THE POLKA: What’s Riveting in Polish Literature by Anna Blasiak: A Listing of New and Forthcoming Translations
The Polka usually focuses on writers and books not yet translated into English but this time I would like to direct your attention towards some titles already, or soon to be, available inEnglish, should you be on the lookout for something new for yourself or as a Christmas gift for others. You are spoilt for choice – there is currently a bounty of Polish books.
First (and most recently), 6 November was the official publication date of two books from major Polish authors: Jacek Dukaj’s Ice in Ursula Phillips’ translation (from a Bloomsbury imprint, Head of Zeus) and Mariusz Szczygieł’s Not There, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (from a brilliant new UK publisher, Linden Editions).
Dukaj’s monumental work (also literally: the book is 1200 pages long!) of literary-and-science fiction was launched at the British Library in London and triggered a very interesting conversation about the author’s approach, his linguistic inventiveness, and what all of that meant for the translator bringing this book into English (it took her whole seven years!). Szczygieł, on the other hand, is one of Poland’s best reportage writers and the book just published is a collection of emotional essays on loss, grief and memory.
In late summer and autumn we saw a handful of other noteworthy books out in English: Mikołaj Łoziński’s My Name Is Stramer, a moving portrait of an ordinary Polish Jewish family in the years before WW2 (from Pushkin Press); a second book on Poland’s Jewish history, a memoir that follows four generations of the Horowitz family, In the Garden of Memory by Joanna Olczak-Ronikier (from Rivertown Books); and the new edition of Olga Tokarczuk’s ‘constellation novel’ House of Day, House of Night (from Fitzcarraldo Editions). All three of these publications are in Antonia Lloyd-Jones’ translation.
If 2025 had a rich offering of Polish titles, then 2026 will be no less bountiful, with the publication of yet more translations, for example the explosive “torpedo of a book” (says Olga Tokarczuk) that is Hexes of the Deadwood Forest by Agnieszka Szpila (from Penguin Random House, translated by Scotia Gilroy) about a woman who loses her CEO job after having been filmed having sex with a tree in her sleep.
Looking for something, well, less provocative? Next year will also bring a new volume from the master that is Wiesław Myśliwski. His personal epic Needle’s Eye will be published by Archipelago Books in Bill Johnson’s translation. There will also be another Polish-Jewish book, Patrycja Dołowy’s Back Before You Wake (from Holland House Books). And if you are after poetry, how about Małgorzata Lebda’s new volume of poetry in English, Mer de Glace, this time in Mira Rosenthal’s translation (from Fitzcarraldo Editions)? Next year will also see Jakub Kornhauser’s and Radosław Wiśniewski‘s verse published in English.
Children’s books? After recent Facts and Rumours about Dragons (from Prestel) in Eliza Marciniak’s translation, we will soon have another volume from the writer-illustrator combo Gosia Herba and Mikołaj Pa in Scotia Gilroy’s translation (from Greystone Kids)
Phew, that was a long list, I’m sure you’ll agree. But too much of a good thing can’t be bad, right?
by Anna Blasiak
Read previous posts in The Polka series:
THE POLKA: What’s Riveting in Polish LIterature by Anna Blasiak. The Chameleon that is DANIEL ODIJA
THE POLKA: What’s Riveting in Polish LIterature by Anna Blasiak. MAŁGORZATA LEBDA has it all
THE POLKA: What’s Riveting in Polish LIterature by Anna Blasiak. JOANNA BATOR and her bears
Leave a Reply