Polish literature today

Novelist Olga Tokarczuk’s (1962-) acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2018 is fresh in the memory. In 1996, poet Wisława Szymborska (1923-2012) was awarded the same prize. Although they represent different generations and genres, the lucid writing of both authors is widely read and familiar to a broad spectrum of Polish readers. 

There have been five Polish recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Quo Vadis and The Trilogy, by 1905 winner Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916), and The Promised Land and The Peasants by Władysław Reymont (1867-1925), who won in 1924, have all been made into films. 1980 winner Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004) is an internationally renowned poet who moved to the US in 1960 to teach at the University of California, and who wrote The History of Polish Literature in English.

The three 19th century poets Adam Mickiewicz (1778-1855), Juliusz Słowacki (1809–1849), and Zygmunt Krasiński (1812–1859) are highly regarded and known as the “Three Bards” of Polish literature. The 20th century saw the rediscovery of the writings of Cyprian Kamil Norwid (1821-1883), and some literary critics consider him the fourth “Bard”. There are also those who consider Stanisław Wyspiański (1869-1907) to be the fourth. Both Norwid and Wyspiański were multi-talented artists who left behind superb works of fine art as well as literature.

Of the three avant-garde writers active in the 1930s, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, (commonly known as Witkacy, 1885-1939), Bruno Schulz (1892-1942), and Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969), Witkacy and Schulz also left behind works of both literature and art. Happily, the complete works of Schulz as well as Gombrowicz’s most representative works are available in Japanese. 

The work of the 20th century’s most prominent writer of science fiction, Stanisław Lem (1921-2006), has been translated into several dozen languages, and has been read in Japan from the 1960s to the present day. In 2021, events were held around the world to celebrate 100 years since the author’s birth. In Japan, publication of a collection of new translations of his work is underway. 

Sławomir Mrożek (1930-2013) started out as a cartoonist and columnist, and became known for his satirical short stories before receiving worldwide acclaim for his absurdist plays, including Tango. A collection of letters between Mrożek and Lem has also been published. 

Theatre is as important as poetry to the understanding of Polish literature. Mickiewicz’s play Forefathers’ Eve, as well as plays by Witkacy, Gombrowicz, and Mrożek are still performed the world over. 

Ryszard Kapuściński (1932-2007) was a giant of contemporary journalism who has been called the “greatest journalist of the 20th century”, and “the most vivid of news reporters.” He elevated reportage to the level of literature. His Imperium and The Shadow of the Sun are available in Japanese. The Ryszard Kapuściński Award, named after him, is awarded to writers of outstanding reportage (in 2011 the award was won by Belarussian writer Svetlana Alexievich, who went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2015). 

In 2013 the Ryszard Kapuściński Award was won by Witold Szabłowski (1980-), an up-and-coming writer of reportage who travels around the world listening to the voices of people on the ground. He has been a frequent participant in book fairs and literature festivals around the world in recent years, along with Olga Tokarczuk.

Andrzej Sapkowski (1948-) is a fantasy writer. He is known for The Witcher, a series of bestsellers that have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. The books have been made into comics, films, video games, and TV series. 

In Poland, science fiction and fantasy are known as “fantastyka” and treated as a separate genre from general literature. The winners of the Janusz A. Zajdel Polish Fandom Award for literature in the fantastyka genre are decided each year based on the votes of attendees of the Polcon sci-fi convention. 

English Translation: Bethan Jones