Jacek Dehnel

Poet, translator, writer and painter. A graduate of Polish literature studies at the University of Warsaw within the framework of the Individual Inter-Faculty Studies in the Humanities. Author of the acclaimed novel Lala (2006), which focuses on intimate stories recounted by Grandmother Lala, which are a reflection of real-life events. It is a tale encompassing the tradition of family sagas, a biography, a coming-of-age story and an extended interview. It is a story of an unusual woman who managed, safely and quite optimistically, to survive the most cruel century in the history of Europe. In the Polityka weekly, Aleksander Kaczorowski wrote the following words after the book was released: In an impressive way, Dehnel becomes one of the most interesting Polish writers. In the Gazeta Wyborcza daily, Dariusz Nowacki added: Nobody has ever said goodbye to the first stage of their life in a more beautiful way. Picture-perfect – both the novel and the farewell! The novel has been translated into German, Hebrew, Italian and Slovak, while Spanish, Hungarian, Turkish, Croat and Lithuanian versions are underway. Dehnel has also published a collection of short stories entitled Rynek w Smyrnie (2007), a set of four mini-novels: Balzakiana (2008), and Fotoplastikon (2009). He has also translated works by O. Mandelsztam, W. H. Auden, P. Larkin, G. Szirtes, K. Verdins and others. He is a laureate of many literary awards, including the Red Rose contest, the Prose Competition of the Znak publishing house, the Literary Award of the City of Gdańsk, as well as in the Herbert, Rilke, Berezin, Baczyński and Poświatowska competitions. He also won the Kościelscy Award in 2005 and Polityka’s Passport in 2006. He was nominated for the Angelus Award in (2007) and the Nike Award in 2009. He lives in the Powiśle district of Warsaw. Picture: Emilian Snarski