Since I’ve boring you to tears with all sorts of useless stuff recently (yeah, yeah, don’t deny it, I know I have) I think we should talk about something light and fun and maybe even interesting today. Namely – reading. Reading in Polish, of course.

“What?” I hear you say, “reading in Polish is supposed to be fun?”

Sure it is. But as in all other languages, it depends on what you read. And I can pretty much guarantee you, that if you read something by one of my favorite Polish authors, it will be fun. That’s the upside, all her books are more or less fun and light and entertaining. So, what’s the downside? As far as I know, none of her stuff has been translated into English yet. Yeah, that’s a pretty serious downside. But guess what? That means you can really push yourself and try reading one of her novels in Polish.

Oh wait, I haven’t even told you her name yet. Joanna Chmielewska. But that’s just her pen name, her real name is Irena Kühn. But whatever… The name is not important here.

What is important is the fact that she’s a hugely popular Polish writer. And she’s a woman. A very funny woman with a talent to tell a funny story.

I admit, her books may not be for everyone. If high-class literature is what you’re after, then definitely, skip Chmielewska and try some fat, classic, sleep-inducing volumes by Reymont, or some other long-dead dude. But if you want to be amused and entertained and have something to read on the beach on during a long flight, then Chmielewska is definitely your woman. Providing, of course, that you are brave enough to try reading a book in Polish.

To date, she wrote more than 50 books: crime fiction, young adult fiction and non-fiction. If you asked me to compare her style to a well known writer from the English speaking world, just to give you an idea of what she’s all about, hmmm… not sure who I should pick. Imagine Bill Bryson or Terry Pratchett writing crime/detective stories. In Polish. Yeah, not exactly, but something like that.

If I had to pick my favorite Chmielewska book, I’d have to go back to her “classic” novels published before 1990. In 1990 her “Dzikie białko” was released and at least to me, that marked the end of “classic” Chmielewska and the beginning of her more modern, post-communist incarnation.

So yes, if I had to pick my favorites, it would be classics like “Wszystko czerwone” (All Red) from 1974, or “Lesio” (1973), and most definitely “Całe zdanie nieboszczyka” (Dead Man’s Tale, 1972).
Yeah, that one. You have no idea how many times I’ve read that book. And it’s a bleeping shame that none of them have been translated into English.

I find it hard to believe that there isn’t a market for Chmielewska stories in the English-speaking world. I mean, after all, all sorts of foreign literature of questionable standards (if you can call them standards at all) get published in English. So why not Chmielewska, huh?

Is her literary agent asleep at the desk (or under the desk, perhaps)? Or too afraid to pursue an international deal? Oh c’mon people, don’t be such wusses! Get out and do your job, for crying out loud! Ms. Chmielewska is over 75 years old. The woman won’t live forever. And it’ll be a total shame if none of her books get published in English during her lifetime.