Contemporary Polish Books in English!

the_lost_soul_tokarczuk_antonia.jpg, default, Book cover The Lost Soul By Olga Tokarczuk Illustrated by Joanna Concejo Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, fot. Publisher; Seven Stories Press. Olga , Contemporary Polish Books in English!

#language & literature

Following the brilliant books released in 2020 – and despite the impact of the current epidemic – English readers can look forward to several new translations of Polish literature this year.

Polish literature has developed a glittering reputation over the last few years – including Olga Tokarczuk being awarded the Nobel Prize in 2019, and she and her translator Jennifer Croft also winning the Man Booker International Prize in 2018. In the coming year, a variety of Polish books – from stories of survival during the Holocaust and World War II, to detective novels, and the gripping tale of Foucault’s experiences in Warsaw – are also set to be released in translation.

The Widow Queen

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Book cover for 'The Bold' (Volume 1) by Elzbieta Cherezinska, photo: Forge Books; Elzbieta Cherezinska, photo: forumgwiazd.com.pl / Forum

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Desperate to read about real-life Polish royalty, and a formidable – and previously forgotten – female protagonist?

The Widow Queen, written by award-winning Elżbieta Cherezińska and translated by Maya Zakrzewska-Pim, might be up your street.

The duology is inspired by the story of Świetosława, the oft-ignored daughter of the first ruler of Poland, Duke Mieszko I. Although chroniclers, and present day researchers, have mainly relegated Świetosława to the sidelines, Cherezińska’s book reveals her influential and resolute character and her active political role.

Placing Świetosława at the forefront of the story for the first time – rather than the male figures who have previously received historical attention – the novel suggests we should reconsider our approach to the mothers, daughters, wives, nuns and princesses of the past. It also shines a new light on the links between Polish, Scandinavian and English history between the 10th and 11th centuries.

The novel is the first work by Cherezińska to be translated into English.

_{^{The Widow Queen, by Elżbieta Cherezińska. Translated by Maya Zakrzewska-Pim. Published by: Tor/Forge Books. Publication date: April 2021.}}

The Touch of an Angel

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Cover for 'The Touch of an Angel (Jewish Lives in Poland)' by Henryk Schönker, translated by Scotia Gilroy, 2020, photo: Indiana University Press

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The Touch of an Angel, the extraordinary story of Henryk Schönker’s survival as a child during the Holocaust, has already received a glowing Polish – and international – reception, thanks to an award-winning 2015 documentary film in Polish and German by Marek Tomasz Pawlowski.

Now, the testimony is set to be published in English for the first time, with a translation by Scotia Gilroy.

Schönker was born in 1931 into a renowned Jewish family in Oświęcim – the Polish town renamed Auschwitz by the Germans. He and his family managed to escape the town shortly before the Auschwitz death camp was created, surviving the Holocaust as a result of their tenacity and luck.

Despite Schönker’s traumatic childhood experiences, his memoir doesn’t focus on death, instead illustrating how faith and spirituality can help support life against terror and destruction. It also shows the challenges facing Jewish people who returned to Poland after the Holocaust to try to rebuild their lives.

_{^{The Touch of an Angel, by Henryk Schönker. Translated by Scotia Gilroy. Published by: Indiana University Press (USA). Publication date: February 2021.}}

The Lost Soul

For the last couple of years, we’ve seen a stream of new releases from the indefatigable Antonia Lloyd-Jones – and this year is no different.

First up, in February, is her translation of Olga Tokarczuk’s The Lost Soul, illustrated by Joanna Concejo. Designed to be read by children and adults alike, and combining Tokarczuk’s evocative prose with Concejo’s pen-and-ink drawings, the book is a meditation on the meaning of life, and our capacity to find peace in ourselves.

Also in February comes Lloyd-Jones’s translation of Karolina, or The Torn Curtain, the much-anticipated sequel to the Agatha Christie-esque Mrs Mohr Goes Missing, by Maryla Szymiczkowa (the pseudonym used by Jacek Dehnel and Piotr Tarczynski). Set in 1895, and focusing on Zofia Turbotyńska’s investigation of the murder of her maid, Karolina, or The Torn Curtain blends high-class culture with the shadowy world of crime, corruption, and injustice – as well as exploring turn-of-the-century women’s rights (published by Point Blank, February 2021).

Later in the year, in June, Lloyd-Jones’s co-translation with Kate Webster of I, Nina by Daniel Chmielewski – a graphic novel adaptation of Tokarczuk’s Anna in the Tombs of the World – promises to be another fascinating read (published by Uncivilized Books, June 2021).

_{^{The Lost Soul, by Olga Tokarczuk and Joanna Concejo. Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Published by: Penguin. Publication date: February 2021.}}

The Truth and Other Stories

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Cover for 'The Truth and Other Stories' by Stanisław Lem, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, foreword by Kim Stanley Robinson, photo: MIT Press; Stanisław Lem in his apartment, 1971, photo: Jakub Grelowski / PAP

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And, in September – and also from Lloyd-Jones – comes The Truth and Other Stories, a collection of twelve short stories, many of which have never been published in English before, by Polish master of science-fiction Stanisław Lem (1921–2006). The collection is being published in anticipation of the writer’s 100th birthday that month, and the stories included (written between 1956 and 1996) are both hilariously funny and bursting with scientific enquiry, with topics ranging from artificial intelligence to cosmology and evolution.

The collection also follows a flurry of Lem translations published by MIT Press last year, including His Master’s Voice, Return from the Stars and The Invincible.

_{^{The Truth and Other Stories, by Stanisław Lem. Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Published by: MIT Press. Publication date: September 2021.}}

Dromedaries

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Cover and illustrations from the Polish comic 'Dromaderki' (Dromedaries) by Marta Frej, coming to English in 2021 translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, photo: Centrala / http://centrala.org.uk

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Also released this year is Lloyd-Jones’s translation of Marta Frej’s Dromedaries, a comic book filled with the stories of forgotten heroines.

Frej’s efforts to smash the patriarchy, one drawing at a time, is nowhere more evident than in Dromedaries, which commemorates the women who fought for Polish independence by smuggling weapons during the early 20th century – and who are often left out of the history books.

Packed with historical information, gripping tales of fearlessness, and characteristic Frej humour, the book shines a much-needed light on the women who played a crucial role in efforts to regain independence.

Frej has become a household name in Poland for her drawings illustrating the lives of modern women in the country. Dromedaries is her first solo publication.

_{^{Dromedaries, by Marta Frej. Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Published by: Centrala. Publication date: 2021.}}

The Map

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Barbara Sadurska, photo: Albert Zawada /AG

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The Map is, as translator Kate Webster calls it, ‘an innovative, imaginative puzzle of a book’ – an adventure tale, with a non-linear plot, which slips from century to century, and theme to theme. From exploring ideas of the world, women and individual identity, to issues around nostalgia, memory and the Holocaust, the book is a journey through history and the human mind.

And at its heart – holding the plot together – is a 15th-century map.

Sounds mysterious? Even the genre of the book is unclear: in some ways, The Map is a novel – but, in other ways, it can be classed as a collection of seven short stories.

The literary debut for Barbara Sadurska, The Map is an innovative and uniquely playful approach to storytelling which has already received praise in Poland: the book was awarded the Witold Gombrowicz Prize in 2020.

_{^{The Map, by Barbara Sadurska. Translated by Kate Webster. Published by: Terra Librorum. Publication date: Autumn 2021.}}

Doctor Bianco and Other Stories

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Maciek Bielawski, photo: Kornelia Glowacka-Wolf / AG.

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The bleak, gritty – and, at times, utterly harrowing – lives of the residents of one Polish block of flats in an unspecified Polish town are at the centre of this collection of nineteen stories.

Featuring an array of characters, including a Holocaust survivor, a postman and a cantankerous old woman, and exploring their emotions, struggles and anxieties, the stories gradually reveal the realities of human existence – relatable to readers from any walk of life. With its sparse, unflinching prose, which sometimes taps into black humour and sometimes reaches moments of sheer despair, this collection promises to be a fascinating exploration of human life.

According to Olga Tokarczuk, the collection contains ‘wonderful, insightful snapshots of everyday reality’.

Bielawski is also the author of Twarde Parapety (Hard Windowsills) (2016), and in 2017, he also won the main prize for the best short story during the 13th International Short Story Festival. Doctor Bianco and Other Stories is translated by Scotia Gilroy – her translation of another Polish work, The Touch of an Angel, is also coming out early this year, and you can read more about it above.

_{^{Doctor Bianco and Other Stories, by Maciek Bielawski. Translated by Scotia Gilroy. Published by: Terra Librorum (UK). Publication date: October 2021.}}

night truck driver

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Cover of 'night truck driver: 49 poems' by Marcin Świetlicki, translated by Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese, photo: Zephyr Press

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And if you’re interested in more Polish poetry about the human condition, look no further than night truck driver.

Grounded in everyday urban life, but with a distinctly metaphysical edge, night truck driver is a collection of 49 poems by Polish ‘outsider’ poet and musician, Marcin Świetlicki.

The collection is the first translation of Świetlicki’s work in English, and includes poems from his twelve published volumes. The poems are both familiar, yet unsettling: the recognisable urban scenes – often rooted in real-life Kraków – and reflections on love, family and politics, are pervaded with self-irony and disenchantment.

Some poems have also found new life as lyrics for songs performed by Świetlicki’s rock band.

Świetlicki has received many awards for his poetry, including the 1996 Kościelski Foundation Prize, the Silesius Wroclaw Poetic Award (2012) and the Lublin Poetical Stone Award (2014), for lifetime achievement.

Translator Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese works with English, Polish and Danish. She has translated a variety of Polish poets, with her translation of Nothing More, by Krystyna Miłobędzka, shortlisted for the 2015 Popescu European Poetry Translation Prize.

_{^{night truck driver, by Marcin Świetlicki. Translated by Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese. Published by: Zephyr Press. Publication date: February 2021.}}

Fog

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Cover of 'Fog' by Kaja Malanowska, translated by Bill Johnston, photo: Text Publishing; Kaja Malanowska, photo: Grzegorz Malanowski

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Far from a run-of-the-mill detective story, Fog is a psychological thriller which, as Olga Tokarczuk writes, was ‘made to measure for our times.’

Investigating a young woman’s murder, two detectives – Martin Sawicki and his new plucky colleague Ada Rochniewicz – pursue a complex trail of clues, which ultimately forces them to confront corruption in political and religious spheres.

Along the way, they are introduced to a range of mysterious and eccentric characters – including a cat called Albert-Amelia – as well as face a range of contemporary social issues.

The book was written by Kaja Malanowska, who is highly acclaimed in Poland – she has been nominated for two of Poland’s most prestigious literary awards, the Paszport Polityki and the Nike. Fog is the first of her novels to appear in English. It has been translated by Bill Johnston, an award-winning translator of books by Witold Gombrowicz, Lem, Magdalena Tulli, Wiesław Myśliwski, Andrzej Stasiuk, Tomasz Różycki and Adam Mickiewicz.

_{^{Fog, by Kaja Malanowska. Translated by Bill Johnston. Published by Text Publishing. Publication date: March 2021.}}

_{^{Foucault in Warsaw}}

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Cover for 'Foucault in Warsaw' by Remigiusz Ryziński, translated by Sean Gasper Bye, 2021, photo: Open Letter Books; Remigiusz Ryziński, photo: Albert Zawada / Wydawnictwo Czarne

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Originally published in 2017, the intriguing Foucault in Warsaw recounts the previously-untold story of the plot to kick Michel Foucault out of Poland in the 1950s – and is based on secret police documents uncovered by author Remigiusz Ryziński.

Foucault came to Poland to work on his thesis – which was later published as The History of Madness – in 1958. Whilst he was in Poland, he became involved with members of the gay community, including a mysterious ‘Jurek’ – who later turned Foucault in to the secret police, and forced him to leave the country.

Foucault in Warsaw, Ryziński’s literary non-fiction debut, is a gripping tale of secret identities and hidden motivations, as well as a detailed snapshot of gay life in Poland under communism. It was nominated for Poland’s illustrious Nike Literary Award.

The book looks set to be another success for Sean Gasper Bye, whose translation of The King of Warsaw, a novel by Szczepan Twardoch, received acclaim from The New York Times, The European Literature Network and others.

_{^{Foucault in Warsaw, by Remigiusz Ryziński’. Translated by Sean Gasper Bye. Published by: Open Letter Books. Publication date: June 2021.}}

I Saw a Beautiful Woodpecker

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Illustration from 'I Saw a Beautiful Woodpecker' by Michał Skibiński, translated by Eliza Marciniak, photo: Dwie Siostry

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From caterpillars to ice cream cones, and from walks with family to football, this diary is a magical glimpse of the world through the innocent eyes of an 8-year-old boy named Michał.

Told to write a sentence a day by a teacher to help improve his handwriting, Michał records – with childish simplicity – the everyday events of one ordinary Polish summer.

But then, the diary takes an ominous turn.

In August, planes appear in the sky. In September, Michał hides from the planes. Then he writes that Warsaw is defending itself.

It is summer, 1939.

In fact, Michał was a real boy – Michał Skibiński – who survived the war and still lives today. The book, which includes reproduced entries of the original notebook alongside commissioned illustrations by Ala Bankroft, acts as a documentary of the period, and provides a snapshot of everyday life among the trauma of war.

The book has already received acclaim, with recognition at the International Book Fair in Bologna, the largest and most important book fair for children and young people in the world. The English translation has been prepared by Eliza Marciniak.

_{^{I Saw a Beautiful Woodpecker, by Michał Skibiński. Translated by Eliza Marciniak. Published by: Prestel Junior, part of Random House Group. Publication date: October 2021.}}

And more...

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Jakub Żulczyk, photo: Marcin Kalinski / Wprost / PAP

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If you can’t get enough Polish literature (we know we can’t), there are plenty of other books to look forward to this year, too.

One of the most anticipated reads, which is set to be released in November (for UK readers, and February for US readers), is Tokarczuk's magnum opus The Books of Jacob. Tokarczuk's tome has been meticulously translated by Jennifer Croft, who has worked on the book for the last few years, including researching and consulting with experts. The book, which has over 900 pages, recounts the story of Polish-Jewish religious leader and charismatic mystic Jacob Frank.

In April, an English translation of Jakub Żulczyk’s gripping thriller The Institute will also be published, translated by Danuta Stok. Residents of one apartment building are suddenly cut off from the world, unable to leave the premises and with no access to the internet The shutdown is part of a strange game organised by the unknown ‘THEY’ – but as paranoia takes hold, tempers begin to fray in the apartment, and residents eventually turn on each other.

In May, Riding History to Death – a translation of the memoirs of leading 20th-century Polish dissident Karol Modzelewski – will be published. The book has been translated by Frank L. Vigoda, with an introduction by Irena Grudzińska Gross, and traces Modzelewski’s life as a political activist.

And, in November, Ganbare!: Workshops on Dying - by reporter Katarzyna Boni - is set to be released, translated by Mark Ordon. The book is another significant example of the rich history of Polish reportage, and covers those affected by the 2011 Fukushima disaster, as well as Japanese traditions around death and mourning.

And there are also some translations which have already been published. Earlier this year, Defence Mechanism – an English translation of Krzysztof Siwczyk’s one-act poem ‘Mechanizm obronny’ – was published, translated by Piotr Florczyk, winner of the Found in Translation Award. The Beckettian piece, which is split into separate acts thanks to stage directions, confronts questions around existence and language, as well as poetic form.

It seems that despite the difficulties offered the literary world due to the pandemic, people’s appetite for a good read has not wavered. Here’s to plenty more Polish books in translation to come, whatever the future may bring!

Written by Juliette Bretan, Jan 2021

Language English

contemporary literature

english translations of polish literature

literature in translation

Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese

bill johnston

Eliza Marciniak