Tomasz Piątek

(b. 1974) – a prose writer, columnist and journalist.

He initially wrote mainly journalism, working with a range of papers and magazines (Gazeta Wyborcza, Polityka, Przekrój, Film) and radio stations (RMF, Radiostacja). After the publication of his debut novel, ‘Heroina’ (Heroin) in 2002, which swiftly became a bestseller and was acclaimed by the literary critics, he mainly focused on prose, becoming one of the most fertile and multifaceted of Polish writers.

Tomasz Piątek’s best-known novel remains Heroin – an evocative, refined record of the thoughts of an addict, depicted without moralising, from the perspective of a protagonist who is constantly under the influence, who sees heroin as the source of happiness. The style reflects narcotic states, which gives the book linguistic originality. In his later novels, Piątek joined appealing narratives with analyses of contemporary social phenomena: he has written of media violence (‘Kilka nocy poza domem’ [A Few Nights Away from Home]), the fascination for evil (‘Bagno’ [The Swamp]) and getting lost in a world of excessive stimuli (‘Przypadek Justyny’ [The Case of Justyna]). He is good at using a range of conventions (from the thriller to fantasy) and enjoys black sense of humour. Since 2008, Piątek has been tied to W.A.B. Publishers, where he has released ‘Pałac Ostrogskich’ (Ostrogski Palace) – an experimental mash-up novel combining essays, memoirs and fiction; the psychological thriller ‘Morderstwo w La Scali’ (Murder at La Scala), the historical novel ‘Wąż w kaplicy’ (Snake in the Chapel) written from the perspective of a foreigner fascinated by Polishness, and ‘Miasto Ł.’ (The City of L.), looking at resettlement and moral redemption. Magdalena (2014), the author’s fifteenth novel, is a satirical portrait of Poland of the 1990s, in which Rafał, returning from abroad, and an orphan he meets by accident, serve the author as a point of departure in critiquing the disappointments of post-Cold-War Poland.

In 2017, Tomasz Piątek received the Freedom of the Press Award given by Reporters without Borders and TV5 Monde, and a year later – the Freedom and Future of Media Award from the Medienstiftung der Sparkasse Leipzig foundation.

In 2019–20, he was tied to Halo.Radio, and since 2021 has run his own programme ‘Dochodzenie prawdy’ (Tracking Down the Truth) through Reset Obywatelski on YouTube. In 2025, he joined the editorial staff of Goniec.pl.