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Radek Rak

ラデク・ラク

Radek Rak

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1987
Nationality
Poland
Languages
Polish
Residence History
Resident of Kraków

Career

Occupations
Veterinarian, Writer
Active Years
2014-
Nominations
Puste niebo — nominated for Janusz A. Zajdel Award, Agla. Aurora — nominated for Janusz A. Zajdel Award (2024), Agla. Aurora — nominated for Nowa Fantastyka Award

Education

—
Country: Poland

Awards

Janusz A. Zajdel Award
2019
Work: Baśń o wężowym sercu albo wtóre słowo o Jakóbie Szeli (Fairytale about Snake's Heart, or Second Word about Jakob Szela)
Organization: Janusz A. Zajdel Award
Result: 受賞
Nike Award
2020
Work: Baśń o wężowym sercu albo wtóre słowo o Jakóbie Szeli (Fairytale about Snake's Heart, or Second Word about Jakob Szela)
Organization: Nike Award
Result: 受賞
Nowa Fantastyka Award
2020
Work: Baśń o wężowym sercu albo wtóre słowo o Jakóbie Szeli (Fairytale about Snake's Heart, or Second Word about Jakob Szela)
Category: Polish Book of the Year
Organization: Nowa Fantastyka
Result: 受賞
Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award
2020
Work: Baśń o wężowym sercu albo wtóre słowo o Jakóbie Szeli (Fairytale about Snake's Heart, or Second Word about Jakob Szela)
Organization: Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award
Result: 受賞
Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award (Gold Distinction)
2016
Work: Puste niebo (Empty Sky)
Category: Gold Distinction
Organization: Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award
Result: 受賞（ゴールドディスティンクション）
Janusz A. Zajdel Award (for Agla. Alef)
2022
Work: Agla. Alef
Organization: Janusz A. Zajdel Award
Result: 受賞
Nowa Fantastyka Award (for Agla. Alef)
2022
Work: Agla. Alef
Category: Polish Book of the Year
Organization: Nowa Fantastyka
Result: 受賞
Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award (for Agla. Alef)
2022
Work: Agla. Alef
Organization: Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kocham cię, Lilith (I love you, Lilith)

2014 Fantasy, Speculative fiction

Follows Robert, a sanatorium patient, and his involvement with the demonic painter Iwona and the intriguing doctor Małgorzata. The novel begins realistically and gradually becomes a dreamlike, illogical fantastic tale culminating with the appearance of Lilith.

illusion vs. realityfemale archetypesmind and fantasy

Puste niebo (Empty Sky)

2016 Magic realism, Fantasy

A novel born of longing for a city that never existed and an impossible history. It tells of a magical Lublin, extraordinary inhabitants of the former Kresy, and strange creatures from the borderlands of the afterlife. The protagonist Tołpi smashes the Moon and must make a new one.

nostalgiafolklore and legendworld rebuilding

Baśń o wężowym sercu albo wtóre słowo o Jakóbie Szeli (Fairytale about Snake's Heart, or Second Word about Jakob Szela)

2019 Folklore reworking, Historical fantasy

Loosely based on legends about Jakub Szela and the 1846 peasant uprising known as the Galician slaughter. Through a mix of folklore and history the novel reconsiders violence, memory, and communal narratives.

violence and memorypeople's historyreinterpretation of legend
Adaptations
  • [Opera] Baśń o wężowym sercu (opera adaptation) / Aleksander Nowak (2024)
  • [Stage play] Baśń o wężowym sercu (stage adaptation) / Beniamin Maria Bukowski (2024)

Agla. Alef

2022 Psychological novel, Adventure

A daring adventure story and an insightful, moving psychological novel about growing up, transformation, love, discovering one's physicality, disappointed friendships, exclusion and loneliness.

coming of ageisolation and fellowshipself-discovery

Agla. Aurora

2023 Social allegory, Dystopian elements

A book about how good people accidentally build totalitarianism, and about how answers to our questions often sound different than we'd like.

totalitarianismethics and responsibilityformation of society

Bibliography

  • Kocham cię, Lilith (2014)
  • Puste niebo (2016)
  • Baśń o wężowym sercu albo wtóre słowo o Jakóbie Szeli (2019)
  • Agla. Alef (2022)
  • Agla. Aurora (2023)

Adaptations

  • Baśń o wężowym sercu — adapted as an opera and a stage play

Style & Themes

Literary Style
folklore reworkingmagic realismfantastical imagerypsychologically focused prose
Recurring Motifs
folklore and legendtransformationmemory and violencethe moon and the night sky

Legacy

Radek Rak is regarded as a leading contemporary Polish writer of fantasy and magic realism. His award-winning Baśń o wężowym sercu and other works have drawn attention for their distinctive reworkings of folklore and history.

In Popular Culture

  • Baśń o wężowym sercu — staged as an opera and a theater production

Trivia

  • He works as a veterinarian and is also known as a writer.
  • Resident of Kraków and married.
  • Participated in the Polish Legends project with the short story "Kwiaty paproci (Fern Flowers)".
  • Baśń o wężowym sercu has been adapted into an opera and stage productions.
  • Awards include the Nike Award, Janusz A. Zajdel Award, Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award, and Nowa Fantastyka Award.