Maciej Parowski (27 December 1946, in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
– 2 June 2019, in Warsaw) was a Polish
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
,
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 ...
, science fiction
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, p ...
, editor and
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 ''transl ...
.
He has been called "a legend of the Polish science fiction and fantasy scene".
Life and career
He was born on 27 December 1946 in Warsaw. He worked as a critic of
science-fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
, chief editor of ''
Nowa Fantastyka'' from 1992–2003, and editor of several science-fiction series and anthologies. Chief editor of ''Czas Fantastyki''. Author of several science-fiction stories and a book, from the
social science-fiction genre, most of his fiction works are from 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1990s he was involved in a major discussion in Polish science-fiction literature, revolving around the
Janusz A. 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 chose ...
and the distinction between "serious" and "pop" sci-fi. Editor and supporter of several
Polish comics.
He has been credited with popularizing ''
Star Wars'' franchise in Poland.
In 2006 he received an award for support of Polish comics, the Humoris Causa. In 2007, he received silver medal for cultural achievements
Gloria Artis from Polish Minister of Culture, and in 2010 – Mackiewicz Prize (second place) for novel "Burza".
Works
Books
* ''Bez dubbingu'' (collection of essays, Młodzieżowa Agencja Wydawnicza 1978)
* ''TwarzÄ… ku ziemi'' (novel, Czytelnik 1982)
* ''Sposób na kobiety'' (anthology of short stories, KAW 1985)
* ''Czas fantastyki'' (essays, interviews, reviews; Glob 1990)
* ''Burza. Ucieczka z Warszawy '40'' (novel; Narodowe Centrum Kultury 2009)
* ''Małpy Pana Boga. Słowa'' (essays, interviews, reviews; Narodowe Centrum Kultury 2011)
Comics
* ''
Funky Koval
''Funky Koval'' is a Polish science fiction/detective story/political fiction genre comic book series published in Poland from the 1980s, collected in four volumes. The story was written by and Maciej Parowski, with art drawn by Bogusław Polch. ...
'' (1987–1992, 2010), with
Bogusław Polch
Bogusław Polch act. Połch (5 October 1941 – 2 January 2020) was a Polish comic book artist. His most notable works include the series '' The Gods from Outer Space'' (based on Erich von Däniken books, written by Arnold Mostowicz and Alfred Gà ...
* ''
Wiedźmin'' (''
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 be ...
'', 1993–1995), with
Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski (; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer, essayist, translator and a trained economist. He is best known for his six-volume series of books '' The Witcher'', which revolves around the eponymous "witcher," a monster-hun ...
and
Bogusław Polch
Bogusław Polch act. Połch (5 October 1941 – 2 January 2020) was a Polish comic book artist. His most notable works include the series '' The Gods from Outer Space'' (based on Erich von Däniken books, written by Arnold Mostowicz and Alfred Gà ...
See also
*
Science fiction and fantasy in Poland
Science fiction and fantasy in Poland dates to the late 18th century. During the latter years of the People's Republic of Poland, a very popular genre of science fiction was social science fiction. Later, many other genres gained prominence.
Po ...
References
*
Fantastyka pisarze: Maciej Parowski – o autorze
1946 births
2019 deaths
Polish speculative fiction critics
Polish speculative fiction editors
French editors
Polish literary critics
Polish essayists
Polish male writers
Male essayists
Polish science fiction writers
Science fiction critics
Science fiction editors
Recipients of the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis
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