Rafal A. Ziemkiewicz
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
political fiction
Political fiction
Political fiction is a subgenre of fiction that deals with political affairs. Political fiction has often used narrative to provide commentary on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction often "directly criticize an existing society or.....
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author and journalist.
Science-fiction writer
During his studies at the University of WarsawUniversity of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
(Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and literature
Polish literature
Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages, used in Poland over the centuries, have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Yiddish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German and...
) in 1984 he joined SFAN science fiction fan association and started writing short stories. His first science-fiction short story (Z palcem na spuście) was published in 1982. His book debut was Władca szczurów (Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
), (1987). He also worked for two Polish science-fiction magazines: Fantastyka
Fantastyka
Fantastyka , is a Polish speculative fiction monthly fantasy and science fiction magazine....
(1986–1990) and as a chief editor for Fenix
Fenix (magazine)
Fenix was a Polish science fiction magazine published from 1990 to 2001.-See also:* Science fiction magazine* Fantasy fiction magazine* Horror fiction magazine...
(1990–1994).
In the 1990s, he became one of the most popular Polish science-fiction authors. For his novels Pieprzony los kataryniarza (1995) and Walc stulecia (1998), as well as his short story Śpiąca królewna (1996), he was awarded the Zajdel Award, the most prestigious Polish award for science fiction and fantasy literature. He was also awarded Śląkfa
Slakfa
Śląkfa is the oldest of Polish science fiction and fantasy award, although less known than the Janusz A. Zajdel Award. It is awarded by the Silesian Fantasy Club , the oldest of still-active Polish fandom organizations. The award has been first presented in 1983....
for Writer of a Year in 1990 and 1998.
A popular theme in his works is the fate of Poland and more broadly, Europe, in the near future (from several to several dozen years). His books often paint the future in dark colors, showing the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
disintegrate into a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
becoming powerless in the face of Islamic terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, and predatory capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
and political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
taken ad absurdum leading to the erosion of morality
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
. Thus his books are often classified as political fiction
Political fiction
Political fiction is a subgenre of fiction that deals with political affairs. Political fiction has often used narrative to provide commentary on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction often "directly criticize an existing society or.....
and social science fiction
Social science fiction
Social science fiction is a term used to describe a subgenre of science fiction concerned less with technology and space opera and more with sociological speculation about human society...
, although they are not seen as dystopian fiction.
Journalist and publicist
Ziemkiewicz is also a conservative journalist and essayist. He began this career in early 1990s as a publicist for Najwyższy Czas!Najwyzszy Czas!
Najwyższy Czas! is a Polish liberal conservative sociopolitic weekly news magazine, published since March 31, 1990 by Oficyna Konserwatystów i Liberałów, owned by Janusz Korwin-Mikke and connected with the Union of Real Politics. This magazine focuses on promoting liberalism in economy and...
weekly magazine. Until February 1997, Ziemkiewicz wrote political and socio-economical essays for Gazeta Polska
Gazeta Polska
Gazeta Polska is a Polish right-wing/conservative weekly, founded in 1993. Its current editor-in-chief is Tomasz Sakiewicz. Its most known contributors include: Piotr Lisiewicz, Jacek Kwieciński, Eliza Michalik, Robert Tekieli, Krystyna Grzybowska, Maciej Rybiński, Jacek Łęski, Piotr Semka, Jerzy...
(1993–1997). He was also a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
of popular Polish magazine Wprost
Wprost
Wprost is a weekly newsmagazine in Poland. It was founded on December 5, 1982 as a regional magazine in Greater Poland, but since 1989 it has been distributed nationwide. The editorial office is currently located in Warsaw. Wprost is an opinion weekly focused on politics and society. Marek Król is...
(2001–2003) and the Polish edition of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
(2003–2007), and occasionally published essays in Polityka
Polityka
Polityka is a centre-left weekly newsmagazine in Poland. With a circulation of 170,000 it is the country's biggest selling weekly, ahead of Newsweek's Polish edition and Wprost. Today, the magazine has a slightly intellectual, social liberal profile, setting it apart from the more conservative...
. Currently his columns are being published in Rzeczpospolita
Rzeczpospolita (newspaper)
Rzeczpospolita is a Polish national daily newspaper, with a circulation around of 160,000. Issued every day except Sunday. Rzeczpospolita was printed in broadsheet format, then switched to compact at October 16, 2007...
, Gazeta Polska, Niezależna Gazeta Polska and Interia.pl
Interia.pl
Interia.pl is a large Polish web portal and a popular search engine created in 1999 in Nowa Huta district of Kraków, Poland. It offers, among others: new email accounts, free web hosting, and domain name registration...
webportal.
He was also a radio journalist, working for Radio WAWA and Polskie Radio Program IV in the 1990s, Radio TOK FM in early 2000s, later with Radio VOX FM and Program 1 Polskiego Radia
Program 1 Polskiego Radia
Polskie Radio Program I, known also as PR1 or radiowa Jedynka is a radio channel broadcast by the Polish public broadcaster, Polskie Radio. It is dedicated to information and easy listening music...
. He hosts TV talkshow on TVP Info
TVP Info
TVP Info is a Polish news channel, which replaced TVP3. It is run by the public broadcaster, TVP and dedicated to the country's regions. It had regional branches in most of the major Polish cities and, similarly to the France 3 in France or Rai Tre in Italy, for couple of hours every day it...
and a program on TVP Historia
TVP Historia
TVP Historia is a public, history channel available on cable, satellite and DSL.-External links:*...
.
Many of his essays have been collected and published in book format. In 2001 he won the Kisiel Prize
Kisiel Prize
Kisiel Prize or Kisiel Award ) is an award awarded in three categories: publicist, politician and entrepreneur whose actions most closely portray the spirit and beliefs of the Polish publicist and politician, Stefan Kisielewski. The award was established in 1990 by Kisielewski himself, with support...
.
His essays are sometimes controversial. He has spoken out against what he termed as "extreme" activists of lesbian and gay
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
and Reparations for slavery
Reparations for slavery
Reparations for slavery is a proposal that some type of compensation should be provided to the descendants of enslaved people in the United States, in consideration of the coerced and uncompensated labor their ancestors performed over several centuries...
in the United States. In September 2006, Ziemkiewicz published an article in the Polish edition of Newsweek criticizing the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
, Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik is the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, where he sometimes writes under the pen-names of Andrzej Zagozda or Andrzej Jagodziński. In 1966–1989 he was one of the leading organizers of the illegal, democratic opposition in Poland...
; Michnik brought a civil suit against Ziemkiewicz, which was settled in 2007 after Ziemkiewicz agreed to publish an apology.
He was a spokesman for the Real Politics Union
Real Politics Union
The Real Politics Union , abbreviated to UPR, was a free market-emphasizing conservative political party in Poland. It was composed of conservatives, libertarians and monarchists...
(Unia Polityki Realnej) party (1993–1994). In 1995 as a stipendiary of the National Forum Foundation he worked for the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Fiction
- Władca szczurów WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, 1987 (short stories anthology) - Skarby stolinów Warsaw, 1990 (second edition in 1993) (short stories anthology)
- Zero złudzeń Białowieża, 1991 (short stories anthology)
- Wybrańcy Bogów Warsaw, 1991 (second edition in 2000)
- Pieprzony los Kataryniarza Warsaw, 1995
- Czerwone dywany, odmierzony krok Warsaw, 1996
- Walc Stulecia Warsaw, 1998 (second edition in 2010)
- Cała kupa wielkich braci Lublin, 2002 (short stories anthology)
- Ciało obce Warsaw, 2005
- Ognie na skałach Lublin, 2005
- Coś mocniejszego Lublin, 2006 (short stories anthology)
- Żywina (2008)
- Zgred (2011)
Non-fiction
- Zero zdziwień Warsaw, 1995 (essays)
- Viagra mać Warsaw, 2002 (essays)
- Frajerzy LublinLublinLublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
, 2003 (essays) - PolactwoPolactwoPolactwo – a book by Rafał Ziemkiewicz, published in 2004, 2007.Author tries to explain what happened with Poles after fall of communism and the toxic influence of tens of years of communism and destruction it brought to Poland. He tells about destructive force of people gathered around Adam...
Lublin, 2004 (essays) - Michnikowszczyzna. Zapis chorobyMichnikowszczyzna. Zapis chorobyMichnikowszczyzna. Zapis choroby is a Polish book written by Rafał Ziemkiewicz. The title might be translated as: Michnik-ness. Case history...
Lublin, 2006 - Czas wrzeszczących staruszków Lublin, 2008
- W skrócie, 2009
- W sieci, 2009
- Wkurzam salon, 2011
Awards
External links
- Rafał Aleksander Ziemkiewicz Blog (in Polish)
- Another Rafał Aleksander Ziemkiewicz Blog (in Polish)