Michał Witkowski (born 1975) made his literary debut with a critically acclaimed collection of short stories titled Copyright (2001), in which he employed various styles and narrative techniques to address one of the key themes of contemporary Polish prose: the constant struggle to come to terms with the myth of the West as a colourful, attractive world of consumerism.

Witkowski gained fame with his novel Lubiewo (Lovetown, 2005), the most radical and uncompromising gay coming out in the history of Polish prose. In this book, Witkowski describes the fates of gay people in the late communist era. The novel utilises camp aesthetics and the language is exaggerated and vulgar, while also sophisticated.

In Witkowski’s subsequent books, a collection of short stories titled Fototapeta (“Photo-Wallpaper”, 2006) and the novel Barbara Radziwiłłówna z Jaworzna-Szczakowej (“Barbara Radziwillówna of Jaworzno-Szczakowa”, 2007), Witkowski continues and develops the themes already present in his previous two books: childhood experiences in the final years of the communist era, the unique characteristics of the political, social and economic upheaval after 1989, and the emergence of unfettered capitalism in Poland in the 1990s.

In Witkowski’s novel Margot (2009), there is a whole gallery of colourful characters. The titular Margot is a sexually promiscuous woman who drives a refrigerated lorry, while Waldek Mandaryna is a simple country boy who becomes a celebrity after appearing on a reality show. Witkowski presents a grotesque portrait of the world of celebrities and TV stars, but the novel also touches on the problem of the erosion of all values and identity, which generates cognitive uncertainty and difficulties in making life choices. 

In the following years, Witkowski shifted towards genre fiction, experimenting with various forms of crime fiction in the novels Drwal (“The Woodcutter”, 2011) and Zbrodniarz i dziewczyna (“The Criminal and the Girl”, 2014). The books are not detective stories in the literal sense, but humorous variations on the genre. In Drwal, the crime motif is only a catalyst for the plot, and the novel itself is a unique compilation of themes typical of Witkowski’s writing. It includes a gay storyline, flashbacks to the late communist era, and sociological commentary on current events. The novel Zbrodniarz i dziewczyna has more similarities to a traditional crime novel, though it also contains a large dose of refined humour, self-referentiality, and intertextual games.

For several years, Witkowski returned to the topics of life in the countryside and escaping from it, generational trauma, the myth of the Western European paradise, and the process of defining and building identity, which is explored in Fynf und cwancyś (“Eleven-Inch”, 2015) and Wymazane (“Erased”, 2017), only to return with a dark crime novel titled Tango (“Tango”, 2022), in which Detective Friday investigates disappearances and a murder, in which a victim’s lover, who works as a gigolo, is the suspect.

Michał Witkowski’s most recent book is the first part of his autobiography, titled Wiara (“Faith”, 2023).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Copyright, Kraków: Zielona Sowa, 2001
• Lubiewo (Lovetown), Kraków: Korporacja Ha!art, 2005
• Fototapeta (“Photo-Wallpaper”), Warsaw: WAB 2006
• Barbara Radziwiłłówna z Jaworzna-Szczakowej (“Barbara Radziwillówna of Jaworzno-Szczakowa”), Warsaw: WAB 2007
• Margot, Warsaw: Świat Książki, 2009
• Drwal (“The Woodcutter”), Warsaw, Świat Książki, 2011
• Zbrodniarz i dziewczyna (“The Criminal and the Girl”), Warsaw, Świat Książki, 2014
• Fynf und cfancyś (“Eleven-Inch”), Kraków, Znak, 2015
• Wymazane (“Erased”), Kraków, Znak, 2017
• Tango (“Tango”), Kraków, Znak, 2022
• Autobiografia, t.1 Wiara 1975-1990 (“Autobiography, Volume 1: Faith 1975-1990”), Kraków, Znak, 2023

TRANSLATIONS

English:

• Lovetown (Lubiewo), trans. Willian Martin, Portobello Books, 2010
• Eleven-inch (Fynf und cwanciś), trans. William Martin, London: Seagull Books, 2021

Finnish:

• Hutsula (Lubiewo), trans. Tapani Kärkkäinen, Like Publishing, 2007

French:

• Lubiewo, trans. Madelaine Nasalik, Editions de l’Olivier, 2007

Hebrew:

• Lubiewo, trans. Ilay Halpern, Schocken, 2009

Spanish:

• Lovetown (Lubiewo), trans. Joanna Albin, Anagrama, 2011
• El leñador (Drwal), trans. Javier Villaverde Gonzalez, Barcelona: Rayo Verde Editorial, 2013

Catalan:

• El llenyater (Drwal), trans. Marta Cedro, Guillem Calaforra, Barcelona: Raig Verd Editorial, 2013

Macedonian:

• Lubiewo, trans. Zwonko Dimoski, Skopje: Ars Libris, 2015

Dutch:

• Lubiewo, trans. Jacques Dehue, Rita Marynowski, Amsterdam: Van Gennep, 2010

German:

• Lubiewo, trans. Christina-Marie Hauptmeier, Suhrkamp, 2007
• Queen Barbara (Barbara Radziwiłłówna z Jaworzna-Szczakowej), trans. Olaf Kühl, Barlin: Suhrkamp, 2010

Norwegian:

• Tommer hogg eren (Drwal), trans. Agnes Banach, Oslo: Forlaget Oktober, 2013
• Skrullestranda (Lubiewo), trans. Agnes Banach, Oslo: Forlaget Oktober, 2015

Russian:

• Lubiewo, trans. J. W. Czajnikow, NLO, 2007
• Margo, trans. Jurij  Czajnikow, Saint Petersburg: Izdatielstwo Iwana Limbacha, 2010

Slovenian:

• Kraljica Barbara (Barbara Radziwiłówna z Jaworzna Szczakowej), trans. Tatjana Jamnik, Ljubljana: Didakta, 2010

Swedish:

• Lubiewo, trans. Stefan Ingvarsson, Stockholm: Modernista, 2008
• Margot, trans. Stefan Ingvarsson, Emi-Simone Zawall, Stockholm: Natur & kultur, 2011

Ukrainian:

• Хтивня (Lubiewo), trans. Andrij Bondar, Nora-Druk, 2006

Hungarian:

• Kéjpart (Lubiewo), trans. Keresztes Gáspár, Budapest: Magvetö, 2010

Czech:

• Chlípnice (Lubiewo), trans. Jan Jeništa, Prague: Fra, 2007
• Královna Barbara, trans. Jan Jeništa, Prague: Fra, 2012

Italian:

• Margot, trans. Laura Rescio, Rome: Atmosphere, 2012