Stanisław Łubieński

(b. 1983) – a writer, essayist and columnist, and one of the most interesting voices of contemporary non-fiction in Poland.

He has worked with “Gazeta Wyborcza”, “Tygodnik Powszechny” and “Dwutygodnik”. He is the founding member of Unia Literacka (Literary Union), and in 2023 he became the president of Ogólnopolskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków (Polish Society for the Protection of Birds). His books combine literary sensitivity, passion for nature and reflections about the modern world. He is actively involved in nature conservation and ecological education.

He debuted with a book of historical reportage, “Pirat stepowy” (The Steppe Pirate, 2012), in which he revived the figure of Nestor Makhno, Ukrainian worker, revolutionary, anarchist, and peasant uprising leader. The Steppe Pirate is a story about freedom, utopia, and dramatic wartime choices. It was translated into Croatian and Ukrainian.

The book “Dwanaście srok za ogon” (2016, published in English as The Birds They Sang in 2020) – a collection of essays about birds, culture, and human yearning for nature – turned out to be a breakthrough for Łubieński. With a light touch, it combines observations about nature with literature, art, and history in a work which delighted both readers and critics. It won the Readers’ Nike Award and was nominated for other Polish literary awards. Apart from English, it was also translated into French.

In “Książka o śmieciach” (2020, published in English as What We Leave Behind: A Birdwatcher’s Dispatches from the Waste Catastrophe, 2022) Łubieński tackled the topic of the global crisis caused by excess waste. The essays – illustrated by the author’s photos – show how rubbish shapes landscape and culture, from Polish forests to Asian beaches. What We Leave Behind is an example of engagé literature, inspiring readers to change their everyday habits and observe their surroundings more attentively.

His most recent book, “Drugie życie Czarnego Kota” (The Second Life of Black Cat, 2025), is a lyrical tale about urban nature. Łubieński teaches us how to notice wilderness in the concrete jungle – in ruderal plants, birds nesting in ruins and lichen on monuments. His book changes one’s perspective on urban space and human relationship to nature.

Stanisław Łubieński’s work is universal – it combines humanities and ecology, a local perspective and global issues. His erudite but accessible style means that his books have a wide appeal, from literature lovers to activists and educators. Apart from writing, the author also takes action – he leads nature walks around Warsaw, runs the blog “Dzika Ochota” and the programme “Księstwo Ptaków” on Radio 3. Łubieński’s books open our eyes to the natural world, which, while damaged by humans, can still be saved.

Stanisław Łubieński has won the Warsaw Literary Premiere Award (2016), the Readers’ Nike Award (2017), the Polityka’s Passport Award (2025) and the main prize in the Planeta Izabelin competition (2021). He was twice nominated for the Nike Literary Award (2017 and 2021), twice for the Polityka’s Passport Award (2016 and 2025) and once for the Gdynia Literary Prize (2017).