Andrzej Sapkowski (; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal an ...

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

and a trained

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

. He is best known for his six-volume series of books ''

The Witcher ''The Witcher'' ( pl, Wiedźmin ) is a series of six fantasy novels and 15 short stories written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous "witcher", Geralt of Rivia. In Sapkowski's works, "witchers" are b ...

'', which revolves around the eponymous "witcher," a monster-hunter, Geralt of Rivia. It began with the publication of '' Blood of Elves'' (1994) and was completed with the publication of standalone prequel novel '' Season of Storms'' (2013). The saga has been popularised through television, cinema, stage, comic books, computer games and translated into 37 languages making him the second most-translated Polish

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

and fantasy writer after

Stanisław Lem Stanisław Herman Lem (; 12 September 1921 – 27 March 2006) was a Polish writer of science fiction and essays on various subjects, including philosophy, futurology, and literary criticism. Many of his science fiction stories are of satirica ...

. He was born in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...

and initially pursued a career as an economist after graduating from the

University of Łódź The University of Łódź ( Polish: ''Uniwersytet Łódzki'', Latin: ''Universitas Lodziensis'') is a public research university founded in 1945 in Łódź, Poland, as a continuation of three higher education institutions functioning in Łódź i ...

. He turned to writing, first as a translator and later as an author of fantasy books, following the success of his first short story ''The Witcher'' published in 1986 in the ''Fantastyka'' magazine. Described as the "Polish

Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

", he wrote 10 novels and 8 short story collections, which sold over 30 million copies worldwide. The influence of

Slavic mythology Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the Religion, religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation of the Slavs, Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The So ...

is seen as a characteristic feature of many of his works. He is a five-time recipient of the

Zajdel Award The Janusz A. Zajdel Award (''Nagroda imienia Janusza A. Zajdla''), often called just Zajdel, is the annual award given by the Polish science fiction and fantasy fandom for the best stories published in the previous year. The winners are ch ...

, Poland's most popular science fiction and fantasy prize, as well as many other awards and honours including David Gemmell Award, World Fantasy Life Achievement Award and the

Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

Early life

He was born on 21 June 1948 in

. His father served in the

Polish People's Army The Polish People's Army ( pl, Ludowe Wojsko Polskie , LWP) constituted the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in 1943–1945, and in 1945–1989 the armed forces of the Polish communist state ( from 1952, the Polish Pe ...

and participated in the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, his parents lived near Nowa Sól before settling in Łódź in Central Poland. He attended the Bolesław Prus High School No. 21. He also studied

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...

at the

, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior

sales representative Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...

for a foreign trade company. He started his literary career as a translator, in particular, of science fiction. Among the first works translated by him was ''The Words of Guru'' by Cyril M. Kornbluth.

Career

Major works

He says he wrote his first

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, ''

'' ("Wiedźmin", also translated "The Hexer" or "Spellmaker"), on a whim, in order to enter a contest by Polish science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Fantastyka''. In an interview, he said that being a businessman at the time and thus familiar with marketing, he knew how to sell, and indeed, he won third prize. The story was published in ''Fantastyka'' in 1986 and was enormously successful both with readers and critics. Sapkowski has created a cycle of tales based on the world of "The Witcher", comprising three collections of short stories and six novels. This cycle and his other works have made him one of the best-known fantasy authors in Poland in the 1990s. The main character of "The Witcher" is Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter trained for this since childhood. Geralt exists in a morally ambiguous universe, yet manages to maintain his own coherent code of ethics. At the same time cynical and noble, Geralt has been compared to

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

's signature character Philip Marlowe. Marek Oramus
Jedynie słuszny wizerunek wiedźmina
', Polityka – nr 36 (2261) from 2000-09-02; pp. 52–54 The world in which these adventures take place is heavily influenced by

. In her review of '' Blood of Elves'', Alice Wybrew of ''Total Sci-Fi'' writes that "Moving effortlessly between moments of wrought emotion and staggeringly effective action, to lengthy periods of political discussion and war stratagems, Sapkowski addresses every aspect of a good fantasy novel eloquently and with ease. His style reads as easily as David Gemmel, but hits harder and deeper than his late fantasy comrade. Creating a world that is both familiar and comfortable, it is through his inventive use of character manipulation that he generates a new and realistic experience". In 2001, he published the ''Manuscript Discovered in a Dragon's Cave'', an original and personal guide to

fantasy literature Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fan ...

. It was written in the form of an encyclopaedia and the author discusses in it the history of the

literary genre A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from more abstract, encompassing classes, which are then further sub-divided ...

, well-known fantasy heroes, descriptions of magic terminology as well as major works of notable writers including

J.R.R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works '' The Hobbit'' and '' The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Ra ...

's ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...

'' and ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 c ...

'',

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

's '' Conan'', C.S. Lewis's ''

The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been adapted for radio, te ...

'', Ursula K. Le Guin's ''

Earthsea ''The Earthsea Cycle'', also known as ''Earthsea'', is a series of high fantasy books written by the American writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Beginning with '' A Wizard of Earthsea'' (1968), '' The Tombs of Atuan'', (1970) and '' The Farthest Shore ...

'',

Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for '' The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nom ...

's ''

The Chronicles of Amber ''The Chronicles of Amber'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works. Four ...

'', J.K. Rowling's ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...

'' or George R.R. Martin's ''

A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, '' A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who in ...

''. Sapkowski's next book series was '' The Hussite Trilogy'' set in the 15th century at the time of the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the ...

with Reinmar of Bielawa as the main protagonist. Mariusz Czubaj writes: Although ''The Hussite Trilogy'' proved less popular compared to ''The Witcher'', it has been described as the author's "

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

". Published between 2002 and 2006, the series was released as an

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

in 2019.

Legal dispute with CD Projekt

In October 2018, he filed a lawsuit against CD Projekt demanding 60 million zloty ($16.1 million) in royalty payments from the company for using the Witcher universe in their computer games. The lawsuit was launched despite the fact that Sapkowski had sold the video game rights to the Witcher for a single sum, rather than through a royalties contract. Sapkowski and his lawyers based their lawsuit on Article 44 of the

Copyright and Related Rights Act A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

. CD Projekt released a statement claiming that the author's demands are groundless and that the company had legitimately and legally acquired copyright to Sapkowski's works. His decision was criticized by many commentators and gaming journalists including Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of '' Metro 2033'', who described him as "an old fool" and noted that without the gaming franchise, the Witcher series "would never get this crazy international readership" and would have remained popular only in Central and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, wh ...

. On 20 December 2019, the writer and the company resolved the lawsuit with an amicable settlement. The company stated this deal was made in an effort "to maintain good relations with authors of works which have inspired CD Projekt Red’s own creations." The details of this arrangement weren't made public.

Personal life

Andrzej Sapkowski - Book World Fair 2010 Prague

Sapkowski resides in his hometown of

in central Poland. He is an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

. He had a son named Krzysztof (1972–2019), who was an avid reader of the Polish ''Fantastyka'' magazine, and for whom he wrote the first ''Witcher'' story, who has since deceased. Sapkowski is a member of the Polish Writers' Association. In an interview, he mentioned that his favorite writers included

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

, Mikhail Bulgakov,

and

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel '' The Name of th ...

. In 2005, Stanisław Bereś conducted a lengthy interview with Sapkowski that was eventually published in a book form as '' Historia i fantastyka''

Translations and adaptations of Sapkowski's works

Sapkowski's books have been translated into Bulgarian, Chinese,

Croatian Croatian may refer to: * Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * S ...

, Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, Georgian,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, Hungarian, Italian,

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian,

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

, Slovak,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

and Ukrainian. An English translation of '' The Last Wish'' short story collection was published by

Gollancz Gollancz may refer to: * Gollancz (surname), a Polish-Jewish surname * Victor Gollancz Ltd, a former British publishing house, now used as an imprint by the Orion Publishing Group See also * Gołańcz Gołańcz (german: Gollantsch) is a town ...

in 2007. From 2008, the Witcher saga is published by

. The English translation of Sapkowski's novel '' Blood of Elves'' won the David Gemmell Legend Award in 2009. In the years 1993–1995, a six-issue

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

series entitled ''

'' was released in the ''Komiks'' magazine by Prószyński i S-ka

publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

. The comic was written by Maciej Parowski and illustrated by Bogusław Polch. The comics were the first attempt to portray the Witcher universe outside the novels. Since 2014, a comic book series ''

'' has been published by the American publisher

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

. The stories presented in the series are mostly originals, written not by Andrzej Sapkowski but by other writers; the exception being volume 2, Fox Children, which adapted a story from the anthology '' Season of Storms''. In 2001, a

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

based on the ''Witcher'' cycle was released in Poland and internationally, entitled ''Wiedźmin'' (''The Hexer''). A film by the same title was compiled from excerpts of the television series but both have been critical and box office failures. In 2009, Russian heavy metal band Esse staged ''The Road with No Return'', a

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

based on the works by Sapkowski. Yevgeny Pronin is the author of the libretto and the composer of much of the opera's music. The premiere of the opera took place the same year in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East ...

and was subsequently released as a DVD in 2012. The Polish game developer, CD Projekt Red, created a role-playing game series based on ''The Witcher'' universe. The first game, titled simply ''

'', was first released in October 2007. The sequel, '' The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings'' was released in 2011. The third game in the trilogy, '' The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'', was released in May 2015. The game shipped over 40 million copies, making it one of the

best selling video games of all time This is a list of video games that have sold the highest number of software units worldwide. The best-selling video game to date is ''Minecraft'', a sandbox game released by Mojang in May 2009 for a wide range of PC, mobile and console pla ...

. In May 2017,

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

commissioned ''

'', an English-language adaptation of the book series. ''The Witcher'' television series premiered on

on 20 December 2019. Sapkowski served for a while as a creative consultant on the project. The popularity of the Netflix show led to Sapkowski topping

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

's list of best-selling authors ahead of J.K. Rowling and

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high ...

. A

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

anime '' The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf'', produced by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, premiered in 2021. In September 2017, a

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

''Wiedźmin'' (The Witcher) directed by Wojciech Kościelniak was premiered at the Musical Theatre in

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...

. '' The Witcher: Blood Origin'' is an upcoming

miniseries created by Declan de Barra and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich adapted from ''The Witcher'' book series which will serve as a prequel to the Netflix television series. It is expected to premiere in December 2022.

Awards and recognition

Sapkowski is a recipient of numerous awards and honours both Polish and foreign including: *2016: World Fantasy Award—Life Achievement for ''The Witcher'' saga *2012: Tähtifantasia Award (Finland) for his short story ''Sword of Destiny'' translated from Polish by Tapani Kärkkäinen; Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Award nomination for his novel ''Spellmaker'', translated from the Polish by Michael Kandel *2011: FantLab's Book of the Year Award (Russia) for his short story ''Żmija'' (Viper) in the Best Translated Novella or Short Story category *2010:

European Science Fiction Society The European Science Fiction Society is an international organisation of professionals and fans who are committed to promoting science fiction in Europe and European science fiction worldwide. The organisation was founded at the first Eurocon ...

"European Grand Master" honorary award *2009: David Gemmell Legend Award *2008:

Honorary citizenship Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

of the city of

*2003:

Ignotus Award Premios Ignotus are annual Spanish literary awards that were created in 1991 by the Asociación Española de Fantasía, Ciencia Ficción y Terror (AEFCFT, translation: Spanish Association of Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror). The awards, which ar ...

(Spain) for ''The Last Wish'' in the Best Anthology category and for ''Muzykanci'' (The Musicians) in the Best Foreign Short Story category;

Nike Award The Nike Literary Award ( pl, Nagroda Literacka „Nike") is a literary prize awarded each year for the best book of a single living author writing in Polish and published the previous year. It is widely considered the most important award f ...

nomination (Poland's top literary prize) for his novel '' Narrenturm'' *2002:

Janusz A. Zajdel Janusz Andrzej Zajdel (15 August 1938 – 19 July 1985) was a Polish science fiction author, second in popularity in Poland to Stanisław Lem. His major genres were social science fiction and dystopia. His main recurring theme involved the ...

for his novel '' Narrenturm'' *1997:

Polityka's Passport Paszport Polityki (Polityka's Passport) is an annual Polish cultural award presented by the weekly magazine ''Polityka'' since 1993. It is presented in six major categories: literature, film, theatre, classical music, popular music, visual arts ...

award, which is awarded annually to artists who have strong prospects for international success *1996:

Hall of Fame: author *1995: Raczyński Library Award for lifetime achievements *1994: Janusz A. Zajdel Award for his novel '' Krew elfów'' (Blood of Elves) *1993: Ikaros Award (Czech Republic); Janusz A. Zajdel Award for his short story ''W leju po bombie'' (In a Bomb Crater) *1992: Janusz A. Zajdel Award for his short story '' Miecz przeznaczenia'' (Sword of Destiny) *1990: Janusz A. Zajdel Award for his short story '' Mniejsze zło'' (The Lesser of Two Evils)

Orders

*2014: Silver Medal Gloria Artis, conferred by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland POL Srebrny Medal Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis BAR

POL Srebrny Medal Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis BAR

Bibliography

The Witcher Saga

Short story collections

*''The Witcher'' ('' pl:Wiedźmin'', 1990), 5 stories. Currently out of print, although 4 of its stories were reprinted in ''The Last Wish'' along with new material, while the fifth story was reprinted in ''Something ends, Something begins'' and ''The Malady and Other Stories''. *'' Sword of Destiny'' (''Miecz przeznaczenia'', 1992), 6 stories. English edition: 2015 *'' The Last Wish'' (''Ostatnie życzenie'', 1993), 7 stories. English edition: 2007 (in US: 2008). Its stories (including both its original stories and the stories which it republishes from ''The Witcher'') take place before ''Sword of Destiny'' even though it was published later. *The short story "The Hexer" in the English anthology ''Chosen by Fate: Zajdel Award Winner Anthology'' (by SuperNOVA in cooperation with the Silesian Club of Fantasy Literature, 2000) is an English translation by Agnieszka Fulińska of the short story "The Witcher" which had previously been published in Polish in ''The Witcher'' and ''The Last Wish''. ''The Last Wish'' was later translated into English in full. *The short story "Spellmaker" in the English anthology ''A Polish Book of Monsters'' (edited and translated by Michael Kandel, 2010) is another translation of the short story "The Witcher" which had previously been published in ''The Witcher,'' ''The Last Wish,'' and ''Chosen by Fate: Zajdel Award Winner Anthology''. *''Something Ends, Something Begins'' ('' pl:Coś się kończy, coś się zaczyna'', 2000), 8 stories. Only two of its stories are related to ''The Witcher'' saga ("The Road with No Return" and the titular "Something Ends, Something Begins"). *''The Malady and Other Stories'' ('' :pl:Maladie i inne opowiadania'', 2012), 10 stories. It includes the 8 stories from ''Something ends, Something begins'' plus two new stories that aren't related to ''The Witcher'' saga. The only one of its stories that was translated into English is the titular "The Malady" which was published in 2014 under the title ''The Malady and Other Stories'', although that English publication didn't include the other 9 stories from the Polish collection of the same name.

Pentalogy

*'' Blood of Elves'' (''Krew elfów'', 1994). English edition: 2009 *'' Time of Contempt'' (''Czas pogardy'', 1995). English edition: 27 June 2013 *''

Baptism of Fire The phrase baptism by fire or baptism of fire is a Christian theological concept originating from the words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11. It also has related meanings in military history and popular culture. Christianity The term ''bapti ...

'' (''Chrzest ognia'', 1996). English edition: 6 March 2014 *'' The Tower of Swallows'' (''Wieża Jaskółki'', 1997). English edition: May 2016 *''

Lady of the Lake The Lady of the Lake (french: Dame du Lac, Demoiselle du Lac, cy, Arglwyddes y Llyn, kw, Arloedhes an Lynn, br, Itron al Lenn, it, Dama del Lago) is a name or a title used by several either fairy or fairy-like but human enchantresses in the ...

'' (''Pani Jeziora'', 1999). English edition: 14 March 2017

Standalone Prequel novel

* '' Season of Storms'' (''Sezon burz'', 2013). English edition: 22 May 2018 – set between the short stories in ''The Last Wish''

''
Hussite Trilogy The ''Hussite Trilogy'' (, ) is a historical fantasy series of novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. It consists of three books: ''The Tower of Fools'', '' Warriors of God'' and ''Light Perpetual''. It is set in the Lands of the Bohemian Cro ...
''

*''

The Tower of Fools ''The Tower of Fools'' (Polish original title: ''Narrenturm'') is the first historical fantasy novel in the ''Hussite Trilogy'' written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published in 2002 in Polish and in English in 2020. It is ...

'' (''Narrenturm'', 2002). English edition: 2020 *''

Warriors of God ''Warriors of God'' () is a historical novel with fantasy elements, written by Andrzej Sapkowski. It is the sequel to '' Narrenturm'' in the ''Hussite Trilogy''. Its events take place in Bohemia and Silesia, during the time of Hussite Wars. The t ...

'' (''Boży bojownicy'', 2004) *''

Light Perpetual ''Light Perpetual'' is a historical novel with fantasy elements, written by Andrzej Sapkowski, the last part of the ''Hussite Trilogy''. Its events take place in Bohemia, Silesia and Poland, during the time of Hussite Wars The Hussite W ...

'' (''Lux perpetua'', 2006)

Other novels

*''Viper'' (''Żmija'', 2009), a stand-alone novel set during the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...

Other works

*''The Eye of Yrrhedes'' (''Oko Yrrhedesa'', 1995), roleplaying game *''The World of King Arthur. Maladie'' (''Świat króla Artura. Maladie'', 1995), essay and an illustrated short story set in Arthurian mythology *''Manuscript Discovered in a Dragon's Cave'' (''Rękopis znaleziony w Smoczej Jaskini'', 2001),

encyclopedic compendium

References

External links

Andrzej Sapkowski's official site
* *
Andrzej Sapkowski
at Culture.pl
Canon of fantasy literature, by Andrzej Sapkowski
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sapkowski, Andrzej 1948 births Living people People from Łódź Polish fantasy writers 20th-century Polish novelists 21st-century Polish novelists Polish male novelists Polish male short story writers Polish short story writers 20th-century Polish male writers 21st-century Polish male writers 20th-century short story writers 21st-century short story writers Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Polish translators Polish economists Constructed language creators University of Łódź alumni Recipients of the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis World Fantasy Award-winning writers Slavic mythology in popular culture Works based on Slavic mythology Polish atheists Atheist writers Former Roman Catholics Writers from Łódź People from Łódź Voivodeship