Patryk Pufelski

(b. 1990) – a writer.

He has been a caretaker at the Wrocław zoo and a member of Krakow’s Ogniwo Co-op. He debuted with ‘Pawilon małych ssaków’ (The Small Mammal Pavilion), and in 2023 he published a children’s book, ‘To jest Maks’ (This Is Maks).

The Small Mammal Pavilion is a diary which, true to genre, is filled with short anecdotes, notes, thoughts and sketches. The range of subjects is truly wide – from the history of working with various animal species to tales of friendships with people young and old, and memories of family and growing up. The author does not judge the various interactions, he more carefully observes how, just as we can learn from people of various ages, we can also learn from animals. The book also has a few tales about identity, on belonging to the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities. Pufelski does not focus on those aspects of his life, however – if he includes them in his tale, it is more to show how important various communities are to him. They always make things feel more at ease.

In 2022, for The Small Mammal Pavilion, Pufelski received the Krakow Book of the Month award and the O!Lśnienie Award in literature, and was nominated for the Nike and Conrad awards.