(b. 1951) – writer, essayist, historian of literature. After graduating in Polish studies at the University of Warsaw, Bolecka started work as editor of…
View profile(b. 1969) – writes prose and poetry for children, popularises knowledge about the Polish language, and holds a post-doctoral degree in linguistics.
Her children’s books often make use of her linguistic knowledge, opening the youngest readers’ eyes to the beauty of Polish. The work “Łap byka za rogi, czyli półżartem o pułapkach językowych” (Catch Your Howlers, or Semi-Serious Advice About Language Traps), teaches children how to be on the lookout for mistakes and how to avoid them.
The author draws on the world of legends and fairy tales as often as on her academic background. In 2005, together with Dorota Obidniak and Anna Szymańska, she published the book “Klasyka baśni. Uczymy się niemieckiego” (Classic Fairy Tales. We’re Learning German). It contains interesting stories, and also helps children to widen their German vocabulary. In 2021 she created a series of works about the most important legends from Poland (but other places too), from which we can learn all about traditional Toruń gingerbread, the Mermaid of Warsaw, the fern flower, the Wawel Dragon or the Poznań Goats.
Her books introduce young readers to important figures in Polish and international culture. In “Nie krokodyluj! O drodze Ludwika Zamenhofa do języka esperanto” (No Crocodiling! How L. L. Zamenhof Found His Way to Esperanto) we travel to the 19th-century multicultural city of Białystok, to find out how this Polish ophthalmologist came up with the idea of creating a new language. In the books entitled “A to feler! O tym, jak Jan Brzechwa został bajkopisarzem” (Oh, What a Life! How Jan Brzechwa Became a Fable Writer) and “Rany Julek! O tym, jak Julian Tuwim został poetą” (Oh Drat! How Julian Tuwin Became a Poet) the author tells her youngest readers about the literary beginnings of their favourite writers.
Her academic research focuses on Polish and German lexicography. She received her post-graduate degree for the thesis “Słowniki polsko-niemieckie i niemiecko-polskie z przełomu XVII i XVIII wieku. Analiza leksykograficzna” (Polish-German and German-Polish Dictionaries from the Turn of the 18th and 19th Centuries. A Lexicographic Analysis). She is the science editor of “Wielki słownik niemiecko-polski, polsko-niemiecki” (The Great German-Polish, Polish-German Dictionary) published by PWN.
In 2008 she received the Edukacja XXI Award in the “Literature for children and young people” category for the book “Dobre obyczaje, czyli z przyrodą za pan brat” (Good Habits, or How to Be Friends with Nature). In 2019 she was awarded the title of the Ambassador of the Polish Language in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. She also received the Maria Weryho-Radziwiłłowicz Award, a distinction from the Polish section of IBBY for the children’s bestseller of the year and a nomination for the Zielona Gąska (Green Gosling) Award from Fundacja Zielona Gęś (Green Goose Foundation).
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