Science fiction and fantasy in Poland
Encyclopedia
People's Republic of Poland
The 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...
, social science fiction
Social science fiction
Social science fiction is a term used to describe a subgenre of science fiction concerned less with technology and space opera and more with sociological speculation about human society...
was a very popular 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...
of 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...
. Afterwards, many others gained prominence. Currently there are many science fiction writers in Poland. Internationally, the best known Polish science fiction writer is Stanisław Lem. As elsewhere, Polish science fiction is closely related to the genres of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and others. Although many English language
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...
writers have been translated into Polish, relatively little Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
science fiction (or fantasy) has been translated into English.
History
Science fiction in Poland started in the late 18th century during the Polish EnlightenmentEnlightenment in Poland
The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment in Poland were developed later than in the Western Europe, as Polish bourgeoisie was weaker, and szlachta culture together with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth political system were in deep crisis...
, when Michał Dymitr Krajewski wrote a novel about the adventures of a Pole on the Moon. In the mid-19th century, during the age of romanticism in Poland
Romanticism in Poland
Romanticism in Poland was a literary, artistic and intellectual period in the evolution of Polish culture that began around 1820, coinciding with the publication of Adam Mickiewicz's first poems in 1822. It ended with the suppression of the January 1863 Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1864. ...
, Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
, reckoned by many to be Poland's top poet, also worked on a Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
-like science fiction novel A History of the Future, but never published it (only a few fragments remain). Later in the same century, the period of positivism in Poland
Positivism in Poland
Positivism in Poland was a socio-cultural movement that defined progressive thought in literature and social sciences of Partitioned Poland following the suppression of the 1863 January Uprising against the occupying army of Imperial Russia...
saw several writers explore themes similar to Verne and H.G. Wells, among them Władysław Umiński, Włodzimierz Zagórski and Sygurd Wiśniowski. However, perhaps the most famous Polish writer of the time, Bolesław Prus, used science fiction elements in his mainstream fiction. For example, his novel Lalka includes a "mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
" as well as a "lighter-than-air" metal. Similar themes are seen in the works of Prus's colleague, Stefan Żeromski
Stefan Zeromski
Stefan Żeromski was a Polish novelist and dramatist. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under the pen names: Maurycy Zych, Józef Katerla and Stefan Iksmoreż.- Life :...
, with his 'houses of glass' in Przedwiośnie, and his death ray
Death ray
The death ray or death beam was a theoretical particle beam or electromagnetic weapon of the 1920s through the 1930s that was claimed to have been invented independently by Nikola Tesla, Edwin R. Scott, Harry Grindell Matthews, and Graichen, as well as others...
s in Róża.
In the early 20th century Jerzy Żuławski was probably the most popular Polish science fiction author, with his Lunar Trilogy (Trylogia księżycowa), a masterpiece for its time and place of composition. Similar works were created by Tadeusz Konczyński, Wacław Gąsiorowski and Maria Julia Zaleska
Maria Julia Zaleska
Maria Julia Zaleska de domo Perłowska was a Polish writer, prosaist and publicist...
. In the reborn Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
other writers followed in this genre. Edmund Kruger and Kazimierz Andrzej Czyżowski were known for his many books addressed to the younger audience; Bruno Winawer
Bruno Winawer
Bruno Winawer was a Polish comedy and prose writer, a journalist and physicist. He was the author of popular social comedies, often based on scientific themes, numerous feuilletons on popular science and literature and a writer of early science fiction stories....
for his satirical take and Jerzy Rychliński and Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski
Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski
Antoni Ferdynand Ossendowski was a Polish writer, journalist, traveler, globetrotter, explorer and university professor...
for their catastrophic vision of future war. Finally, Antoni Słonimski's Dwa końce świata (Two Ends of the World) is perhaps the best known dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n work of the time.
After World War II
World War II
World 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...
, in the first decade of the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The 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...
, science fiction was used as a propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
tool by the communist regime, with its main purpose being to show the "bright future" of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. Only after Stalin's death were Polish writers to gain more leeway and start questioning the reality around them, albeit always struggling against censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. At that time the undisputed leader of Polish science fiction was Stanisław Lem, who first questioned the regime's actions in his Memoirs Found in a Bathtub
Memoirs Found in a Bathtub
Memoirs Found in a Bathtub is a science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem, First published English in 1973 , a second edition was published in 1986...
. He was followed by Janusz A. Zajdel, Konrad Fiałkowski and Czesław Chruszczewski, and from the mid-70s for a short period by the acclaimed writings of Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg
Adam Wisniewski-Snerg
Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg was a Polish science fiction author. He was born in Płock, Poland.Although unpopular during his life, after his suicide he became recognized as one of the most significant authors of Polish SF...
.
People's Republic of Poland
The 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...
; this is seen as a Polish subgenre of social science fiction
Social science fiction
Social science fiction is a term used to describe a subgenre of science fiction concerned less with technology and space opera and more with sociological speculation about human society...
. It focuses on the development of societies dominated by totalitarian
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
governments. The genre is dominated by Janusz A. Zajdel (Limes Inferior
Limes inferior
Limes inferior is a social science fiction dystopian novel written in 1982 by the Polish author Janusz A. Zajdel. Limes inferior, one of Zajdel's best known works, is a dystopia showing a grim vision of a future society resulting from a merger of the two systems competing at the time - communism...
, Paradyzja
Paradyzja
Paradyzja is a 1984 science fiction novel by Janusz A. Zajdel.It is a dystopian novel similar to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. The space colonies are more or less federated with the Earth. Human rights are observed and respected everywhere, but Paradise has not been verified for sure...
), Edmund Wnuk-Lipiński
Edmund Wnuk-Lipinski
Edmund Wnuk-Lipiński , professor of Sociology, is the founder and first head of the Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Political Studies, Rector of Collegium Civitas in Warsaw. He was a Fellow at the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna, the University of Notre Dame, and Wissenschaftskolleg...
(Apostezjon trilogy), Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg
Adam Wisniewski-Snerg
Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg was a Polish science fiction author. He was born in Płock, Poland.Although unpopular during his life, after his suicide he became recognized as one of the most significant authors of Polish SF...
and Marek Oramus
Marek Oramus
Marek Oramus is a Polish science fiction writer and journalist. He graduated from the Silesian University of Technology in 1975. Most of his books and stories belong to the social science fiction genre and were written in the 1990s...
. Some works by Stanisław Lem can also be classified within this genre. The fantastical settings of books of this genre were usually only a pretext for analysing the structure of Polish society, and were always full of allusions to reality. After the revolutions of 1989
Revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989 were the revolutions which overthrew the communist regimes in various Central and Eastern European countries.The events began in Poland in 1989, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and...
, when the use of real world examples in fiction became safe in former Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
countries, the genre largely transformed itself into political fiction
Political fiction
Political fiction is a subgenre of fiction that deals with political affairs. Political fiction has often used narrative to provide commentary on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction often "directly criticize an existing society or.....
, represented by writers such as Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz, although an echo is visible in the 1990s dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
/hard sf duology by Tomasz Kołodziejczak.
Polish fantasy began to appear in the late 1980s; however it was not until the first publications by Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski, born 21 June 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his best-selling book series The Witcher.-Biography:...
(The Witcher
The Witcher
The Witcher, or , by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski is a cult series of fantasy short stories and five novels about the witcher Geralt of Rivia...
saga) and Feliks W. Kres
Feliks W. Kres
Feliks Wiktor Kres is a popular Polish fantasy writer. He debuted with his short story "Mag" , submitted to a writing contest of the Fantastyka magazine. Since then, he has published seven novels and dozens of short stories...
(the world of Szerer) in the late 1980s/early 1990s that Poland acquired its first true 'fantasy' writers. Another fantasy series of that time was authored by Konrad Lewandowski. The 1980s were also the time Polish comics
Polish comics
Polish comics are comics written and produced in Poland. Very few of these comics have been published in languages other than Polish.- History :...
dealing with fantasy and science fiction were released, such as 'The Witcher' comic book, and the science fiction series Funky Koval
Funky Koval
Funky Koval is a 3-part Polish science fiction/detective story/political fiction genre comic book published in People's Republic of Poland in the 1980s. It gained a cult following and is still recognized as one of the best Polish comics.-History:...
.
In the 1990s there was an explosion of translations, primarily from the Western (English language) literature. The major Polish publishing house specializing in Polish science fiction and fantasy literature was SuperNOWA. The scene was transformed around and after 2002, with SuperNOWA losing its dominant position, and many new Polish writers, the "2002 generation", appearing. An increasing number of translations from non-English speaking countries (Russian, Ukrainian, Czech) has been noticeable as well.
Currently, much of Polish science fiction and fantasy resembles that familiar to English-language writers. There are many science fiction writers as well as fantasy writers in Poland, and their works vary from alternate histories
Alternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...
to 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...
. The best internationally-known Polish science fiction writer is undoubtedly Stanisław Lem, although many others can be considered world-class, with their books being translated into many (mostly European) languages. Relatively little Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
science fiction and fantasy has been translated into English, even though countless English language
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...
writers have been translated into Polish.
Modern writers
- Ewa Białołęcka
- Anna Brzezińska: one of the youngest Polish writers, known for her ongoing fantasy saga, the first book of which (Zbójecki Gościniec) was released in 1999.
- Eugeniusz DębskiEugeniusz DebskiEugeniusz Dębski is a Polish science-fiction writer and translator of Russian literature. Born January 26, 1952 in Truskawiec, early in his life he moved to Wrocław where he graduated from the Russian faculty of the Wrocław University...
: a writer of fantasy and science fiction, best known for two series—the science fiction detective stories of Owen Yeates and the humorous adventures of a 'chameleon knight', Hondelyk. - Jacek DukajJacek DukajJacek Dukaj is a Polish science fiction writer. Winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award , Śląkfa , Żuławski Award , Kościelski Award and the European Union Prize for Literature .-Career:Dukaj studied philosophy at the Jagiellonian University...
: one of the most acclaimed writers of the 1990s and 2000s, and winner of many awards. He is known for the complexity of his books, and it is often said that a single short story by Dukaj contains more ideas than many other writers put into their books in their lifetime. His books are generally hard sf; popular themes include the 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...
, nanotechnologyNanotechnologyNanotechnology 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 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...
. Among his favourite writers is AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , 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 Greg EganGreg EganGreg 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. - Jarosław Grzędowicz: author of fantasy stories, winner of Zajdel award for book and short story in 2005.
- Marek HuberathMarek HuberathMarek S. Huberath is a Polish professor of physics in the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and an award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer. His themes are philosophical, moral and religious: how people become beasts or remain human in extreme circumstances. Many of his stories focus on...
: author of many short stories, he focuses on the humanistic aspects (psychology, feelings, motivations, etc.) of his characters. - Maja Lidia KossakowskaMaja Lidia KossakowskaMaja Lidia Kossakowska is a Polish fantasy writer whose first publication was in 1997. She was nominated eight times for the Janusz A. Zajdel Award for her short stories and novels, and received it in 2007 for the short story Smok tańczy dla Chung Fonga. She has also received several other awards....
: a fantasy writer, her trademark is the frequent appearance of angelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s. - Feliks W. KresFeliks W. KresFeliks Wiktor Kres is a popular Polish fantasy writer. He debuted with his short story "Mag" , submitted to a writing contest of the Fantastyka magazine. Since then, he has published seven novels and dozens of short stories...
: best known for his two fantasy cycles: Księga całości (The Book of Entirety), set on a world called Szerer, where catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s and vultureVultureVulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
s as well as humans are intelligent, and Piekło i szpada (Hell and spade), a dark fantasy set in an alternate 17th century, where demons and beings older than SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
openly interact with humanity - Jacek KomudaJacek KomudaJacek Lech Komuda is a Polish writer and historian. He specialized in the period of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and History of Poland , and is the author of several novels and short stories of fantasy/historical novel genre. He is a co-author of the Dzikie Pola role-playing game, and script...
: known for his fantasy stories set in the Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthPolish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
; his writing often closely resembles a historical novel, though he doesn't shy from supernatural elements such as witches and devils. He is also one of the authors of the Dzikie PolaDzikie PolaDzikie Pola or Dikoe Pole - Дикое Поле can refer to:* Zaporizhia , a historical region of modern Ukraine* Dzikie Pola , a Polish role-playing game, set in the 17th century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
role-playing gameRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
set in that period. - Stanisław Lem. Lem was Poland's most acclaimed and famous science fiction writer (although he has mostly stopped writing in the science fiction genre before 1990s), and the only one who had had most of his works translated into English. He often veered into philosophical speculation on technologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, the nature of intelligenceIntelligenceIntelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
, the impossibility of mutual communicationCommunicationCommunication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
and understanding, and humankind's place in the universe. His works are sometimes presented as fictionFictionFiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, to avoid the trappings of academic life and the limitations of readership and scientific style, while others take the form of essayEssayAn essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s and philosophical books. - Konrad T. LewandowskiKonrad T. LewandowskiKonrad Tomasz Lewandowski He was born in Warsaw. He is a fantasy and science-fiction writer and journalist, doctor of philosophy, most known for two of his series: a science-fiction/political fiction series of adventures by a tabloid journalist Radosław Tomaszewski, and a fantasy series about a...
- Romuald Pawlak
- Jacek PiekaraJacek PiekaraJacek Piekara is a Polish fantasy writer. He has published numerous novels and short stories. He is best known for his stories about inquisitor Mordimer Madderdin, which as of 2011 are collected in seven books.-External links:...
- Andrzej PilipiukAndrzej PilipiukAndrzej Pilipiuk , Polish humoristic science-fiction and fantasy author. He debuted in 1996 with short story "Hiena", which featured the first appearance of Jakub Wędrowycz, an alcoholic exorcist. Since that time, Pilipiuk has written several dozen other short stories about that character.Nine...
is best known for his humorous series about Jakub WędrowyczJakub WedrowyczJakub Wędrowycz is the protagonist of a number of short stories by Andrzej Pilipiuk, a renowned Polish writer. Wędrowycz is an elderly alcoholic, moonshine producer, poacher, amateur exorcist and fighter against all sorts of supernatural forces dwelling around Wędrowycz's village, from the aliens...
, an alcoholic 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...
and unwilling superhero. Recently he started another popular series, featuring the adventures of three women: a 1000-plus year-old 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...
, a 300-year old alchemistAlchemyAlchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
-szlachcianka, and her relative, a former Polish secret agent from the CBŚCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
(Polish 'FBI'). A recurring character in the series is the alchemist Michał Sędziwój, and the universe is the same as the one of Wędrowycz (who makes appearances from time to time). - Andrzej SapkowskiAndrzej SapkowskiAndrzej Sapkowski, born 21 June 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his best-selling book series The Witcher.-Biography:...
. Sapkowski is one of the bestselling Polish authors, translated into many languages (recently into English), he is best known for his The WitcherThe WitcherThe Witcher, or , by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski is a cult series of fantasy short stories and five novels about the witcher Geralt of Rivia...
fantasy series. The main character of the series is GeraltGeralt of RiviaGeralt of Rivia is a fictional character and protagonist of The Witcher series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, as well as its adaptations.-Fictional biography:...
, a mutant assassin trained from childhood to hunt down and destroy monsters and other unnatural creatures. Geralt moves in an ambiguous moral universe, yet manages to maintain his own coherent code of ethics. At once cynical and noble, Geralt has been compared to Raymond ChandlerRaymond ChandlerRaymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
's signature character Philip MarlowePhilip MarlowePhilip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler in a series of novels including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep published in 1939...
. The world in which these adventures take place owes much to J.R.R. Tolkien, while also heavily influenced by Polish history and Slavic mythology. - Jacek Sobota
- Janusz ZajdelJanusz ZajdelJanusz Andrzej Zajdel was a prominent Polish science fiction author, second in popularity in Poland after Stanisław Lem. His writing carees started in 1965. His novels were recognized as the best in science fiction in Poland in 1982 Janusz Andrzej Zajdel (15 August 1938 in Warsaw – 19 July...
. He became the second most popular Polish science fiction writer (after Stanisław Lem) until his sudden death in 1985. Zajdel's novels created the core of Polish social fiction and dystopian fiction. In his works, he envisions totalitarian statesTotalitarianismTotalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
and collapsed societies. His heroes are desperately trying to find sense in world around them; sometimes, as in Cylinder van Troffa, they are outsiders from a different time or place, trying to adapt to a new environment. The main recurring theme in his works is a comparison of the readers' gloomy, hopeless situations to what may happen in a space environment if we carry totalitarian ideas and habits into space worlds: Red Space Republics or Space Labour Camps, or both. The Janusz A. Zajdel AwardJanusz A. Zajdel AwardThe 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...
of Polish fandomScience fiction fandomScience fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
is named after him. - Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz. In the 1990s he was one of the most popular Polish science fiction authors. For his novels Pieprzony los kataryniarza (1995) and Walc stulecia (1998), as well as his short story Śpiąca królewna (1996) he was awarded the prestigious Zajdel Award. A popular theme in his works is the fate of Poland and more broadly, Europe, in the near future (from several to several dozen years). His books often paint the future in dark colours, showing the Commonwealth of Independent StatesCommonwealth of Independent StatesThe Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
disintegrate into a civil warCivil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
becoming powerless in the face of Islamic terrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, and predatory capitalismCapitalismCapitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
and political correctnessPolitical correctnessPolitical correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
taken ad absurdum leading to the erosion of moralityMoralityMorality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
and ethicsEthicsEthics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
. Thus his books are often classified as political fictionPolitical fictionPolitical fiction is a subgenre of fiction that deals with political affairs. Political fiction has often used narrative to provide commentary on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction often "directly criticize an existing society or.....
and social science fictionSocial science fictionSocial science fiction is a term used to describe a subgenre of science fiction concerned less with technology and space opera and more with sociological speculation about human society...
, although they stop short of being seen as dystopian fiction. - Andrzej ZimniakAndrzej ZimniakAndrzej Zimniak is a Polish chemist and science fiction writer. He has published two novels and eight short story collections....
- Andrzej ZiemiańskiAndrzej ZiemianskiAndrzej Ziemiański is the Polish science fiction writer and columnist. He won twice the Janusz A. Zajdel Award in class 'short story': 2001 for Autobahn nach Poznań and in 2003 for Zapach szkła...
. Ziemiański writes both science fiction—with themes like post-apocalyptic Autobahn nach Poznan and alternative history Bomba Heisenberga, and fantasy, like his most recent AchajaAchajaAchaja is a Polish fantasy series of novels written by Andrzej Ziemiański, published in three tomes in 2002, 2003 and 2004 by the Fabryka Słów. The first two tomes received the Janusz A. Zajdel Award nomination ; the second one received the Nautilus Award in 2004...
series.
Publishers
There are two major PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
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...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
monthly magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s. The oldest one is Nowa Fantastyka (NF) published first in 1982 (then Fantastyka, renamed Nowa Fantastyka in 1990). The more recent one, founded in 2001, is Science Fiction
Science Fiction (magazine)
Science Fiction is a Polish speculative fiction monthly magazine. It was established in 2001 under the name Science Fiction by Robert J. Szmidt, who was also the first editor...
, which publishes mainly new Polish works and much fewer translations then NF. As of 2006, both had a circulation of about 8,000–15,000. Prominent magazines that are no longer published include Fenix
Fenix (magazine)
Fenix was a Polish science fiction magazine published from 1990 to 2001.-See also:* Science fiction magazine* Fantasy fiction magazine* Horror fiction magazine...
(1990–2001), SFinks
SFINKS
In cryptography, SFINKS is a stream cypher algorithm developed by An Braeken, Joseph Lano, Nele Mentens, Bart Preneel, and Ingrid Verbauwhede. It includes a message authentication code. It has been submitted to the eSTREAM Project of the eCRYPT network....
(1994–2002) and Magia i Miecz
Magia i Miecz
Magia i Miecz was the first RPG-oriented magazine in Poland. Started in 1993, it ceased publishing in 2002 after 103 issues....
(1993–2002). Several are published online in ezine form, the most prominent being Fahrenheit and Esensja.
There are two major Polish publishing houses specializing in Polish science fiction and fantasy, Fabryka Słów
Fabryka Słów
Fabryka Słów is a Lublin-based, Polish publishing house. It was founded in 2002 by Robert J. Szmidt and it is focused on fantasy genre....
and Runa. superNOWA, once a dominant publishing house on that field, has now lost much of its position. MAG
Wydawnictwo MAG
Wydawnictwo MAG , founded in 1993 by Jacek Rodek, is a Polish publishing house responsible for the first Polish publications concerning role-playing games. It has been known for publishing Magia i Miecz, the first role-playing games-oriented magazine in Poland, which was one of the key contributors...
and Solaris publish mostly translations, and in what is seen as boom for the Polish science fiction and fantasy market, mainstream publishing houses are increasingly publishing such works as well. A book with a circulation of over 10,000 is considered a bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
in Poland.
Fandom
Polish science fiction fandomScience fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
is prominent, with dozens of science fiction conventions throughout Poland. The largest of them is Polcon
Polcon
Polcon is the oldest Polish science fiction convention, organized each year in a different place by the local science fiction club. The Janusz A. Zajdel Award is awarded during the convention...
(first held in 1982), other prominent ones include Falkon, Imladris, Krakon and Nordcon. Two largest prizes awarded by fandom are 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...
and the Nautilus Prize; other notable include the 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....
—award of the oldest Polish fandom club, the Silesian Fantasy Club
Silesian Fantasy Club
Silesian Fantasy Club is the oldest science fiction and fantasy fandom club in Silesia, Poland. Founded in 1981 in Katowice, it has been the organizer of Polcon, largest of Polish science-fiction conventions, five times , the 2010 also being Eurocon, and yearly organizes the Seminarium Literackie...
. Science fiction conventions in Poland are de facto almost always "science fiction and fantasy conventions", and are often heavily mixed with role-playing
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
gaming convention
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
s. On the other hand, although Poland has also several manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
conventions, they are usually kept separate from the science fiction and gaming fandom conventions.
Other media
Polish science fiction writing has not had much impact on non-print mediaMass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
like cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and computer games, although several science fiction, fantasy and horror films and games have been made in Poland. The notable exception is Seksmisja (Sex Mission) which has become something of a cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
in Poland, and has been widely aired abroad, for example in UK. Other lesser-known examples include the films of Piotr Szulkin
Piotr Szulkin
Piotr Szulkin is a Polish film director. He directed over 30 movies and received about 50 awards, Polish and international, including Best science-fiction Film Director at Eurocon, 1984...
.
Further reading
- An Overview of Polish Science Fiction & Fantasy, last accessed on 15 June 2006 Historia polskiej literatury fantastycznej (History of Polish fantasy literature) —summary and review of book by Antoni Szmuszkiewicz with the same title about history of Polish science fiction literature, published in 1982