy is on the surface a humorous tale, light and breezy,
though somewhat unpleasant. It is being told by one Emil Król, a writer
manqué, a frustrated teacher and an unlucky lover. His stories of his
family, his travels and his work are filled with venomous humor and
bitter irony. By the reader’s smile vanishes from his mouth when this
kind skeptic commits a bestial murder, killing his lover, the mother-to-be
of his child, and then chops up her body… Locked in prison, he describes
his life and eavesdrops on the media furor gathering around his crime.
Without sacrificing a touch of its wit, Franczak’s novel ultimately reveals
its Dantesque dimensions and changes into a meditation on contemporary
evil, both intangible and stripped of its essence.
The Inhuman Comedy is one of the finest examples of ‘young writers’ I’ve
come across lately. Perfection of craft and knowledge of literature are visible on
every page. Franczak’s novel is a sophisticated, erudite game – the very title
contains clear allusions to Dante’s Divine Comedy and Balzac’s Human Comedy
(the former work serves the author in discussing the nature of contemporary
evil, and he skillfully reflects the latter in the satirical way he portrays the misery
of our daily activities) — but this is just the beginning.
Patrycja Pustkowiak, “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna”
Jerzy Franczak is without a doubt one of the most interesting figures among
today’s young Polish writers.
Leszek Bugajski, “Newsweek”
Target market
Lovers of contemporary literature, multi-layered psychological prose,
and novels about our surroundings.
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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 Return
Powrót
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
Date of publication: Spring 2014
Pages: 300
Category: 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 was born in 1976. He is a writer (Niehalo, Miracle,
The Emperor’s New Flower), and a translator from English, Spanish
and Amhar. He is a traveler whose destinations have included Central
America and East Africa, and who has lived in Costa Rica and Ethiopia.
He is currently working on his new novel about the intricate nature
of relationships and a question of identity.
OUTSTANDING AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Nomination for the “Polityka” Passport for Niehalo
„Polityka” Passport for Balladynas and Romances
Nomination for the NIKE Award for Gestures
Nominated for the NIKE Award for Balladynas and Romances
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)
Sonka (forthcoming)
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
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
•Twice 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: 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)
27
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,
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
FI C T I O N
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
•Twice nominated for the prestigious NIKE Literary Award
•Winner of the Polityka Passport in 2012
•A novel nominated for the Polityka Passport
•One of the most highly-rated Polish writers of the younger generation
Description
(re-edition)
Pages: 232
Category:
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.
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
Sonka
Sońka
Description
Sońka is an intimate story with two main protagonists and several time frames.
Through a twist of fate, Ignacy Grycowski, a fashionable young theater director,
ends up in the middle of nowhere, in the small Polish village where Sonia lives.
The old woman invites him in for a cup of milk; they begin to talk, and Ignacy
learns the story of her life.
This is the story of a tragic love affair during World War II – the love of a young
and beautiful Sonia for an SS officer, Joachim. A love that was obviously
forbidden, shameful, and doomed to failure. Joachim was a fascist and
a murderer of Jews. For Sonia, he was a blond-haired lover, a way out from
the cruelty of her family and her village. The village is very naturalistically
portrayed, the life of the woman is less important than that of the animals who
give food. Ignacy is inspired to write a play, and at the same time is moved to
consider himself and his fate...
A very interesting, original, and ambiguous love story of a simple girl and an
SS officer. It is about the interest in such stories, which challenge our ideas
about the war, as indicated by the success of W. Smarzowski’s film Róża, and Jan
Gross’s controversial books. Another advantage is the author himself, being
a past winner of the Polityka Passport award.
forthcoming
Pages: to come
Category:
Target market
Readers of Karpowicz and of fine novels in general, journalists, literary critics,
people interested in literary games and writer who play with form, and those
interested in the history of World War II.
30
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.
31
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.
32
FI C T I O N
Piotr Kobza
Piotr Kobza (b. 1975) — a specialist in international relations
and the European Union. He has been in the diplomatic service since 2006,
recently in the Polish Embassy in Oslo.
33
FI C T I O N
Piotr Kobza
Polish Retreat
Polskie rekolekcje
Keynote
A fine book with a refined sense of humor that tells of an unconventional
bishop whose every decision is not greeted with open arms…
Sales points
•The brilliant debut by a young political scientist who knows what a taboo is
Description
Pages: 328
Category:
A young bishop, a Vatican clerk and man of the world, is brought to parish
in the Eastern wilds of Poland that has been forsaken by both God and man.
Moved by the situation he finds there, he decides to introduce certain
changes, and does so in a way that is quite unconventional for a man
of the cloth. Plenty of amusing incidents result, all in the vein of the classic
comedies. The end, however, justifies the means.
Will the ambitious priest manage to overcome the backwater conservatism
and sluggishness, will he be able to deal with his personal crises?
Target market
Readers of contemporary prose, those wanting to read about the problems
of the Church, or searching for insight into “hermetic environments.”
34
FI C T I O N
Włodzimierz Kowalewski
Włodzimierz Kowalewski (b. 1956) – one of the most interesting Polish
prose writers of the decade past. A literary critic and radio personality.
Tied to the Borussi group – an association and journal (which he co-edits)
describing and characterizing the multicultural heritage of what was once
Eastern Prussia. He has published two volumes of poetry, three volumes
of short stories, and two novels. Return to Breitenheide and God Bless!
were NIKE Literary Award nominees in 1998 and 2001.
35
FI C T I O N
Włodzimierz Kowalewski
Moral People
Ludzie moralni
Keynote
From the dramatic to the grotesque – a merciless portrait of today’s Poland
Sales points
•A long-awaited novel by one of Poland’s most fascinating contemporary writers
•A two-times nominee for the prestigious NIKE Literary Award
Description
Pages: 364
Category:
The year is 1989. For some the end of the old world, for others the beginning
of real life. What has changed since then? In his latest novel Kowalewski
searches for an answer to this question.
A porn actress, a brilliant physicist, the country’s most influential journalist,
indestructible secret service agents – these are only some of the colorful figures
that appear in this book. The main protagonists are a financial tycoon at the top
of the Forbes list and his peer: a loser, idler, and malcontent, a “scribbler from
Olsztyn,” hired to write the millionaire’s biography. Their fortunes intertwine,
until both are caught in a complex plot, one which aptly reflects the new
morality in Poland.
Moral People is a meditation on people’s choices and their ethical values;
but above all it is a tale of Polish society in the spirit of Gombrowicz.
“Kowalewski’s novel gives us a great deal of food for thought. It opens our eyes to
many painful truths. It delves, but never gets tiresome. I began reading in the
evening, and the author’s style kept me going to the final pages all through the
night…”
Urszula Witkowska, Magazyn Literacki Książki
“Kowalewski combines concision and richness, simplicity and mystery, pulling us
into the story, and giving us pause for thought.”
Target market
Readers of intelligent contemporary prose, those interested in contemporary
life.
36
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).
37
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.
38
FI C T I O N
Magdalena Miecznicka
Magdalena Miecznicka (b. 1977) – she’s a prose writer and a publicist.
She lives in Warsaw with her husband and two children. Her debut novel
A Wondrous Carrer of Magda M was published by Wydawnictwo Literackie
in 2009 and in 2012 her second novel Fury.
39
FI C T I O N
Fury
Złość
Keynote
Magdalena Miecznicka’s second book – a stylish and compelling novel
with a backdrop of family and romantic dramas – is modern literature
in the tradition of Western writers: Françoise Sagan, Margaret Atwood,
and Alice Munro.
Sales points
•An intricate novel with both feet planted firmly in the present, Miecznicka’s novel
will appeal to a wide range of readers.
Pages: 220
Category:
Description
Marta is a sharp twenty year old with a bundle of complexes: she reads
the classics, speaks a handful of languages, and has a tendency toward
self-destruction. Raised by her mother, she is unable to forgive her father
for leaving the family for another woman and his career. However,
when father and his second wife invite her on a luxury vacation on his
yacht, she agrees. Also on the journey is Maja, the niece of her
mother‑in‑law, and her boyfriend Brian. They set off on an idyllic trip around
the bays of the Mediterranean Sea. But nothing here is what it seems:
this superficially innocent journey turns out to be a real lesson in life…
“When I recall that summer, pride is the first thing to emerge from the mental
haze. Pride that I allowed anger overtake me, and pride that it turned me into
someone else. Someone tougher and meaner. An adult. But next come the doubts.”
(A fragment from the book)
Target market
Female readers of all ages, from teenagers to mature women. Readers
of psychological dramas.
Lovers of contemporary prose, good women’s literature, and multi-layered
novels.
40
FI C T I O N
The Marvelous Career of Magda M.
Cudowna kariera Magdy M.
Keynote
Intriguing, original debut that alludes to the most up to date worldwide trends
and literary ideas. A marvellous read!
Sales points
•The provocative story of a young woman entering the state of “being oneself”, or
joining the world of adults (a world of high finance and personal ties), becoming a fullblooded woman – based on the story of the attractive, ambitious, educated, financially
comfortable thirty-something.
Description
Pages: 262
Category:
Magda, a graduate in finance living in Warsaw but traveling all round the
world, can afford anything – she has a good job, many friends, a comfortable
flat, and a bank account that is always full. But material comfort is not enough
to stop her from experiencing the state of being suspended in an emotional
vacuum. Hungry to love and be loved, she seeks new experiences.
And these were always few and far between. Magda describes, among other
experiences, her parting with innocence – a romance with a mature man whom
she fascinated as a young alluring teenage lover and all the other recognised
strains of romance.
The novel is in some sense a literary “guide” to the art of loving, flirting,
the art of life, how an adolescent can become a full-blooded adored woman.
Magda tries out for herself all the stages and “methods” of arriving at the
world of adults – a naïve belief in ideals, throwing herself into the whirlpool
of professional duties or carefully guarding against the emotional moment of
weakness that causes us to fall crazily in love again.
The memory teaches Magda what to avoid or what kind of choices to make,
although life is still able to surprise her with an unexpected turn of events…
Target market
Female readers of all ages, from teenagers to mature women. Readers
of psychological dramas.
Lovers of contemporary prose, good women’s literature, and multi-layered
novels.
41
FI C T I O N
Kazimierz Orłoś
Wydawnictwo Literackie represents translation rights to the following titles
by Kazimierz Orłoś
42
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).
43
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
Category: Contemporary Fiction
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.
44
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
45
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
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”
46
FI C T I O N
Jerzy Pilch
by Jerzy Pilch:
47
FI C T I O N
Marian Pilot
by Marian Pilot
48
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
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)
49
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
Category: Contemporary
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
50
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)
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.
51
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.
52
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.
53
FI C T I O N
Błażej Przygodzki
Błażej Przygodzki (b. 1975) is a screenwriter, journalist, and novelist.
He made his novelistic debut with Diaries of Suicide Victims. He hails from
Wrocław.
54
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
Category:
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
55
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
56
FI C T I O N
Szczepan Twardoch
Szczepan Twardoch (b. 1979) is a writer who is Silesian by birth. He graduated
in sociology from the Interdepartmental Individual Humanities Department
at the Silesian University in Katowice. He lives in Pilchowice in Upper Silesia.
He has published six novels, including Eternal Grunwald, which was awarded
the Józef Mackiewicz Literary Prize and nominated for the Culture Guarantee,
and several collections of short stories, including That’s Good, which was
nominated for the Gdynia Literary Award.
Author photograph
© Magda & Michał Kryjakowie
His short story The Madness of Calvary Captain von Egern was nominated
for the Nautilus Award for 2003. His short story Rondo won the Nautilus for
the best short story of 2006. For The Epiphany of Curate Trzaska he received
the Silver Distinction of the Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award in 2008. In 2010
the French translation of his novel Transfiguration was released. In 2013 he won
the Polityka Passport for 2012 in the literature category for his novel Morphine.
He is currently working on two new novels – Boys and The Land of the Quads.
57
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
58
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
•Shortlisted for the Nike Award 2013!
•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.
Pages: 624
Category:
excl. France
Rights sold: Germany (Rowohlt)
German sample available
•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.
Target market
Novel lovers of all ages, those interested in the history of Poland and alternate
realities.
59
FI C T I O N
Szczepan Twardoch
The Land of the Quads
Ziemia Kwadów
Now in preparation, the latest novel by Szczepan Twardoch – The Land of the
Quads!
An Upper Silesian saga of the 20th century: two Polish families, stormy
Polish-German relations, a Silesian uprising, and the Second World War.
Love, betrayal, madness. And a mysterious witness to history, who coldly
observes the dramatic, passionate lives of two families enmeshed in
the bloody history of Upper Silesia.
forthcoming
Pages: to come
60
The Land of the Kwads tells “the beautiful, nasty, sad, humorous, and ultimately
tragic” fates of people, as Szczepan Twardoch writes, inspired by the true story
of the author’s family.
We discover the tangled story of the family on several levels. Their fates are
observed by a mysterious witness to the story of the Kwads – the ancestral
people of Silesia. He traces the people’s lives. Who is he? What does he know
about the past and the future of this land?
FI C T I O N
Marta Fox
Marta Fox — a writer, poet, and essayist, as well as a journalist. She has
won many literary awards. She is a member of the Stanisława Zawiszanka
Literary Award chapter, which singles out the most talented young poets.
She has written over twenty books, including the bestsellers Magda.doc, Holy
Rita of the Impossible and Shrinking Silence. On the Trials of Childhood, with no
Taboos. Her work tackles family and young people’s issues, she writes boldly
and subtly about growing up, and her every book moves both readers and
critics alike.
Author photograph
© Janusz Stobiński
Two-time winner of the Polish Romance Literature Competition Grand Prix.
Winner of an honorary badge of Merit to Polish Culture.
Winner of a distinction from the Polish Section of the IBBY for the First Love series.
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS
English, Spanish, German
LITERACKIE
Novels
The Woman Who Turned to Stone (2009)
Zuzanna Doesn’t Exist (2011)
61
FI C T I O N
Marta Fox
Zuzanna Doesn’t Exist
Zuzanna nie istnieje
Keynote
An intimate, seemingly “simple” novel that shows how two people can fall
in love.
Sales points
•The thinking woman’s “chick lit”.
•Before Sunrise for a new generation.
Description
Pages: 248
Category: Women’s Fiction
A single night can change your heart for good. After Zuzanna accidentally
ends up spending the night with Paweł, neither of them is ever quite the
same again. Both have been suffering from heartbreak – she is a young
widowed painter, he has recently lost his girlfriend and his parents in an
accident. The magic in Zuzanna Doesn’t Exist comes from the characters’
slow realisation that all their expectations have been reversed – after
a “meaningless” one night stand, Paweł recognises that he has fallen in love.
When he returns to find Zuzanna, however, he finds her apartment empty.
A story of how passion turns into love, and how love conquers all, this novel
pulls off a remarkable feat – it allows itself to be outrageously sentimental
without sacrificing a bit of believability or intelligence along the way. It
might just give the old, sullied category of “chick lit” a new name.
Target market
Young women looking for sensitive, intelligent depictions of love and
passion, with characters and language they can truly relate to.
62
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Grochola
by Katarzyna Grochola
63
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.
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)
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)
Other
64
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 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
exc. English
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
Lovers of contemporary popular literature, dramatic novels, psychological
dramas, women’s prose; inspirational books.
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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
exc. English
Rights sold: Russia (AST),
Vietnam (Phu Nu)
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
dramas, women’s prose; inspirational books
66
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
exc. 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
67
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
exc. 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.
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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. World 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.
69
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
70
FI C T I O N
Grażyna Jeromin-Gałuszka
Grażyna Jeromin-Gałuszka was born in Sosnowiec. She has won the contest
organized by the Polish Script Agency and the Film weekly magazine.
She co‑owns a bookshop in Radom. Her debut novel – Golden Bats –
has been awarded the first prize in a literary contest „The Colours of Life”.
Her latest novel – Women from the Swamp has sold 10 000 copies.
71
FI C T I O N
Grażyna Jeromin-Gałuszka
Don’t Leave Me
Nie zostawiaj mnie
Keynote
A charming and accessible tale of a friendship that spans generations.
Sales points
• Jeromin-Gałuszka’s first novel sold upwards of 10,000 copies
• Winner of an award for her first novel, and of a screenplay writing award
Description
Pages: to come
Fryderyka is a headstrong old woman who loves to play bridge, and who one
day takes in Małgorzata under her roof.
Małgorzata is a young woman at a turning point in her life, whose whole
existence revolves around her young daughter, and whose life is being
effectively poisoned by Aleksander.
Aleksander is Fryderyka’s nephew, a retired judge whose heart still aches
from the tragic death of a beloved woman.
What links these three seemingly so different people?
Jeromin-Gałuszka’s book is a tale that that the reader takes to heart,
a world that pulls you in until the final page.
Target market
Readers of popular women’s literature.
72
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
by Katarzyna Michalak
73
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.
Since the first volume, the series of books about the Land of Ferrin has
stirred great emotions and caused a furor with her readers. This is a
habit‑forming series sparkling with erotica and sensuality – just try to put it
down.
A hypnotic combination of the piquant books of E. L. James and the powerful
emotions of Stephanie Meyer and Laurell K. Hamilton in a world world of
fantasy!
Katarzyna Michalak is a worthy successor to the mistresses of emotion
and hidden desires – E. L. James , Stephanie Meyer and Larell K. Hamilton…
74
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.
75
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.
76
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.
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
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.
79
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.
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FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
The Ferrin Game
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 Ferrin Game 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
81
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: to come
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 Ferrin Games. 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
82
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: to come
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
83
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
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
84
FI C T I O N
Katarzyna Michalak
Miss 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
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?
Miss 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
85
FI C T I O N
Janusz Leon Wiśniewski
by Janusz Leon Wiśniewski
86
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)
Other
Does the World Need Men? (2007)
87
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.
88
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.
89
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.
90
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.
91
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: 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
92
FI C T I O N
Dorota Terakowska
by Dorota Terakowska
93
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
94
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
95
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:
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
96
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
Category:
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
97
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
Category:
Young Adult Fiction
Rights sold: The 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
98
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
Category:
Young Adult Fiction
Rights sold: The 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
99
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)
100
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.
101
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”
102
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.
103
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).
104
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
105
FI C T I O N
Michał Protasiuk
Michał Protasiuk was born in 1978, but now he lives and works in Poznań.
He does his everyday work as a research marketer and reads such authors
as Dostoyevski and Pynchon with equal fascination. He is inspired
by the transformations of the contemporary world, alternative rock music,
and travels to the former Soviet Republics.
106
FI C T I O N
Michał Protasiuk
Revolution Day
Święto rewolucji
Keynote
Marketing forces, the power of information, murder and love in the big
corporations – a brilliant thriller recalling the film Inception and the best
work of William Gibson.
Sales points
•Winner of the Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award
•Recalls Inception and the best work of William Gibson
Description
Pages: 476
Category:
Marcin is an analyst who develops marketing strategies that give him
insight into the desires of all the world’s consumers. Agnieszka is a student,
once a hoodlum whose housing estate was once visited by the Messiah.
Dorota would be an ordinary girl, if it weren’t for the fact that someone has
just written a book that is controlling her life. Marek, in turn, is a manager
who has taken part in an experiment meant to prove that life is eternal.
This foursome of young Poles are tossed into a world of global conspiracies
and fascinating riddles, to grapple with the questions: Is history ruled
by mathematical laws? What links a Polish 19th-century mathematician
with a book that has changed the reality of the 21st century? What mystery
lurks within the Poznań Settlement of the Excluded? Will the revolution take
place?
“The basic attraction of Revolution Day comes from its sensational plot.
The author’s inventiveness is also impressive. We are dealing with a book that
is coming true all around the reader: scientific evidence of the afterlife through
cryptography, statistical dream maps etc. And there is a third level, a more subtle
and affecting one, which also happens to be deeper: after we finish reading
we ourselves look at the world as a game of hyper-capitalists, marketing trends,
and subterranean mathematical structures. This is the nightmare of Revolution
Day’s protagonist: he can’t tell product brands apart.”
Jacek Dukaj
Target market
Those who love thrillers, action novels, and fantasy, who are interested
in the contemporary world, globalization, and marketing.
107
NO N - F I C T I O N
Henryk Ćwięk
Henryk Ćwięk is a professor of Political Science at the Długosz Academy
in Częstochowa. He has written several books on the inter-war period
in Polish-German-Russian history, including a small previous publication
on Captain Sosnowski.
108
Henryk Ćwięk
Captain Sosnowski
Rotmistrz Sosnowski
Keynote
The untold story of Poland’s answer to James Bond.
Sales points
•A true story with more thrilling twists and turns than the most well-crafted novel.
•The tale of a forgotten historical figure whose life remains shrouded in a veil of
mystery.
Description
Pages: 296
Category: History
Who really was Jerzy Sosnowski? He was most certainly a promising future
captain of the Polish cavalry, born into an extremely affluent noble family.
We know for certain that his career was derailed by a scandalous affair with
the fiancée of a head officer. It is established that he moved to Berlin, still
before Hitler’s rise to power, to work as a secret agent. And it is also known
that he was so irresistible to women that many of those whom he seduced
came to actually assist him in his spy work. We are also informed that he
was apprehended by the Germans after Hitler seized control of the
government, that two of the women helping him were beheaded, and that
Poland eventually exchanged him for some German spies in 1936. Now,
however, the questions begin: Did he in fact return to Poland as a German
double-agent? Was he wrongfully imprisoned for fifteen years? What really
happened to him after that? And to return to our original question – who
really was Jerzy Sosnowski? Ćwięk has written a rollicking, entertaining and
profoundly informative book about one of Poland’s most enigmatic figures
from between the two world wars.
This is a figure who is somewhat forgotten – and it’s a shame, because he worked
with real bravura, in an unconventional way, and very effectively. The life of the
protagonist of Henryk Ćwięk’s book could serve as the canvas for a splendid spy
thriller movie.
Echo Katolickie
Target market
Readers of thrillers, spy novels, history books (especially pertaining to World
War II and inter-war Berlin); those interested in discovering a particularly
colourful new biography.
109
Ryszard Kaczmarek
Ryszard Kaczmarek (b. 1959) – a historian and humanities professor
who researches the history of World War Two in lands incorporated
into the Third Reich, and the history of Upper Silesia in the 19th and
20th centuries. He has written several books, including Under the
Rule of the Gauleiters. The Elite and Instances of Power in the Katowice
Regierungsbezirk, 1939–1945, Upper Silesia during World War Two, and Poles
in the Wehrmacht (published by WL).
OTHER BOOKS FOR WL
Poles in the Wehrmacht (2011)
Poles in the Keiser’s Army During World War One (forthcoming)
110
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”
111
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.
112
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
forthcoming
Pages: to come
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.
113
Bogusław Kopka
Bogusław Kopka (b. 1969) is a graduate of the History Department
of the Warsaw University. He received his doctoral degree in 2006.
He has published articles in Rzeczpospolita, Gazeta Wyborcza, Nasz
Dziennik, Polska. The Times, Polityka, Wprost, Ozon. He is the author
of Stan wojenny w dokumentach władz PRL 1980–1983, IPN 2001
(co‑authored with G. Majchrzak), Obozy pracy w Polsce 1944–1950. Przewodnik
encyklopedyczny, Ośrodek KARTA 2002, Konzentrationslager Warschau. Historia
i następstwa, IPN 2007 (German edition: Das KZ Warschau, 2010). He has
worked in the Institute of National Remembrance.
114
Bogusław Kopka
A Gulag on the Vistula.
On Labor Camps in Poland
Gułag nad Wisłą. O polskich obozach zagłady
Keynote
A seldom-explored chapter of Polish history is finally given an in-depth
analysis.
Sales points
•The author is a seasoned historian and journalist, who has written for all of the most
important newspapers and periodicals in Poland and published several books
• Readable, comprehensive, and fascinating
forthcoming
Pages: to come
Category: History
Description
This thoroughly researched and groundbreaking work of history attempts
to tell the story of the labor camps that were set up in Poland immediately
after World War II by the Soviet occupants, and the extraordinary complexity
of the post‑war situation in Poland in general. A figure who embodies
this complexity, and who serves as the focus of the third chapter, is Salomon
Morel, the only one in his family to survive imprisonment in the Auschwitz
concentration camp. At the war’s end, as a twenty-year-old man, he joined
the communist partisans, and headed one of the largest (concentration)
camps for Poles, established in Silesia. A Gulag on the Vistula provides maps,
historical background, and timelines, explores the fates of women
and children during this period, and provides a fascinating glimpse
into an astonishingly chaotic and turbulent period in Polish history.
Target market
Readers interested in recent history, the history of Europe, and the aftermath
of World War Two, and those eager to fill in “gaps” in the popular history
books.
115
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.
116
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
117
“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.
118
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.
119
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),
The 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
120
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.
forthcoming
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.
121
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.
122
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.
123
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.
124
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.
125
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.
126
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.
127
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.
128
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
•A book based on newly unearthed archival materials
forthcoming
Pages: to come
Category: History
•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.
129
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
130
Elżbieta Baniewicz
Elżbieta Baniewicz — a journalist, theater critic, and a graduate of Warsaw
University and the PWST Theater School in Warsaw. She has published
several hundred texts on theater, in Teatr, Kultura, Theatre en Pologne,
Performing Art Journal, and Theatre Journal, among others. She runs the
theater column in Twórczość. She has written monographs on Kazimierz
Kutz, Janusz Gajos, and Anna Dymna.
131
Elżbieta Baniewicz
Erwin Axer. The Theater of Words
and Thoughts
Erwin Axer. Teatr słowa i myśli
Keynote
Erwin Axer, a master of literary style – a tale of the life and work of a great
pupil of Leon Schiller
Sales points
•The first such exhaustive monograph on this outstanding director on the market
Description
Pages: 524
Category: Biography –
Autobiography – Memoirs
Outstanding director, founder, and creator of the golden era of one of
Warsaw’s most important stages, the Współczesny Theater – Erwin Axer.
Elżbieta Baniewicz’s book is the first monograph to deal with Erwin Axer so
extensively and insightfully – it also tells the story of Polish theater of the
20th century. It documents what is most important, and at the same time
so fleeting in theater – unique performances, sets, costumes, and the roles
created by the greatest Polish actors of the century past.
Richly illustrated, furnished with many quotes from Axer himself, whether
from interviews, theater programs, or sources that have never been
published – the director’s archive, autobiography, and letters.
“The most important thing is that a book about one of the most important figures
in Polish 20th century theater has finally been released. And that this is not
a work petrifying its subject into a brass monument, but showing him in many
aspects of his life.”
Tomasz Mościcki, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna
“How to turn a minimalist program into a great work of art – this is the subject
of the extensive monograph on Axer, written by the great theater critic Elżbieta
Baniewicz. She describes not only the life and work of the director, but also his
work system, which she was able to observe on many occasions. The result is
a half-academic, half-serious book that remains fascinating – because its subject
is such a fascinating figure.”
Leszek Bugajski, Newsweek
Target market
Theater historians and lovers, directors, actors, theater academy students,
readers interested in culture and art.
132
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.
133
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: The 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.”
134
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.
135
Michał Głowiński
by Michał Głowiński
136
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
137
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
138
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.
139
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
140
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.
141
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
142
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.
143
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.
LITERACKIE
Novels
Frascati (2009)
Goldi (2011, re-edition)
144
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.
145
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.
146
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.
147
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.
148
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
149
•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.
150
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.
151
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”
152
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.
153
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
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.
154
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.
155
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.
156
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.
157
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
158
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.
159
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.
160
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
161
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.
162
Dorota Sumińska
by Dorota Sumińska:
163
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.
164
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”
165
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
166
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.
167
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.
168
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
forthcoming
Pages: to come
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.
169
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.
170
Danuta Wałęsa
Dreams and Secrets
Marzenia i tajemnice
Ed. Piotr Adamowicz
THE BESTSELLING POLISH BOOK OF 2011 – 375 000 COPIES SOLD
Pages: 552
Rights sold: The Czech Republic
(Euromedia), France (Buchet
Chastel), Portugal (Aletheia),
The Ukraine (Folio)
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.
171
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).
172
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.
173
Zygmunt Bauman
Zygmunt Bauman (b. 1925) is a world famous sociologist, philosopher,
essayist, and one of the greatest authorities in social criticism. He has created
sociological concepts to explain the riddles of globalization, overpopulation,
migration, and exclusion, he describes the fascination for electronic media,
the mechanisms of advertising, ties between people, the reasons for individual
choices, and the meanderings of the economy and politics. Since 1968, when he
was removed from Warsaw University and left Poland, he has lived and lectured
abroad. He served for many years as a professor at the University of Leeds, and
is presently retired.
His books include: Modernity and the Holocaust; Liquid Life; Liquid Fear;
Community; The Art of Life; Europe: An Unfinished Adventure; and Society under
Siege.
174
Stanisław Obirek
Stanisław Obirek (b. 1956) is a theologian, historian, teacher, and cultural
anthropologist, and an ex-Jesuit. His interests are focused on the place of
religion in contemporary culture, inter-religious dialogue, the consequences of
the Holocaust, and ways of overcoming religious, societal, and cultural conflicts.
He is a theology PhD at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Cracow, has
a humanities post-doctorate in modern history, and in 2011 was nominated
professor. From 1994–1998 he was rector at the Jesuits’ College in Krakow, in
1999 he lectured in the history of Central and Eastern Europe at the Jesuit Holy
Cross College in Worcester. He is currently lecturing at the Warsaw University.
175
Zygmunt Bauman, Stanisław Obirek
Of God and Man: Conversations
O Bogu i człowieku: rozmowy
Keynote
A remarkably good-natured book, full of passion for the undying search for
answers to the fundamental questions in man’s life
Sales points
•A world famous sociologist and a philosopher speak of matters of prime importance
•A conversation with the author of many important and fervently discussed books in the
20th century
Description
Pages: 204
Category: Religion
Rights sold: Italy (Laterza),
UK (Polity) – pending
A book that fortifies the spirit and brings profound intellectual satisfaction,
by a world-famous sociologist and a theologian.
The interlocutors, their intellectual biographies notwithstanding, share
the same quest: they are looking for answers to the place of God in man’s
life. Despite expectations, their roads often converge. They share a fine
understanding, and gently contribute their own personal experiences.
What do they speak about? About the one God and many gods, about
tolerance, about the search for the sole truth, about how to define the religious
experience, the relationship between God and man, the role of chance in life,
and about their idols, and finally – about hope. They cite many philosophers,
theologians, and writers, including Pascal, Lévinas, Jaspers, Gadamer, Sartre,
Arendt, Lem, Goethe, and Kertesz.
Stanisław Obirek confesses that many of his intuitions have been confirmed
by Bauman’s work, though expressed more concisely than he was able to.
Zygmunt Bauman astonishes with his knowledge of theological issues,
and it is he who formulates the compelling notion of the immortality of hope.
Target market
Readers of Bauman, students, journalists, political scientists; readers interested
in a contemporary understanding of religion and the dialogue between religions
176
Father Jacek Stryczek
Father Jacek Stryczek is an unconventional kind of priest, a performer who has
been called the head marketer of the Church; he is the creator and Chairman
of the SPRING Association, organizer of operation Noble Package, who received
the Jan Wejchert PRB Award in 2012 for his social and charity work, and was
named Newsweek’s Social Worker of the Year for 2012. In 2007 he was named
the Shepherd of Businessmen.
He is known for his unconventional sermons (sometimes using multimedia
techniques) and for his moving happenings, such as „See Yourself in a Different
Light” in front of the Stock Exchange in 2009, or placing a confessional booth
before a shopping mall.
177
Father Jacek Stryczek
The FaceGod Project
FaceBóg
Keynote
An inspiring, modern tale of Christianity and the faces of God in the modern
world.
Sales points
•One of Poland’s most famous and well-known priests
•The head marketing man for the Church, famed for his unconventional methods
•Named Newsweek’s Social Worker of the Year for 2012
•Named the Shepherd of Businessmen
Description
forthcoming
Pages: to come
Category: Religion
The Modern Basics of Christianity for Everyone
The intriguing tale of the sources of Christianity and the faces of God in the
modern world, of ways of finding Him and reaching Him. And also the value
of meeting another person, opening up to others and the joy that comes from
helping others.
A charismatic priest, Father Jacek Stryczek, poses the fundamental questions
and formulates the answers: What is Christianity? What is it really all about,
particularly at this juncture, in the post-modern world and society? WHO AM I?
I – raised in the here and now, in a Christian, Catholic tradition? What does it
mean to be a Christian? And what do I know about it?
The author elaborates on the subject of faith and religion, with references that
go beyond the Bible. He provides examples from everyday life, his personal
stories and experiences inspiring him the most: his conversion, gradual
discovery of faith, of God, of Scripture, maturing to decide to become a priest,
taking decisions to do social activities and initiatives like the Academy of the
Future and the Noble Package.
Target market
Readers of books about religion, those in search, in doubt, or believers – from
their teens to one hundred years old
178
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.
179
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.
180
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.
181
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.
182
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.
183
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.
184
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
185
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.
186
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.
187
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.
188
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.
189
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.
190
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.”
191
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
192
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.
193
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
194
„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
195
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.
196
PO E T RY
Ewa Lipska
Dear Ms. Schubert
Droga pani Schubert
Pages: 64
Category: Poetry
197
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.
198
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.
199
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.
200
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
201
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.
202
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.
203
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
204
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
205
List of Authors Available for Translation
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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”
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Dasko Henryk, „Dworzec gdański”
Długosz Leszek, „Dusza na ramieniu” (with a CD)
Długosz Leszek, „Piwnica idzie do góry”
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”
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”
Grochola Katarzyna, „Przegryźć dżdżownicę”
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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, „Powrót”
Grupińska Anka, „Odczytanie Listy. Opowieść o powstańcach
żydowskich”
Górski Klemens, „Obol”
Grzywaczewski Tomasz, „Przez dziki wschód. 800 km śladami słynnej
ucieczki z gułagu”
Gutowski Wojciech, „Z próżni nieba ku religii życia”
Harasymowicz Jerzy, „Późne lato”
Hartwig Julia, „Dzienniki”
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”
Kajdański Edward, „Medycyna chińska dla każdego”
Kamińska Anna, „Adoptowani”
Karpiński Daniel, „Fikcja”
Karpowicz Ignacy, „Balladyny i romanse”
Karpowicz Ignacy, „Cud”
Karpowicz Ignacy, „Gesty”
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”
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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”
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”
Krenz Katarzyna, „Lekcja tańca”
Krenz Katarzyna, „Podróż”
Krupiński Wacław, „Głowy piwniczne”
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”
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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, 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”
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”
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Michalak Katarzyna, „Rok w Poziomce”
Michalak Katarzyna, „Wiśniowy dworek”
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”
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”
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”
OleśOwczarkowa Teresa, „Rauska”
Olszewski Michał, „Low tech”
Orbitowski Łukasz, „Nadchodzi”
Orbitowski Łukasz, „Swięty Wrocław”
Orbitowski Łukasz, „Tracę ciepło”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Bez Ciebie nie mogę żyć”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Dom pod Lutnią”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Drewniane mosty”
Orłoś Kazimierz, „Historia leśnych kochanków i innne 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”
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297.
298.
299.
300.
301.
302.
303.
304.
212
305.
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”
Pilot Marian, „Nowy Matecznik”
Pilot Marian, „Osobnik”
Pilot Marian, „Pantałyk”
Pilot Marian, „Pióropusz”
Piskorski Krzysztof, „Cienioryt”
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”
Protasiuk Michał, „Święto rewolucji”
Praca Zbiorowa, „Kalendarium dziejów Polski”
Przygodzki Błażej, „Z chirurgiczna precyzją”
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”
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”
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”
306.
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338.
339.
340.
341.
342.
343.
344.
345.
346.
347.
348.
349.
213
350.
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”
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”
Szczawiński Wojciech, „Myśli przy końcu drogi”
Szczepański Jan Józef, „Przed Nieznanym Trybunałem”
Szczepański Jan Józef, „Rozłogi”
Szczepkowska Joanna, „Fragmenty z życia lustra”
Szczepkowska Joanna, „Sześć minut przed czasem”
Szczepkowska Joanna, „Goła baba”
Szewc Piotr, „Bociany nad powiatem”
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, „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”
351.
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214
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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, „Ziemia Kwadów” (excluding French rights)
Twardoch Szczepan, „Morfina” (excluding French rights)
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”
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”
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”
397.
398.
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400.
401.
402.
403.
404.
405.
406.
407.
408.
215
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”

Frankfurt Book Fair 2013

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