POLE POSITION POLISH BOOK AUTUMNFEST

This Autumn Pole Position, the UK’s largest Polish literary event of 2012, welcomes seven of Central Europe’s most exciting writers to participate in a marathon of 17 events, across 15 venues and 10 cities. From Glasgow to Folkestone it is an unmissable chance to hear from acclaimed names and edgy newcomers alike, sharing some of this year’s best literature.

The programme opens with a series of talks from award-winning foreign correspondent Artur Domoslawski introducing Ryszard Kapuscinski. A Life (Verso, July 2012), his much celebrated account of a friend, mentor, and a twentieth-century journalist-legend. Incisive and meticulous – ‘a truly great work’, The Guardian, ‘an exemplary explanation of what made Kapuscinski tick’, The Economist – Domoslawski’s definitive biography traces the brittle divide between fact and fiction at the heart of Kapuscinski’s life and work.

Pawel Huelle, three times shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize – ‘One of Poland's most accomplished modern writers’, The Independent – returns with Cold Sea Stories (Comma Press, September 2012), inspired by the history and mythology of the Baltic Coast. From Gdansk shipyard to the Twin Towers, the collection sees tales of love, loss, and literature embark on the tides of historical change.

Poland’s best-selling author Grazyna Plebanek will introduce her latest work Illegal Liaisons (Stork Press, October 2012), a story of unstoppable physical obsession told from the perspective of a man, husband and father. It is an erotica that is as smart as it is sexy, testing our moral norms to the limits.

Events continue with the arrival of new writer A.M. Bakalar and her gritty debut Madame Mephisto (Stork Press, April 2012), a hard-hitting narrative of new-wave immigration, drugs and deceit. The plot follows anti-heroine Magda as she rails against Polish patriarchal obsessions, corporate culture and migrant solitude, fighting to expand her marijuana empire and staking out an identity between cultures. The book was among the readers' recommendations to the Guardian First Book Award.

Zygmunt Miloszewski will discuss A Grain of Truth (Bitter Lemon Press, August 2012), the second instalment of his celebrated detective trilogy, featuring prosecutor Szacki. Having left Warsaw for a new life in the provincial town of Sandomierz in Poland, Szacki finds himself embroiled instead in a brutal murder mystery, unearthing the painful history of Polish-Jewish relations.

Jacek Dehnel will introduce his new novel Saturn (Dedalus Books, January 2013), shortlisted for the prestigious Nike Award (the Polish Booker). Dehnel takes us back in time to the life of Francesco de Goya - polygamist, bisexual, charismatic-genius come patriarchal-tyrant. Focusing on the artist’s late Black Paintings, this series of mysterious and grotesque images are here re-imagined as the creation of Goya’s son, Javier, a twist that sets in motion Dehnel’s multi-narrative account of toxic relationships between three generations struggling to communicate.

Finally, Magdalena Tulli, one of Poland’s most celebrated and enigmatic writers, introduces her fantastical and darkly parabolic fairytale. In Red (Archipelago Books, November 2011), tells a story of Europe’s twentieth-century crisis and transformations seen through the eyes of the bizarre inhabitants of sinister backwater town in Poland.

-ENDS-

Press Contact: Karolina Kolodziej, Head of Public Relations, Polish Cultural Institute, Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.">Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. T: +44 (0) 203 206 2004,

Pole Position is a result of numerous organic initiatives and vibrant collaborations amongst many individuals and institutions devoted to promoting the best literature on the UK market: publishers (Verso, Comma Press, Stork Press, Bitter Lemon Press, Dedalus Books, Archipelago Books), cultural promoters (Polish Cultural Institute in London, English PEN, Frontline Club, literary festivals in Manchester, Folkestone, Ilkley, London's Notes & Letters and Bristol's Festival of Ideas, Sefton Celebrates Writing Festival with Writing on the Wall, Merseyside Polonia, Kasia Kokowska and Interactive Writing Salon in Scotland, dr Elwira Grossman of Glasgow University, Anna Ready), translators (Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Danusia Stok, Bill Johnston), and finally bookshops and libraries (London's Daunt and Belgravia, Oxford's Albion Beatnik, Blackwell's in Edinburgh and Oxford, Toxteth library in Liverpool).

Pole Position is coordinated and supported by the Polish Cultural Institute in London. Full information about the project: http://www.polishculture.org.uk/literature/news/article/pole-position-1848.html

Polish Cultural Institute in London (www.polishculture.org.uk) is a part of the Polish diplomatic mission in the UK, with aim of promoting and fostering an understanding of Polish culture throughout the country. With offices based in Soho, the heart of creative London, the Institute devises programme of cultural evens in the genres of visual arts, film, theatre, music and literature, in collaboration with the most established as well as cutting-edge British cultural organisations.
BOOKS:

Ryszard Kapuscinski. A Life
By Artur Domoslawski
Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Verso, July 2012

Cold Sea Stories
By Paweł Huelle
Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Comma Press, September 2011

Illegal Liaisons
By Grazyna Plebanek
Translated by Danusia Stok
Stork Press, October 2012

Madame Mephisto
By A.M. Bakalar
Stork Press, April 2012

A Grain of Truth
By Zygmunt Miloszewski
Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Bitter Lemon Press, August 2012

Saturn
By Jacek Dehnel
Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Dedalus Books, January 2013

In Red
By Magdalena Tulli
Translated by Bill Johnston
Archipelago Books, November 2011

Events Listings:

Artur Domoslawski on tour
19 September, 7pm, London, The Frontline Club, Tickets: £12.50/ £10 (Book online)
20 September, Oxford, Blackwell's, Tickets: £3, Box office: 01865333623
21 September, 6.30pm, Bristol, Festival of Ideas, upstairs at Foyles at Quakers Friars, FREE (Book online)
24 September, 6.30 pm, Edinburgh, Word Power Books, FREE
25 September, 5.30pm, Glasgow, Glasgow University, School of Modern Languages & Cultures, FREE
26 September, 6:30pm, Liverpool, Toxteth Library, FREE

Pawel Huelle on tour
7 October, 12.30pm, London, Notes & Letters Festival, King's Place, Tickets £9.50 (Book online)
8 October, 6pm, Manchester Literature Festival, Anthony Burgess Foundation, Tickets £6/ £4, (Book online)
9 October, 7.30pm, Ilkley Literature Festival, Ilkley Playhouse, Tickets £4/ £3 (Book online)
10 October, Liverpool, Toxteh Library, FREE

Grazyna Plebanek on UK tour
17 October, 6pm, Oxford, Albion Beatnik Bookshop, FREE
18 October, 6.30pm, London, Belgravia Books, FREE
19 October, 7.30pm, Manchester Literature Festival, Anthony Burgess Foundation, Tickets: £6/£4 (Book online)

A.M. Bakalar and Grazyna Plebanek
20 October, 3pm, Edinburgh, Blackwell's, FREE

Zygmunt Miloszewski and A.M. Bakalar
4 November, 3pm, Folkstone Book Festival, Tickets £6.50 / £5.50 friends / £4.50 conc (Book online)

Jacek Dehnel and Zygmunt Miloszewski
5 November, Zygmunt Miłoszewski, Jacek Dehnel, London, Daunt Books Fulham Road, FREE

Magdalena Tulli and A.M. Bakalar

7 November, 7.30pm, Sefton Celebrates Writing with Writing on the Wall Festival, Sefton, Merseyside, Tickets TBC

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