Born in 1932 in Dwikozy near Sandomierz, Mysliwski is the author of novels and plays that are usually discussed in the context of "peasant literature," dealing with the problems of the identities of villages and their inhabitants in times of historical change.

However, Mysliwski's work transcends this literary category thanks to its philosophical and anthropological importance. Mysliwski is convinced that peasant culture includes eternal values of human existence and the most universal forces that allow people to shape their own lives (tilling the soil, building houses, passing on family traditions). The philosophical underpinning of his work is the conviction that people achieve self-knowledge by rebelling against their fate. Mysliwski's first novel was Naked Orchard (1967), which surprised the critics with its maturity, substantiality and exceptional - in terms of European, as well as Polish literature - loving portrait by a son of his father. The play The Steward (1978) and the novel The Palace (1970) reveal a sharper conflict between the inherited destiny and the longed-for destiny. Mysliwski's broadest epic of the peasant fate is the novel Stone upon Stone (1984), a masterpiece of past-war Polish literature, the apotheosis of the peasant tradition, Mysliwski's best book, and one of the most important achievements in Polish literature. Mysliwski's most recent novel, The Horizon (1996), won the 1997 Nike prize. It is a summation of his earlier work but also contains new accents. It is perhaps the only epic of fulfilled nostalgia in the Polish literature of the 1990s. It is about the possibility of returning to lost family experiences. Mysliwski's status as a writer results from the fact that he has taken up all the essential issues of the contemporary peasantry, while raising peasant prose to the level of a dialogue with the universals of human existence.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Nagi sad, Warszawa: PIW, 1967
• Pałac, Warszawa: PIW, 1970
• Kamień na kamieniu, Warszawa: PIW, 1984
• Drzewo, Szczecin: Glob, 1989
• Widnokrąg, Warszawa: Muza, 1996.
• Requiem dla gospodyni, Warszawa: Muza, 2000.
• Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli, Kraków: Znak, 2006.
• Ostatnie rozdanie, Kraków: Znak,2013.

TRANSLATIONS

Bulgarian:

• Kam"ku v"rchu kam"k [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Galina Belinska, Sofia: Narodna Kultura, 1987.

Croatian:

• Traktat o ljustenju graha [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Mladen Martić, Zagreb: Naklada Ljevak, 2015.​​​​​​​

Czech:

• Na kameni kámen [Kamień na kamieniu], Josef Vlášek, Praha: Odeon, 1986.
• Zloděj: drama bez jednání a bez scén [Złodziej], Praha: Dilia, 1990.
• Traktat o louskání fazolí [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Lenka Daňhelová, Praga: Havran, 2010.
• Obzor [Widnokrąg], transl. Lenka Kuhar Daňhelová, Praha: Havran, 2020.​​​​​​​

Dutch:

• Over het doppen van bonen [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Karol Lesman, Amsterdam: Querido, 2009.
• Steen op steen [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Karol Lesman, Amsterdam: Querido, 2012.
• De laatste hand [Ostatnie rozdanie], transl. Karol Lesman, Amsterdam: Querido, 2016.
• De horizon [Widnokrąg], transl. Karol Lesman, Amsterdam: Querido, 2017.​​​​​​​

English:

• The palace [Pałac], transl. Ursula Phillips, London, Chester Springs: P. Owen, 1991.
• Stone upon stone [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Bill Johnston, New York: Archipelago Books, 2011.
• A Treatise on Shelling Beans [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Bill Johnston, New York: Archipelago Books, 2013.​​​​​​​

Esperanto:

• La paląco [Pałac], transl. Tomasz Chmielik, Svidniko: T. Chmielik: Fondumo Edmond kaj Yvonne Privat, 1992.​​​​​​​

Estonian:

• Kivi peal on kivi [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Olev Jōgi, Tallinn: Èèsti Raamat, 1988.​​​​​​​

French:    

• L'Art d'écosser les haricots [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Margot Carlier, Arles: Actes Sud, 2010.
• La dernière partie [Ostatnie rozdanie], transl. Margot Carlier, Arles: Actes Sud, 2016.​​​​​​​

Georgian:

• K'va k'vaze [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Ambrosi Grišikašvili, T'bilisi: s.l., 2001.​​​​​​​

German:

• Der nackte Garten [Nagi sad], transl. Caesar Rymarowicz, Berlin, Weimar: Aufbau-Verlag, 1974.
• Stein auf Stein [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Henryk Bereska, Berlin, Weimar: Aufbau-Verlag, 1990.
• Der helle Horizont [Widnokrąg], transl. Roswitha Matwin-Buschmann, München: btb, 2005.​​​​​​​

Hebrew:

• Hirhur ʻal ḳiluf sheʻuʻit [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Anat Zajdman, Or Yehuda: Kinneret, Zmora Dvir-Publishing House, 2010.​​​​​​​

Hungarian:

• Pásztorkastély [Pałac], transl. Irén Fejér, Budapest: Magvető, 1986.
• Látóhatár [Widnokrąg], transl. Péter Józsa, Budapest: Széphalom Könyvmühely, 2006.
• Értekezés a babfejtésről [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Péter Hermann, Budapest: Poligráf, 2019.​​​​​​​

Italian:

• L'arte di sgranare i fagioli [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Alessandro Amenta, Roma: Gaffi Editore, 2012.​​​​​​​

Latvian:

• Akmens uz akmęna [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Vija Brangule, Rīga: Liesma, 1988.​​​​​​​

Lithuanian:

• Akmuo ant akmens [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Judita Grigienė, Vilnius: Vaga, 1992.
• Traktatas apie pupeliu gliaudymą [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Kazys Uscila, Vilnius: Mintis, 2009.
• Paskutinis išdalijimas [Ostatnie rozdanie], transl. Kazys Uscila, Vilnius: Mintis, 2018.
• Akiratis [Widnokrąg], transl. Vyturys Jarutis, Vilnius: Lietuvos rašytojų sąjungos leidykla, 2017.

Romanian:

• Piatra peste piatra [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Pavel Mocanu, Ion Dodu Bălan, Bucureşti: Ed. Univers, 1987.
• Orizont [Widnokrąg], transl. Stan Velea, Bucureşti: Saeculum I. O., 2000.​​​​​​​

Russian:

• Kamen' na kamen' [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Ksenia Starosielska, Moskva: Raduga, 1987.​​​​​​​

Serbian:

• Traktat o čišćenju pasulja [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Jovan Jovanović, Belgrad: Clio, 2013.​​​​​​​

Slovak:

• Kamień na kameni [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Jozef Marušiak, Bratislava: Slovensky Spisovatel', 1989.
• Horizont [Widnokrąg], transl. Jozef Marušiak, Bratislava: Kalligram, 2007.
• Traktát o lúštení fazule [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Jozef Marušiak, Bratislava: Kalligram, 2010.

Slovenian:

• Traktat o luščenju fižola [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Staša Pavlović, Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 2014.​​​​​​​

Spanish:

• El arte de desgranar alubias [Traktat o łuskaniu fasoli], transl. Francisco Javier Villaverde, Madrid: 451 Editores, 2011.​​​​​​​

Turkish:

• Taş taş üstünde [Kamień na kamieniu], transl. Neşe Taluy Yüce, Istanbul: Aylak Adam, 2016.