Jacek Dukaj
Encyclopedia
Jacek Dukaj is a Polish
science fiction
writer. Winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award
(2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010), Śląkfa
(2007), Żuławski Award (2008, 2010, 2011), Kościelski Award
(2008) and the European Union Prize for Literature
(2009).
Dukaj studied philosophy
at the Jagiellonian University
. The first science fiction
story he read was The Investigation
by Stanisław Lem, which inspired him to write his own stories in that genre
. He successfully debuted at the age of 16 with a short story Złota Galera (Golden Galley). Winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award
for 2001 for his novel
Czarne oceany (Black Oceans), for 2003 for his novel Inne pieśni (Different Chants), for 2004 for his novel Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość (An Ideal Imperfection), for 2007 for the novel Lód
(Ice) and for 2000 for short story
Katedra
(The Cathedral). A short
animated movie
by Tomasz Bagiński
based on this short story was nominated to Academy Award in 2003.
His short stories have been translated into English, German, Russian, Czech, Hungarian. His first story, "Golden Galley," was translated into English by Wiesiek Powaga and published in The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy. Michael Kandel
's translation of "The Iron General" has been published in A Polish Book of Monsters and his translation of fragments of "The Cathedral" into English
is available online. "The Apocrypha of Lem", a mock-review in Borges' tradition, written as a afterword for reedition of Lem's "A Perfect Vacuum", was published in "Lemistry", translated by Danusia Stok.
He is known for the complexity of his books, and it is often said that a single short story of Dukaj contains more ideas than many other writers put into their books in their lifetime. Popular themes in his works include the technological singularity
, nanotechnology
and virtual reality
, and thus his books often can be classified as hard science fiction
. Among his favorite writers is Australia
n writer Greg Egan
, and Dukaj's books bear some resemblance to Egan's, or to the likes of David Brin
's, although his stylistic brio makes him as much a 'literary' as a 'hard science fiction' writer.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer. Winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award
Janusz A. Zajdel Award
The Janusz A. Zajdel Award , often called just Zajdel,is the annual award given by the Polish science fiction and fantasy fandom for the best stories published in the previous year...
(2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010), Śląkfa
Slakfa
Śląkfa is the oldest of Polish science fiction and fantasy award, although less known than the Janusz A. Zajdel Award. It is awarded by the Silesian Fantasy Club , the oldest of still-active Polish fandom organizations. The award has been first presented in 1983....
(2007), Żuławski Award (2008, 2010, 2011), Kościelski Award
Koscielski Award
The Kościelski Award is an independent Polish literary award, awarded since 1962 by the Geneva-based Kościelski Foundation. The jury issues annual awards to "promising writers" 40 years of age or younger...
(2008) and the European Union Prize for Literature
European Union Prize for Literature
European Union Prize for Literature is a European Union literary award. The award is funded and founded by the Culture Programme of the European Union, and is coordinated by a Consortium, selected by a Commission. The Consortium is composed of the European Booksellers Federation, the European...
(2009).
Career
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
. The first science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
story he read was The Investigation
The Investigation
The Investigation is a science fiction/mystery novel by the Polish writer Stanisław Lem, published in 1959....
by Stanisław Lem, which inspired him to write his own stories in that genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
. He successfully debuted at the age of 16 with a short story Złota Galera (Golden Galley). Winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award
Janusz A. Zajdel Award
The Janusz A. Zajdel Award , often called just Zajdel,is the annual award given by the Polish science fiction and fantasy fandom for the best stories published in the previous year...
for 2001 for his novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Czarne oceany (Black Oceans), for 2003 for his novel Inne pieśni (Different Chants), for 2004 for his novel Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość (An Ideal Imperfection), for 2007 for the novel Lód
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
(Ice) and for 2000 for short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
Katedra
The Cathedral
The Cathedral is the title of a science fiction short story by Jacek Dukaj, winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award in 2000; and of a 2002 short animated movie by Tomasz Bagiński, based on the story, made in 3ds max . The film was nominated in 2002 for the Academy Award for Animated Short Film for...
(The Cathedral). A short
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
animated movie
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
by Tomasz Bagiński
Tomasz Baginski
Tomasz Bagiński a Polish illustrator, animator and director. He is a self-taught artist.-Works:His first film Rain has won a couple of local awards and became the passport to Platige Image company, in which he is a creative director...
based on this short story was nominated to Academy Award in 2003.
His short stories have been translated into English, German, Russian, Czech, Hungarian. His first story, "Golden Galley," was translated into English by Wiesiek Powaga and published in The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy. Michael Kandel
Michael Kandel
Michael Kandel is an American translator and author of science fiction. He received a doctorate in Slavistics from Indiana University, and is an editor at the Modern Language Association. Kandel is also a part-time editor at Harcourt, editing Ursula K...
's translation of "The Iron General" has been published in A Polish Book of Monsters and his translation of fragments of "The Cathedral" into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is available online. "The Apocrypha of Lem", a mock-review in Borges' tradition, written as a afterword for reedition of Lem's "A Perfect Vacuum", was published in "Lemistry", translated by Danusia Stok.
He is known for the complexity of his books, and it is often said that a single short story of Dukaj contains more ideas than many other writers put into their books in their lifetime. Popular themes in his works include the technological singularity
Technological singularity
Technological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as...
, nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
and virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
, and thus his books often can be classified as hard science fiction
Hard science fiction
Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Islands of Space in Astounding Science...
. Among his favorite writers is Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n writer Greg Egan
Greg Egan
Greg Egan is an Australian science fiction author.Egan published his first work in 1983. He specialises in hard science fiction stories with mathematical and quantum ontology themes, including the nature of consciousness...
, and Dukaj's books bear some resemblance to Egan's, or to the likes of David Brin
David Brin
Glen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:...
's, although his stylistic brio makes him as much a 'literary' as a 'hard science fiction' writer.
Novels
- Xavras WyżrynXavras WyzrynXavras Wyżryn is an alternate history novel written in 1996, published in 1997, by Jacek Dukaj, famous Polish science fiction writer. It is considered as one of the best Polish alternate history novels, discussing Polish martyrology, circling around the philosophical aspects of war, showing the...
(SuperNOWA 1997, contains two short novels - Xavras Wyżryn and Zanim noc)- "Zanim Noc" (Before the Night) (short novel in Xavras Wyżryn) - during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a Polish collaborator is changed by a haunted house, becoming an entity that can move through the fourth dimension.
- "Zanim Noc" (Before the Night) (short novel in Xavras Wyżryn) - during World War II
- Aguerre w świcie (Aguerre at Dawn) (short novel in anthologies Wizje Alternatywne 3, Solaris 2001 and reprinted in Król Bólu, Wydawnictwo Literackie, 2010)
- Czarne oceany (Black Oceans) (SuperNOWA 2001) - in the mid-21st century, an event resembling technological singularityTechnological singularityTechnological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as...
suddenly takes place, with Earth being transformed into a bizarre world. - Córka łupieżcy (The Plunderer's Daughter) (short novel in anthology Wizje Alternatywne 4, Solaris 2002). Daughter of an archeologist is forced to hide in The City - an uninhabited, multidimentional alien city, that seems to be the 'essence of all cities'.
- ExtensaExtensaExtensa is a novel written in 2002 by Jacek Dukaj, Polish science fiction writer and published in Poland by Wydawnictwo Literackie. The novel fits in the hard science fiction genre, describing a post-singularity society, where some humans have evolved further while others chose to remain behind.As...
(Extensa) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2002) - in a post-technological singularity world, some people have chosen to remain unchanged and 'just human'. This is a story of one of them. - Inne pieśni (translated as Different Chants or Other Songs) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2003) - in this alternate Earth, people can change the reality with their thoughts. The Earth is divided into several empires, each controlled by a kratistos - a former human with demigodDemigodThe term "demigod" , meaning "half-god", is commonly used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human; as such, demigods are human-god hybrids...
abilities, who has proven to have the most powerful mind and is able to warp reality within his domain. When the Earth is attacked by aliens, a former nobody, merchant, starts on a path to become somebody much more. - Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość (An Ideal Imperfection) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2004) - a 21st century astronaut is revived several centuries later, in a post-technological singularity world. First in the planned trilogy, this book chronicles how he is caught in the web of a transgalactic intrigue. In a world were a dedicated universes are evolved just to create a more potent weapon, can a normal human become anything more than a toy of a vastly more intelligent beings?
- IceIce (Dukaj novel)Ice is a Janusz A. Zajdel and Kościelski awards-winning novel written in 2007 by the Polish science fiction writer Jacek Dukaj, published in Poland by Wydawnictwo Literackie...
(Lód) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2007) - alternate history; There were no World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, in 1924 Poland is still under the reign of Russia. Benedykt Gierosławski, talented mathematician, but also compulsive gambler has been sent to the Siberia, to bring his father back to the country. It is said that he is somehow connected with lute - Angels of Frost. - WroniecWroniec (book)Wroniec is a fantasy novel published in 2009 by the Polish science fiction writer Jacek Dukaj, published in Poland by Wydawnictwo Literackie. The novel has been extensivly illustrated by Jakub Jabłoński. The novel was nominated for the prime Polish award for science-fiction literature, Janusz A....
(The Crowe) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2009) - illustrated fairy tale about the Martial Law in Poland (1981), told from the perspective of little boy, kind of darker version of "Alice in Wonderland" set in Polish history, with wild wordplays, rhymes, songs etc. - Baśń (The Tale) (likely an abandoned project, snippets of which have been available at Dukaj's website) - when our Earth establishes a trans-dimensional portal to another planet, one where magic exists, secret agents are first sent to gather information on this new place and steal knowledge and artifacts.
Short story collections
- W kraju niewiernych (In the Land of the Unfaithful) (SuperNOWA 2000):
- "Ruch Generała" (The Iron General) - In a world where magic is treated with scientific rigour, and which has achieved a level of development of 21st century Earth, an old, civilized country is facing increasing troubles with a larger, restless and more primitive neighbour. Note that the title in the official translation is "The Iron General," although the Polish title literally translates as the "General's Move."
- "IACTE" - On a space colony, there is a place where dreams can become a reality, and a revived Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
hunter sets on the trail of a vampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
. - "Irrehaare" - In a full immersion, virtual realityVirtual realityVirtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
multiverse, something has gone terribly wrong. For months now, players cannot log out, and are engaged in a war against the Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
attempting to take control of this VR universe. When a new, strange player appears, one with powerful abilities but suffering from amnesiaAmnesiaAmnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
, the plot quickly thickens. - "Muchobójca" (Flykiller) - In space and on space colonies, there are ghosts. And where there are ghosts, there will be exorcistExorcistIn some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demons. A priest, a nun, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
s. However, can human-trained exorcist deal with magic that evolved elsewhere? - "Ziemia Chrystusa" (Christ's Earth) - After one Earth civilization has discovered how to travel to parallel universeParallel universe (fiction)A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
s, this technology was captured by another. Now there are several parallel civilisations, existing in uneasy truce, each trying to subjugate more parallel Earths and gain an upper hand in this multi-dimensional cold war. When a new Earth is discovered, an expedition is sent to scout it. And this new Earth seems truly unique: JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
never died and people do not believe in GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
- because they know he exists... - "Katedra" (The CathedralThe CathedralThe Cathedral is the title of a science fiction short story by Jacek Dukaj, winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award in 2000; and of a 2002 short animated movie by Tomasz Bagiński, based on the story, made in 3ds max . The film was nominated in 2002 for the Academy Award for Animated Short Film for...
) - A CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest arrives on one of the JupiterJupiterJupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
's moons, to investigate an alien artifact that resembles a gigantic GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
cathedral. - "Medjugorje" - Can money buy everything? A certain billionaire thinks so, as he employs teams of mercenaries using advanced technology to attempt to 'steal' a God-sent revelationRevelationIn religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
and transmit this vision to himself... See also Međugorje. - "In partibus infidelium" - After humanity makes contact with other space-faring civilizations, ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
spreads far and wide. Humans become just a minority of believers and an alien is elected a popePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
... Note that 'in partibus infidelium' in fact translates as 'in the land of the unbelievers' which is the title of the anthology it was published in.
- Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe (Xavras Wyżryn and Other National Fictions) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2004):
- "Xavras WyżrynXavras WyzrynXavras Wyżryn is an alternate history novel written in 1996, published in 1997, by Jacek Dukaj, famous Polish science fiction writer. It is considered as one of the best Polish alternate history novels, discussing Polish martyrology, circling around the philosophical aspects of war, showing the...
" - In this alternate history, Soviet Union triumphed in the Polish-Soviet War. In the mid-1990s a US journalist is accompanying Polish partisans as they capture a nuclear warhead and smuggle it towards MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
... - "Sprawa Rudryka Z." (The Case of Rudryk Z.). The story is the dialogueDialogueDialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
of persecutorPersecutionPersecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
and the defenderDefense (legal)In civil proceedings and criminal prosecutions under the common law, a defendant may raise a defense in an attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability...
in a trialTrial (law)In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
of Rudryk Zlatk, a Macedonian dictator guilty of many crimes against humanityCrime against humanityCrimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
apprehended by the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. There is, however, a slight problem with the accused. He is but one of the twelve cloneMolecular cloningMolecular cloning refers to a set of experimental methods in molecular biology that are used to assemble recombinant DNA molecules and to direct their replication within host organisms...
s of Rudryk. - "Przyjaciel prawdy" (Friend of the Truth) Antisemitism is a difficult subject. This is a story of a person who comes to believe that Jews have superior genetics - and for that suggestion is accused of antisemitism by his friends.
- "Gotyk" (Gothic). 19th century alternate history, golemGolemIn Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
as the main hero of the story and science-fiction continuation of KordianKordianKordian is a drama written in 1833, and published in 1834, by Juliusz Słowacki, one of the "Three Bards" of Polish literature. Kordian is one of the most notable works of Polish Romanticism and drama, , PWN Encyklopedia and is considered one of Słowacki's best works.-History:Słowacki began work on...
by Juliusz Słowacki.
- "Xavras Wyżryn
- Król Bólu (King of Pain) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2010):
- "Linia Oporu" (Line of Resistance) - Singularity will come or will not come, but anyway we all already live in its shadow. In a society of free luxury based on the creative economy the only scarce, priceless commodity is the meaning of life. The main character is a creative "producing" the meanings of life: creating for people their "lines of resistance". What do you live for, when you can have everything at will, including immortality? The novel is written in a unique style of "ADHD narration", reflecting the way we perceive reality in the information-saturated world; only the parts taking place in virtual worlds are written in classic, "epic" style.
- "Oko Potwora" (The Eye of the Monster) - A retro-SF: space adventure in the future taken from SF of 1950s, especially Stanisław Lem's early stories. During a solar storm the crew of an old freighter encounters strange artificial intelligence born from chaos, kind of archaic Boltzmann's Brain.
- "Szkoła" (School) - dark, pessimistic, cyberpunkCyberpunkCyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
. A child orphan from Latin America is subject to scientific experiments, turning him into part-human, part-alien: a mental bridge, which is the only way to "understand" aliens. This story can be described as Dukaj's mixture of AkiraAkiraAkira may refer to:*Akira , a 1980s cyberpunk manga by Katsuhiro Otomo**Akira , a 1988 anime film adaptation of the manga...
, Blade RunnerBlade RunnerBlade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
, Flowers for AlgernonFlowers for AlgernonFlowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960...
and A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
. - "Aguerre w świcie" (Aguerre at Dawn). Humans have spread through the stars, thanks to 'gleiotic's - humans who gained the power to manipulate space-time. When one of them is killed in a mysterious way, the resulting investigation will shake the foundation of human civilization, touching on such issues as first contactFirst contact (science fiction)First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
and conspiracy theoryConspiracy theoryA conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
- of course, in a post-technological singularityTechnological singularityTechnological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as...
setting. - "Serce Mroku" (Heart of Darkness). This is a retelling of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" set on an alien planet, in an alternate history in which Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
won World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Years later, in a multi-sided Cold WarCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, United States and Japan achieve interstellar flight capability and struggle over the control of a new space colony. A German special forces agent arrives on a planet and is immediately sent with the mission into the wilderness to assassinate a rebellious UntermenschUntermenschUntermensch is a term that became infamous when the Nazi racial ideology used it to describe "inferior people", especially "the masses from the East," that is Jews, Gypsies, Poles along with other Slavic people like the Russians, Serbs, Belarussians and Ukrainians...
. Author's note: best read with RammsteinRammsteinRammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
music in the background. - "Crux" - Futuristic nanotechnology and neo-sarmatian story of Polish inner-city ghetto uprising.
- "Król Bólu i pasikonik" (King of Pain and a Grasshopper) - World is divided between the zones of various artificial genetics (AG). AG is a weapon, a politics, a passport and a medium of semi-intelligent evolution. King of Pain is born as a "collateral dammage" of AG: unique neuroplasticity allows him to manipulate people, but at the same time causes constant pain in contact with people and material objects. But he operates through bodies of others, "lives by proxy" - since it's impossible to travel from one genetics to another, people developed the technology of borrowing and tele-controlling bodies of others.
- "Piołunnik" (Wormwood) - in the time of People's Republic of PolandPeople's Republic of PolandThe People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, an agent for the secret police deals with ChernobylChernobylChernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
coverup - and resurrections, as enthropy reverses itself and all history "shrinks" to one point, timeless "Poland eternal".
Short stories
- "Złota Galera" (Golden Galley), "FantastykaFantastykaFantastyka , is a Polish speculative fiction monthly fantasy and science fiction magazine....
" 2/1990, anthology Jawnogrzesznica, anthology Miłosne dotknięcie nowego wieku, anthology The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy) - Dukaj's first short story. Hell is a spaceship and it is on collision course with Earth... - "Smierć matadora" (Death of a Matador) ("FantastykaFantastykaFantastyka , is a Polish speculative fiction monthly fantasy and science fiction magazine....
" 1/1991, anthology Co większe muchy). - "Opętani" (Possessed) ("FenixFenix (magazine)Fenix was a Polish science fiction magazine published from 1990 to 2001.-See also:* Science fiction magazine* Fantasy fiction magazine* Horror fiction magazine...
" 1/1991) - "Książę mroku musi umrzeć" (The Prince of Darkness Must Die) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 12/1991, Hungarian translation in "Galaktika" 7/1992) - the motif of Heaven fighting Hell is common. But much less so is the vision of the aftermath. The story of the last devil.
- "Korporacja Mesjasz" (Corporation Messiah) (anthology Czarna Msza, Rebis 1992) - When hell and business engage in economic warfare....
- "Panie, pobłogosław morderców" (God, Bless the Murderers) ("FenixFenix (magazine)Fenix was a Polish science fiction magazine published from 1990 to 2001.-See also:* Science fiction magazine* Fantasy fiction magazine* Horror fiction magazine...
" 2/1993) - "Wszystkie nasze ciemne sprawy" (All of Our Dark Deeds) ("Voyager" #6)
- "Irrehaare" ("Nowa Fantastyka" 6,7/1995, anthology W kraju niewiernych) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Wielkie podzielenie" (The Great Divide) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 3/1996) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Szkoła" (School) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 11/1996, anthology Król Bólu) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Ziemia Chrystusa" (Christ's Earth) (anthology Wizje alternatywne 2, Zysk i S-ka 1997, anthology W kraju niewiernych) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "IACTE" (anthology Wizje alternatywne 2, Zysk i S-ka 1997, anthology W kraju niewiernych) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Ponieważ kot" (Because the Cat) (anthology Trzynaście kotów)
- "Serce Mroku" (Heart of Darkness) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 11/1998, anthology "Król Bólu") - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Ruch Generała" (The Iron General) (anthology W kraju niewiernych, anthology A Polish Book of Monsters) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Muchobójca" (Flykiller) (anthology W kraju niewiernych) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Katedra" (The Cathedral) (anthology W kraju niewiernych, album Katedra, Czech translation in Ikarie 11/2002) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Medjugorje" (anthology W kraju niewiernych) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "In partibus infidelium" (anthology W kraju niewiernych) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Gotyk" (Gothic) (anthology Strefa Mroku, anthology Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Sprawa Rudryka Z." (The Case of Rudryk Z.) (anthology Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Przyjaciel prawdy" (Friend of the Truth) (anthology Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Crux" (anthology PL+50. Historie przyszłości, Wydawnictwo Literackie 2004) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Diabeł w strukturze" (Devil in the Struture, anthology Trupy Polskie, Wydawnictwo EMG 2005)
- "Kto napisał Stanisława Lema?" (Who wrote Stanisław Lem, attached to the 2008 edition of A Perfect VacuumA Perfect VacuumA Perfect Vacuum is a 1971 book by Polish author Stanisław Lem. It is an anthology of reviews of nonexistent books. It was translated into English by Michael Kandel...
) - Review of the fictional 2071 book about post hominem Stanisław Lem's. - "Linia Oporu" (Line of Resistance, anthology Król Bólu) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Oko Potwora" (The Eye of the Monster, anthology Król Bólu) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Król Bólu i pasikonik" (King of Pain and a Grasshopper, anthology Król Bólu - description available in the "Short story collections" section above
- "Piołunnik" (Wormwood, anthology Król Bólu) - description available in the "Short story collections" section above