Krystian Piwowarski

(b. 1956) – a prose writer, dramaturg and journalist; he graduated in Polish literature from the University of Silesia.

He worked briefly as a teacher, yet facing no further job prospects in education, he has taken on a range of occupations, including physical labour. He has also been editor-in-chief of a Częstochowa cultural bimonthly magazine, Aleje 3.

For many years, he published artistic prose that was overlooked by readers and the literary critics. Four novels come from this period (‘Londyńczyk’ [The Londoner], ‘Marlowe, Mann i Superman’ [Marlowe, Mann and Superman], ‘Kochankowie Roku Kota’ [Lovers of the Year of the Cat] and Paryżanin [The Parisian]), and a collection of short stories, ‘Portret trumienny’ (Coffin Portrait). The novel that caused a turn in his fortunes was Homo Polonicus, initially published in a small edition in Częstochowa. This work was staged for the theatre (premiere: March 2008) and was very warmly received; enthusiastic reviews came out, praising, above all, the text on which which the play was based. On the wave of this enthusiasm, the novel was swiftly reprinted by a large publishing house (Prószyński i S-ka, 2008) and twenty years after his debut, Piwowarski became a household name.

Homo Polonicus is an attempt to revive a literary genre with an old and venerable position – the tall tale of the nobility. The protagonist is Prince Stanisławczyk, owner of the fallen landed property of Stanisławówka. The story is set somewhere between Kielce and Częstochowa in the mid nineteenth century. Piwowarski created an evocative caricature image of the nobleman’s world, full of stupidity, jealousy, xenophobia and ordinary nastiness. It is stamped with the Sarmatian mentality, with all its delusions of grandeur and might.

In 2008, he published the extensive, two-volume novel ‘Klaun’ (The Clown) – this time with a contemporary theme, and the clear intent to settle old scores. Its protagonist is Edmund Sobowski, a highly intelligent and utterly corrupt film producer. On the surface, this is a novel about an arts scene, but the author’s ambitions are much greater. Piwowarski is examining present-day morality, the limits of manipulation (of art and people all around); he reconstructs the mentality of the modern-day intellectual.

Another subject is addressed by the short-story collection ‘Więcej gazu, Kameraden!’ (More Gas, Kameraden!). The title itself is a reference to Tadeusz Borowski’s ‘Proszę państwa do gazu’ (This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen). This prose is characterised by matter-of-fact images and a more graphic approach. Piwowarski’s short stories are linguistically refined, based on brilliant plot concepts; they are without a doubt his greatest literary achievements to date.