Literature

“137 Seconds” is a short story by Polish sci-fi writer Stanisław Lem, translated into English for the first time by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Stanisław Lem

“137 Seconds” is a short story by Polish sci-fi writer Stanisław Lem, translated into English for the first time by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Stanisław Lem

“137 Seconds” is a short story by Polish sci-fi writer Stanisław Lem, translated into English for the first time by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Stanisław Lem

Racing across mountains and remote backwoods, a solitary figure is on the run from a team of heavily armed hunters. Will he manage to get away? Antonia Lloyd-Jones's translation of a previously unknown story by the great master of science fiction. Stanisław Lem

An old legend about a knight and a blacksmith, told as a short fairy tale by a much-loved Polish children’s author. Marian Orłoń

One of our authors imagines the encounters of various Swedes – and a Pole! – with a mythical imp known as Pukke. Grzegorz Uzdański

A short story set in 2040, when due to global warming Iceland’s climate becomes vastly colder and harsher. A biology teacher disappears during a school trip and her daughter starts to search for her. Birna Anna Björnsdóttir

In this extract from Miha Mazzini’s “Erased”, two Slovenians have an unpleasant surprise when trying to return to an apartment in Ljubljana. Miha Mazzini

We imagine how Captain Nemo might have looked, had he been a Polish aristocrat fighting Russian tyranny, as Jules Verne originally intended in “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”. Adam Węgłowski

In this extract from Juliusz Strachota’s “A Polish Tourist in the USSR” the protagonist makes his way to Crimea with the help of a childhood guide book. Juliusz Strachota

Our writer imagines a situation in which the world ends – by returning every animate and inanimate thing to its beginning. Tomasz Wiśniewski

In this extract from Artem Chekh’s book “Absolute Zero”, the author gives an account of his experiences as a soldier visiting a town in Eastern Ukraine affected by the war in Donbas. Artem Chekh

In the future, people and dogs walk on water. This short story by an award-winning American novelist is the story of a certain beginning. Tommy Orange

1967, the Polish People’s Republic. An upstanding officer of the Citizen’s Militia, one Sergeant Teofil Olkiewicz, is sent to a metalworks to investigate the theft of a drill. He might come back with more than he’s expecting... Ryszard Ćwirlej

When Professor Tamura moved to Warsaw with his wife, he wanted only one thing: to study the local springtails. A fictional crime story with a zoological twist. Joanna Rudniańska

In a distant future, Candace Laguarde has run out of the pharmaceutic Femper. If she doesn’t get some more soon, who knows what will happen… A short story by an American author. Mitchell Atkinson III

In the first translation of Bolesław Leśmian’s classic children’s book “The Adventures of Sindbad the Seafarer”, the eponymous character discovers that he has been usurped by a doppelgänger... Bolesław Leśmian

One day, the Head Assistant of Dental Medicine finds himself in Tirana for a dentistry conference. Little does he know that he will find his late father, too. A short story by a Bulgarian writer. Olya Stoyanova

In this excerpt from Czech writer Radka Denemarková’s novel “A Contribution to the History of Joy”, we join a policeman as he investigates the scene of the death of a wealthy businessman in Prague. The facts suggest a suicide, but not all is as it seems... Radka Denemarková