The editors of the New Books Magazine, whose publisher is the Book Institute, presented its annual award. Its winner for 2023 was Anna Nasiłowska, awarded for her book ‘Mrożek. A Biography’.
“I am very moved. I had been writing this book for four years, but the main work was done during the pandemic. For a long time afterwards, I had the impression that an extraordinary thing had happened: something from my computer had come out into the world and was running on its own. And now Mrożek, in the form of a book, is receiving awards”, said Prof. Anna Nasiłowska. “I have always had the impression that literary criticism is somewhat subservient to literature, which does not mean that it is inferior. Here the task was quite simple – to do something for Mrożek, to try to explain him. I hope I have succeeded, at least partially”, she added.
Excerpts from the award-winning book were read by Joanna Dukaczewska, and the laudation was delivered by Professor Maciej Urbanowski.
“Anna Nasiłowska fulfilled her task very well, as she was perfectly prepared for it. Although she is not a “lady of Mrożek”, she has a great and respectable output in literary studies. She used to write about Stanisław Trembecki, but she is particularly fond of the 20th century, especially of the Skamander Circle, i.e. that branch of Polish literature and our intelligentsia with which we could connect the author of Emigrants”, said Professor Urbanowski in his laudation.
The Book of the Year award of the New Books Magazine has been granted since 1999. Previous winners include Tadeusz Różewicz, Jerzy Jedlicki, Ryszard Kapuściński, Barbara Skarga, Urszula Kozioł, Kazimierz Orłoś, Maria Poprzęcka, and last year, Marcin Pilis. The award is PLN 10,000 and is funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Professor Anna Nasiłowska is a writer, poet, literary critic and historian of contemporary literature. She works at the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences and is also president of the Polish Writers’ Association.
Adrian Andrzejewski