(b. 1926) – prose writer, essayist and columnist, translator of German and Latin literature. Born in Lviv, but spent his childhood in Kraków and…
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The Book Institute offers translation of excerpt from Barbara Gawryluk’s work in German. Interested parties are kindly invited to contact us.
(b. 1957) – a journalist tied to Radio Krakow, author of books for children and young adults, a translator and populariser of Swedish children’s literature.
Her work combines a reporter’s eye with empathy and a remarkable skill for translating real events into accessible, thoughtful tales that young readers love. Barbara Gawryluk’s books address themes that are socially important and concern universal values.
She is primarily known for such titles as ‘Dżok. Legenda o psiej wierności’ (Jock: A Legend of Canine Fidelity) and ‘Kaktus, dobry pies’ (Cactus: A Good Dog), books that made her one of the leading contemporary authors of ‘animal tales’, telling young readers about relationships between people and animals and the value that four-legged friends can bring to a person’s life. Much of her work is reportage and tales based on true events, including ‘Mali bohaterowie’ (Little Heroes, about children who saved others from danger), ‘Teraz tu jest nasz dom’ (This Is Our Home Now, the story of a Ukrainian family whom the war forces to escape and begin a new life in Poland) and ‘Dziewczynka z fotografii’ (The Girl from the Photograph, the trials of Natalka and Karina, who grapple with travelling to work in another country, disability, first love and separation). Barbara Gawryluk also takes on historical (‘Janek, pseudonim „Żegota”’ [Janek, Pseudonym ‘Żegota’]), environmental and nature themes (‘Gwizdek – przygody tatrzańskiego świstaka’ [Whistler: Adventures of a Tatra Marmot]; ‘Klifka. Opowieść o foczce, która szukała mamy’ [Cliff: Story of a Seal Cub Who Went Looking for Her Mama]), and books that promote regions, such as ‘Tatry. Przewodnik dla dużych i małych’ (The Tatras: A Guide for Those Big and Small), which has gone through several editions. She has also written a biography, ‘Wanda Chotomska. Nie mam nic do ukrycia’ (Wanda Chotomska: I’ve Got Nothing to Hide).
As a translator, she introduced Polish readers to Swedish literature, reinforcing her position as an ambassador for Scandinavian culture. Her works and translations have often been recommended for educational programmes, libraries and reading projects.
Barbara Gawryluk has won many awards and distinctions, including the award of the Polish Section of IBBY in the Children’s Bestseller of the Year category in 2007 for Jock: A Legend of Canine Fidelity, and in 2009, the Kornel Makuszyński Literarry Award for ‘Zuzanka w pistacjowego domu’ (Zuzanka in the Pistachio House). She received the award of the Polish Section of IBBY for disseminating readership and promoting books to young people (2010), and the European Alarm Numbers (EENA) 112 Award (2014). In 2016, she took the Krakow Book of the Month Award for Wanda Chotomska: I’ve Got Nothing to Hide. She has also been honoured with the Swedish Order of the Polar Star – First Class Cavalier (2021), and the ‘Proud of the Insurgents’ badge, awarded by the Social Committee of the same name (2025).
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