OUTSTANDING POLISH BOOKS

In English Translation

2005 

A selection of significant titles that were published from the late 1920’s until the present. All books are currently in print and available through most vendors.

Compiled by:  Alla Makeeva-Roylance,

Assistant DivisionManager, Multilingual Center, Brooklyn Public Library

Annihilation by Piotr Szewc. Zagłada.

Tr. by Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough. Dalkey Archive Press, 1999.

Nearly free of dialogue, this experimental novel recreates a single day in the life of a Polish-Jewish town which is about to be destroyed in the Holocaust.

Death in Danzig by Stefan Chwin. Hanemann.

Tr. by Philip Boehm. Harcourt, 2004.

Part-mystery, part-historical fiction, part-love story, this novel unfolds in Danzig (Gdansk) at the end of World War II.

A Defense of Ardor by Adam Zagajewski. Obrona żarliwości.

Tr. by  Clare Cavanagh. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004.

Topics of this collection of 14 essays range from autobiography to reflections on contemporary literature to snapshot portraits of Zagajewski’s poet friends, among them Miłosz and Herbert. The author is a recipient of the 2004 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.

Drohobycz, Drohobycz and Other Stories by Henryk Grynberg. Drohobycz, Drohobycz. Tr. by Alicia Nitecki. Penguin, 2002.

The title story of this short story collection, which deals with the fate of Polish Jewry during the Holocaust, tells a tragic tale of the death of the prominent Polish writer and artist Bruno Schulz.

Elegy for the Departure by Zbigniew Herbert. Elegia na odejście.

Tr. by John and Bogdana Carpenter. Ecco, 1990.

One of Poland’s most influential poets and intellectuals, Herbert is considered equal to his fellow poets, Szymborska and Miłosz, both Nobel Prize winners. This collection is taken from several books of poetry written throughout his career.

Ferdydurke by Witold Gombrowicz. Ferdydurke.

Tr. by Danuta Borchardt. Yale University Press, 2000.

This is arguably the most important novel produced in Poland between the two world wars and a cult classic, in which a 30-year-old writer is sent back as an adult to re-experience his tumultuous school years.

His Current Woman by Jerzy Pilch. Inne rozkosze. Tr. by Bill Johnston.

Northwestern University Press, 2002.

A bestseller in Poland, this contemporary comedy of errors tells of a secret lover who unexpectedly presents herself to the family of her hapless paramour.

House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk. Dom dzienny, dom nochy. Tr. by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Northwestern University Press, 2003.

Tokarczuk lovingly paints a portrait of a small town on the Czech border, rich in scandal, gossip and local recipes as well as endearing town folk.  A bestseller in Poland since 1998.

Lucifer Unemployed by Aleksander Wat. Bezrobotny Lucyfer.

Tr. by Lillian Vallee. Northwestern University Press, 1990.

The title entry of this experimental collection of nine stories, originally published in Poland in 1927, features an unemployed devil who discovers that he is no longer needed in modern atheistic times and decides to become the movie star Charlie Chaplin.

My Correct Views on Everything by Leszek Kołakowski. Moje słuszne poglądy na wszystko. Edited  by Zbigniew Janowski.

 St. Augustine’s Press, 2005.

This philosophical essays delve into profound issues of religion, ethics and metaphysics in clear, accessible style. Kołakowski was the first recipient of the Library of Congress’ Kluge Prize for lifetime contribution to the humanities in 2003.

Moving House by Pavel Huelle. Opowiadania na czas przeprowadzki.

Tr. by Michael Kandel. Harvest Books, 1996.

                This collection of seven short stories gently weaves a coming of age narrative with mythological and magical motifs,

New and Collected Poems, 1931-2001 by Czesław Miłosz. Tr.  by the author, Robert Hass and others. HarperCollins, 2001.

This collection is culled from several books and encompasses the literary career of the 1980 Nobel Prize winner in literature.

Poems New and Collected by Wisława Szymborska. Tr. by Stanisław Barańczak and Clare Cavanagh. Harvest Books, 2000.

Szymborska is the 1996 Nobel Prize winner in Literature. This is the definitive edition of her poetry in English.

Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuściński. Heban.

Tr. by Klara Glowczewska. Vintage, 2002.

Kapuściński travels the world, and everywhere he goes he finds beauty, tragedy and humor. This book is his love song to Africa and its many peoples and places.

Solaris  by Stanisław Lem. Solaris.

Tr. by Joanna Kilmartin and Steve Cox. Harvest Books, 2002.

A philosophical parable about the planet Solaris and its mysterious ocean which incarnates memories of long-dead lovers and family members. Can we study distant worlds without understanding ourselves?

The Street of Crocodiles  by Bruno Schulz. Skelpy cynamonowe.

Tr. by Celina Wieniewska. Penguin Classics, 1992.

A writer and graphic artist whose brief career ended during World War II in the ghetto of Drohobycz, Schulz is best known for his short stories. He is considered one of the finest Polish prose stylists of the 20th century.

The Woman from Hamburg and other True Stories by Hanna Krall. Taniec na cudzym weselu.Tr. by  Madeline G. Levine. Other Press, 2005.

This collection of 12 nonfiction tales recounts stories of World War II survivors who try to cope with loss, alleviate despair, reconnect with the past and reconcile with the surreal around them.