Marcin Wicha

(1972–2025) – writer, essayist, columnist, author of children’s books, graphic artist.

Marcin Wicha designed covers for book and magazines, as well as posters and logos. For several years, his weekly cartoon commentaries were published in “Tygodnik Powszechny”. He co-owned the design company Frycz i Wicha.

Wicha’s work is characterised by subtle humour and deep sensitivity. His books contain elements of essay, reportage and autobiography, combined with a philosophical reflection on everyday life. He avoided excessive wordiness and wrote with apparent simplicity, yet his texts are full of hidden meanings.

Wicha’s children’s books are distinguished by their subversive narratives and their respect for the imagination of young readers. They invite readers to play with language, revealing at the same time the absurdities of reality. Wicha’s books are full of intertextual references to culture and everyday life. “Klara. Proszę tego nie czytać” (Klara: Please Don’t Read This) is a brilliant and thought-provoking read. The narrative is told from a child’s perspective, allowing the reader to understand the emotions and problems that young people struggle with. As a graphic designer, Wicha also paid attention to the visual side of his books, making his publications attractive as physical items too. The book “Bolek i Lolek: genialni detektywi” (Bolek and Lolek: Brilliant Detectives) features short chapters, big letters and illustrations, all of which encourage the reader to engage with the storyline.

Wicha’s essays, like his books for children, are characterised by conciseness and precision – and yet, even the most difficult topics are not oversimplified. In the book “Rzeczy, których nie wyrzuciłem” (Things I Didn’t Throw Out), which has been translated into many languages, the author reflects on identity and memory. For Wicha, the objects that remain after someone has died – which are somehow more telling than words – serve as a pretext for reminiscing.

His texts have appeared in numerous publications, including “Autoportret”, “Literatura na Świecie” and “Tygodnik Powszechny”. He also collaborated with “Pismo” and “Charaktery”. Wicha co-authored a number of books: “Nowe przygody Bolka i Lolka. Urodziny” (The New Adventures of Bolek and Lolek: Birthday, with authors including Bronisław Maj and Anna Onichimowska; 2013), “Sylaboratorium” (Syllaboratory, with authors including Justyna Bednarek and Zuzanna Orlińska; 2017), and “Delfin w malinach. Snobizmy i obyczaje ostatniej dekady” (Dolphin in Raspberries: Snobbery and Customs of the Last Decade, with authors including Jakub Wencel and Jan Topolski; 2017).

In 2017, Wicha won the Polityka Passport Award in the literature category. He was nominated for the Gdynia Literary Prize (in the essay category) in 2018 for “Rzeczy, których nie wyrzuciłem”. Also in 2018, for the same book, he was awarded the Nike Literary Award, the Nike Readers’ Literary Award, and the Witold Gombrowicz Literary Award. In 2022, for his book “Kierunek zwiedzania” (Tour Direction), he received the Andrzej Siemek Award and was also nominated for the Nike Literary Award.