Ignacy Karpowicz

(b. 1976) – novelist and columnist.

Karpowicz debuted with the novel „Niehalo” (Uncool). Its plot seemingly adds up to a sociological report about the situation and consciousness of young Poles, but midway through the work the author introduces what became the trademark of his early prose: a grotesque transformation which almost completely devastates the realistic illusion. Karpowicz’s next novel, “Cud” (The Miracle) is based on a surprising and eccentric plot concept: the protagonist dies in a car crash, but his death turns out to be uncertain – at least to the young doctor who is in love with him. In genre terms, The Miracle is a perverse game with the tropes of popular romance. The same year, 2007, saw the publication of “Nowy kwiat cesarza (i pszczoły)” (The Emperor’s New Flower (and Bees)) – a self-referential experimental story about travelling around Ethiopia.

“Gesty” (published in English as Gestures), which appeared in the following year, depart from the earlier tone – there is no more grotesque or irony. This time Karpowicz offers an almost ascetic narration, a simple plot focused on the experience of despair. The forty-year-old protagonist arrives at his family home to take care of his dying mother. There he surrenders to painful memories, examines his own unsuccessful life. Soon he is also diagnosed with a terminal illness.

The publication of “Balladyny i romanse” (Balladynas and Romances) became a turning point in Karpowicz’s literary career. This sweeping, ambitious novel fit perfectly into the discussions about post-secularism which were lively at the time. Just like in his debut, the exposition is misleading: we start by following a love story between a fifty-year-old woman and an almost nineteen-year-old simple boy with thuggish tendencies. However, the novel’s stage gets more and more crowded, the book evolves towards an absurd farce – gods from various mythologies and religions descend to earth and interfere in the business of mortals.

“Ości” (Fishbones) fully confirmed Karpowicz’s literary prowess. The characters in this novel get involved in various amorous relationships with each other, invalidating categories of gender and age. As the author himself suggested, the book is about how previously existing models of family or, more widely, types of interpersonal relations have in a sense gone bankrupt, and certainly turned out to be insufficient.

Karpowicz’s most recent novel, “Ludzie z nieba” (People from the Sky), is inspired by the story of legendary Polish aviators: pilot Franciszek Żwirko and engineer Stanisław Wigura. The year is 1905. Kora is spending her childhood in Bieniakonie, a market town south of Vilnius. Ten years later, as exiles (“bieżeńcy”) pass the town, the world as the girl knew it vanishes. In People from the Sky, Karpowicz undermines the pillars of the traditional understanding of identity, transcends the boundaries of time and imagination, and reminds us that the most important thing to happen to us in life is a relationship with another person.

Ignacy Karpowicz was nominated for the Polityka’s Passport Award for his debut Uncool (2006), and received the award five years later for Balladynas and Romances. The latter book was also nominated for the Nike Literary Award. He was also nominated for that award for three other books: Gestures (2009), Fishbones (shortlist, 2014) and “Sońka” (2015, published in English as Sonka).