Grażyna Plebanek

(b. 1967) – a writer and journalist.

She finished Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw, and later worked as a journalist at the Reuters Agency and Gazeta Wyborcza.

She made her debut in 2002 with a novel called ‘Pudełko ze szpilkami’ (Box of Pins), for which she took an award in the Zysk i S-ka publishers competition. Plebanek concentrates on presenting contemporary social problems, especially those pertaining to women, their identity and human relationships. She often addresses subjects tied to physicality, spirituality and the role of tradition and social institutions in shaping individuals. Her books offer deep psychological character analyses and a serious approach to taboo subjects.

Among her most important works is a novel, ‘Dziewczyny z Portofino’ (The Girls from Portofino, 2005), which tells the story of four young women growing up in Warsaw in the 1970s and 80s. The book shows their friendship, coming of age and struggles with social norms, school and the Church. In this novel, Plebanek raises questions of society and conventions, showing the impact of tradition on young people’s lives.

Przystupa (2007) is another important entry in the author’s catalogue, telling the story of a girl from the Polish countryside. The protagonist emigrates to Sweden in search of a better life. The book shows women’s experience against a backdrop of cultural and religious differences observed in society; through the eyes of a young Polish woman, ‘we see the lives of Polish Catholics, Swedish Protestants, atheists, nature-lovers, declared cosmopolitans and stateless people in search of roots and traditions’.

‘Nielegalne związki’ (Illegal Liaisons, 2010), in turn, is a novel set in the international community of Brussels, where the author wonders about the sense of traditional relationships and marriages in contemporary human relations. The book also touches upon eroticism and identity.

In 2013, Plebanek published ‘Córki rozbójniczki’ (The Bandit’s Daughters). This is a piece of non-fiction in which she presents outlines of strong women from history and literature, analysing their impact on how we now perceive women’s role in society.

Plebanek is also the creator of anthologised short stories and a columnist. Her pieces have been published in Polityka, Wysokie Obcasy, Elle and Trendy. Her books have been translated into foreign languages, and she has participated in numerous literary festivals and meetings with the public, presenting her work to international audiences.

Plebanek is the winner of Złote Sowy awards for promoting Poland abroad, the Arts Commission of Wrocław’s Contemporary Theatre award, and a special award in the second Strefy Kontaktu dramaturgical competition (for her play ‘Pani Furia’ [Mrs Fury]).