The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy
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 Cover of the book (based on Sztuka w zaścianku by Jacek Malczewski, 1896) | |
| Editor | Wiesiek Powaga |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | speculative fiction |
| Publisher | Dedalus Books |
Publication date | 1996 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | anthology |
The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy is a 1996 anthology of Polish speculative fiction, edited and translated by Wiesiek Powaga and published in the United Kingdom by Dedalus Books in their Dedalus Books of Fantasy series of European literary fantasy anthologies.
The anthology features twenty short stories spanning two centuries of Polish literature, written by authors including Witold Gombrowicz, Stefan Grabiński, Sławomir Mrożek, Władysław Reymont, Bruno Schulz, and Jacek Dukaj.
The collection's unifying theme is the exploration of evil, often personified in the devil or another demonic entity or entities. The genres include Gothic, surrealism, dystopian satire, even science fiction.
The anthology has been praised for its thematic coherence, its portrayal of "the reality of evil", and its demonstration of how the Polish literary tradition differs from Western European approaches to similar themes.[citation needed]
The stories
Some of the stories in The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy were published in English translation for the first time.[1] The stories' unifying theme is the concept of a devil – who appears in many of the stories – or of demons: that is, personifications of evil.[2][1][3]
The book's editor, Wiesiek Powaga, writes that "In choosing the stories for this anthology I tried to do justice to the devil and various strands of tradition which account for his presence in Polish fantastic fiction", which he sees as a unique genre of its own, related to but distinct from wider European fiction: "Stranded between West and East, forever suspended between damnation and redemption, between Satan and the Messiah, Polish fantastic stories possess a unique and distinctive voice."[4]
The book's cover incorporates a painting by the Polish symbolist painter Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929).[2]
- Sławomir Mrożek, Co-Existence (Koegzystencja)
- Andrzej Szczypiorski, The Lady with the Medallion (Dama z medalionem, 1972)
- Marek S. Huberath, The Greater Punishment (Kara większa, 1991[7])
- Tadeusz Miciński, Father Faust (excerpt from Xiądz Faust, 1913)
- Franciszek Mirandola, Strange Street (Ulica Dziwna, 1919)
- Władysław Reymont, The Vampire (excerpt from Wampir, 1911)
- Lucjan Siemieński The Shadow of Queen Barbara (Cień królowej Barbary, 1835[8])
- Jan Barszczewski, The Head Full of Screaming Hair (Włosy krzyczące na głowie, 1982)
- Henryk Rzewuski, I Am Burnin'! (Ja gorę, 1982)
- Stefan Grabiński, The Grey Room (Szary pokój, 1918)
- Stefan Grabiński, The Black Hamlet (Czarna Wólka, 1922[9])
- Kornel Makuszyński, The Gentleman with a Goatee (Pan z kozią bródką, 1925[10])
- Witold Gombrowicz, Dinner at Countess Kotłubay's (Biesiada u hrabiny Kotłuba, 1928;[11] the story's title has also been translated into English as Dinner at Countess Pavahoke’s[12])
- Bruno Schulz, Father Experiments (excerpt from Kometa, 1938[13])
- Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Mother Joanna of the Angels (excerpt from Matka Joanna od Aniołów, 1946)
- Bruno Jasieński, The Legs of Isolda Morgan (Nogi Izoldy Morgan, 1923[14])
- Wiktor Woroszylski, The White Worms (Białe robaki, 1972)
- Andrzej Bursa, Dragon (Smok, 1958)
- Jacek Dukaj, The Golden Galley (Złota Galera, 1990)