安杰伊·萨普科夫斯基

生平

1948年，安杰伊·萨普科夫斯基生于波兰罗兹，大学攻读经济。1986年，他于奇幻文学杂志《Fatastyka》发表短篇小说猎魔人，之后创作一系列猎魔人小说，成为波兰当代最有名的奇幻小说家。

他以中世纪胡斯战争为背景创作历史及奇幻三部曲，包括《疯人塔》(Narrenturm)、《神之武士》(Bozy bojownicy)及《不灭之光》(Lux perpetua)。

荣誉

他曾五度获得波兰Janusz Zajdel奖。1997年，安杰伊·萨普科夫斯基获得波兰艺术家护照奖（Passport Award）。2009年，安杰伊·萨普科夫斯基获得首届大卫·盖梅尔传奇大奖（David Gemmell Legend Award）。

2012年，安杰伊·萨普科夫斯基获得“荣耀艺术”文化勋章银质奖章。

Andrzej Sapkowski (Polish: [ˈandʐɛj sapˈkɔfski]; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his series of books The Witcher, which revolves around the eponymous monster hunter, or "witcher", Geralt of Rivia. The saga has been popularized through video games, television, stage, comic books and translated into 37 languages, making him the second most-translated Polish science fiction and fantasy writer after Stanisław Lem.

Described as the "Polish Tolkien", he has written multiple novels and short story collections, selling over 30 million copies worldwide. The influence of Slavic mythology is seen as a characteristic feature of many of his works. He is a six-time recipient of the Zajdel Award, Poland's most popular science fiction and fantasy prize, as well as many other awards and honors including David Gemmell Award, World Fantasy Life Achievement Award and the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture.

Early life

Sapkowski was born on 21 June 1948 in Łódź, in central Poland. His father served in the Polish People's Army and participated in the Battle of Berlin. After the end of World War II, his parents lived near Nowa Sól before settling in Łódź. He attended the Bolesław Prus High School No. 21. He also studied economics at the University of Łódź, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior sales representative 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

Sapkowski says he wrote his first short story, "The Witcher" (1986), ("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 eight novels.……

Personal life

Sapkowski resides in his hometown of Łódź in central Poland. 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. Sapkowski is a member of the Polish Writers Association. In an interview, he mentioned that his favorite writers included Ernest Hemingway, Mikhail Bulgakov, Raymond Chandler and Umberto Eco. 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, Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Persian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, and Ukrainian. In English, his official debut was a story from his The Witcher universe that was published in 2000 in a small press anthology Chosen by Fate. An English translation of The Last Wish short story collection was published by Gollancz in 2007. From 2008, the Witcher saga is published by Gollancz.……

Awards and recognition

Sapkowski is a recipient of numerous awards and honours both Polish and foreign including:

Janusz A. Zajdel Award

1990: for his short story Mniejsze zło (The Lesser Evil)

1992: for his short story Miecz przeznaczenia (Sword of Destiny)

1993: for his short story W leju po bombie (In a Bomb Crater)

1994: for his novel Krew elfów (Blood of Elves)

• 2002: for his novel The Tower of Fools
• 2024: for is novel Crossroads of Ravens
• 1995: Raczyński Library Award for lifetime achievements
• 1996: European Science Fiction Society Hall of Fame: author

Decorations

• 2014: Silver Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture
• 2025: Gold Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture