Marcin Szczygielski

Marcin Szczygielski
Born Marcin Paweł Szczygielski
28 May 1972
Warsaw, Poland
Occupation Writer
Nationality  POL Polish
Period 2003 to present
Genre Historical fiction, speculative fiction, Science fiction, satire, Children's fiction

Marcin Szczygielski (born 1972), Polish writer, journalist and graphic designer. He is an author of theatrical plays, novels for adults and for teenagers. Since December 2012 he has been a member of Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich (Polish Writers' Association).[1]

Biography

Szczygielski was born in Warsaw, to Iwona Racz-Szczygielska,[2] a former singer of most popular in Poland, Soviet Union and GDR in the 1960s Polish girlsband Filipinki,[3][4] and Cezary Szczygielski, an actor. His parents divorced while he was still a child and he was raised by his mother.

Szczygielski is openly gay and lives in Warsaw with his partner (since 1994) Tomasz Raczek, a journalist and film critic.[5]

Career

His debut was PL-BOY (published 2003), a fictional, humorous account of the editorial department of the Polish Edition Playboy magazine that Szczygielski used to be the Art director of. The novels that followed – Wiosna PL-BOYa (2004), Nasturcje i cwoki (2005) and Farfocle namietnosci (2006) – established him as one of the most-read authors of popular literature in Poland. Berek (2007) tells a story of a difficult friendship between an elderly lady - a conservative Catholic and her young neighbour, openly gay. The novel immediately hit the bestseller list. Its spinoff, titled Bierki, was published in 2010. In 2011 Poczet Krolowych Polskich (The Queens Saga) was published, which is claimed to be the most mature and most ambitious novel of Szczygielski. This elaborate, multigenerational family saga that portrays the contemporary Polish history through the lives of women of 4 generations, was nominated for the Srebrny Kałamarz Literary Prize.

A separate part of Marcin Szczygielski's literary output are books aimed towards younger readers. Each of them has received numerous awards and recognition awards in literary contests, whereas novels Czarny Mlyn and Za niebieskimi drzwiami have been incorporated into the extracurricular reading list in Polish elementary schools.

Szczygielski's theatrical plays have been staged in many Polish theatres – among others in the cities Warsaw, Łódź, Płock and Cracow.[6]

Books

Aimed towards adult readers:

Aimed towards young readers:

Theatrical plays:

Awards and Honors

Omega – recognition award in Halina Skrobiszewska Children Literature Contest and incorporation into the Museum of Children's Books Treasure List, 2010

Omega – recognition award in the Most Beautiful Books of the Year 2009 Contest organized by the Polish Association of Book Publishers

Czarny Mlyn – Grand Prix in the Second Astrid Lindgren Literary Contest, 2010[11]

Czarny Mlyn – 1st Prize in the Second Astrid Lindgren Literary Contest, category: novels for children aged 10–14, 2010

Omega – Book of the Year 2010 in the contest organized by the Polish section of IBBY - International Board on Books for Young People, 2011[7]

Za niebieskimi drzwiami – Duzy Dong (previously Children's Bestseller of the Year) – 1st Prize awarded by the Professional Jury in Dong literary contest organized by the Polish section of IBBY, 2011

Za niebieskimi drzwiami – Children's Jury recognition award in Dong literary contest (previously Children's Bestseller of the Year) organized by the Polish section of IBBY, 2011

Za niebieskimi drzwiami – 2nd Prize in Halina Skrobiszewska Children Literature Contest and incorporation into the Museum of Children's Books Treasure List, 2011

Poczet Krolowych Polskich / The Queens Saga – nomination for Srebrny Kałamarz Literary Prize in the Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński Literary Contest, 2012

Za niebieskimi drzwiami – the novel incorporated into the international IBBY Honour List presenting the most outstanding children's books, 2012[12]

Arka Czasu – Grand Prix in the 3rd Astrid Lindgren Literary Contest for children's and teenager's books, 2013[13]

Arka Czasu – 1st Prize in the 3rd Astrid Lindgren Literary Contest, category: novels for children aged 10–14, 2013

Czarownica pietro nizej – Book of April 2013 according to Magazyn Literacki KSIAZKI

Arka Czasu – recognition award in the Book of the Year 2013 Literary Contest organized by the Polish section of IBBY, 2013

Czarownica pietro nizej – Zielona Gaska 2013 Literary Prize awarded by Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński Foundation, 2014.

Arka Czasu – 1st Prize in Halina Skrobiszewska Children Literature Contest and incorporation into the Museum of Children's Books Treasure List, 2014

• Guliwer w Krainie Olbrzymów (Gulliver in the Land of Giants) 2014 Literary Prize for significant and lasting contributions to children's literature awarded by Polish magazine about children's literature Guliwer, 2014[14]

Notes