Andrzej Stasiuk [Poland]
Born in 1960 in Warsaw, Poland, Andrzej Stasiuk is a celebrated Polish novelist, essayist, and playwright whose works explore themes of identity, memory, and the cultural landscapes of Central and Eastern Europe. His most recent book, Przewóz (Czarne, 2021), delves into the harrowing experiences of war and survival in 1941 on the Bug River, offering a reflection on human resilience amidst chaos.
After being dismissed from secondary school, Stasiuk dropped out of a vocational school too and drifted aimlessly, becoming active in the Polish pacifist movement and spending one and a half years in prison for deserting the army. His experiences in prison provided him with the material for the stories in his literary debut of 1992, The Walls of Hebron. Author of over 15 books of fiction, essays and travel writing, Stasiuk is best known for his works like Tales of Galicia (Twisted Spoon, 1995) and On the Road to Babadag (Harcourt Brace US, Harvill Secker UK, 2011), the latter of which won the Nike Literary Prize, Poland’s most prestigious literary award.
His writing often takes readers on journeys through forgotten towns and rural landscapes, blending rich descriptions with meditative reflections on the intersection of the past and present. He examines the realities of life in Poland after 1989, while articulating a uniquely Central European perspective on the world, one marked by its ambivalent position between Western Europe and the periphery.
In addition to his novels and essays, Stasiuk co-founded the publishing house Czarne, which specializes in Central and Eastern European literature. His unique perspective on history, geography, and identity has solidified his place as one of Poland’s most influential contemporary writers.