She was born in 1960. She graduated in graphic design from the Fine Arts Department at the Mikołaj Kopernik University in Toruń, where she now lives and works: she teaches Creative Writing at the Department of Fine Arts. She is a laureate of numerous international awards. One of the most important so far was the Golden Apple Award of the Book Illustration Biennale in Bratislava for Thinking ABC, a book that teaches Korean children English through imagery and she also received the 'illustrator's Oscar' , that is the Bologna Ragazzi Award for Eyes, a beautiful fairy tale in which the eyes are a guide to explore and experience the world through our senses.
She is the only Polish author to have a fan club in South Korea. She often visits there and teaches classes for students in Seoul, and she meets with her readers, who have discovered a great deal about Polish culture and the history of Toruń, the background of one of her books. About being a writer and her unwavering popularity in far-off Asia, Iwona Chmielewska spoke to Gazeta Wyborcza in an interview:
Apparently, fans eagerly await every one of my new books. Once, I was even recognized on the street in Seoul, a city of nearly 20 million inhabitants, and passers-by wanted to be photographed with me. I have had many ‘meet the author’ sessions in South Korea, Seoul and other distant places, in libraries, museums, bookshops. I am always surprised by the number of readers who not only listen and observe but also note down what I say, and ask very interesting questions. They come prepared, often from distant places, just to see me and participate in the sessions. Sometimes there are unexpected situations like when entire families come and recite my works from memory or when a teacher from outside of Seoul plays a musical piece that was composed in honour of one of my books, which was very important to her (…)
In her books, Chmielewska poses fundamental questions to readers from every country and of all ages. They are intelligent, tasteful, graphically refined and very well-designed. The books feature short, concise texts and images that suck the reader into a form of visual play.
Blumka’s Diary explores Warsaw through the prism of Janusz Korczak. Connecting fact and fiction, reminding us about the fate that met the children from the House of Orphans, the Old Doctor and Mrs. Stefa. The book was co-published by the German publishing house Gimpel Verlag and was released on the 70th anniversary of Janusz Korczak’s death. In an interview with Sebastian Frąckiewicz, Iwona Chmielewska admits that Blumka’s Diary changed a great deal in her professional life and significantly improved her situation in Poland. The book came out simultaneously in Poland and in Germany, and copyrights to the book were also purchased in South Korea. On the website clubmamy.pl, the author explains the importance of images in a picture book:
Illustrations often lead to a more intriguing, separate story that diverges from the text. In order to bring out new meaning from the words and not impose any interpretation of the text on the reader. I’m not too fond of perfect images, in which the artist displays their virtuosity, leaving no room for the reader’s imagination. Such ideal illustrations are something concluded – you can admire them, but you cannot enter into a dialogue with them. Picture books should be made in such a way so that the readers can become their co-author, so that they are given the chance to go through some very intimate emotions, so that they can confront their problems or fears. Images let us omit the trivialization of language , therefore we can touch upon subjects we don’t necessarily want to speak out about. Images can often replace a thousand words. The text in such books is usually short and simple. You need to connect different pieces of the illustrations, add what is merely suggested, let yourself join the visual-wordplay, sometimes search for an answer between the words or guess the hidden meaning, somewhere behind the drawn wall or window.
'Such books ennoble children’s literature’
Four Ordinary Bowls, photo: courtesy of Wydawnictwo Format In 2011, the book A House of the Mind: Maum with Iwona Chmielewska’s illustrations and Kim Hee-Kyung’s text (published by Changbi Publishers, South Korea) received the Grand Prize at the Bologna Ragazzi Award in the category: Non-Fiction. The jury gave credit to the publication for its abstract, geometrical forms created with painterly mastery.
The allusory illustrations establish a philosophical dialogue with the protagonists, yet the 16th century abstract paintings allow us to see nooks and behind closed chamber doors. All in this completely different, unpretentious book – from gestures, through dreams and memories, up to the featured quotes – is filled with a specific vision of the world. A vision that is extremely intense and yet somewhat diluted – a bit like the space inside these illustrations and likewise – demanding time for contemplation. Books such as this one ennoble children’s literature. They show that Gaston Bachelard’s formula of ‘the right to dream’ consists of hard work, a clear vision and extensive scientific research.
In 2014, the first Polish edition of Two People was published, a book about relationship that was previously released by Sakeyjul publishing house in South Korea in 2008. The same publisher also released Chmielewska’s other book: Blue Stick, Blue Box. Two People was also released in Spain. In Poland, you can also come across The Four Directions of Time, a vivid story about Torun’s history, one of the oldest towns in Poland as well as In A Pocket, about what is hidden in children’s pockets. On Those Who Self-Develop and Four Ordinary Bowls can also be found in Polish bookstores. "You can write a book about anything. And everything might come in handy. Even four ordinary bowls..." Chmielewska begins her artistic/literary story. This is a simple book, ascetical in form and ecological in spirit, about an important social issue, that is, the distribution of goods in the world.
