Andrzej Sapkowski Research Articles

“They Too Will Be Gone and New”. Colonial Otherness in the Interplay between Humanity and Elfdom in Andrzej Sapkowski’s “The Edge of the World”

Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy narrative and novel saga, as exemplified by the “The Edge of the World” short story, borrows largely from J. R. R. Tolkien’s depiction of elves in defining most of their traits and the relationship between them and humans. Sapkowski, however, clearly transforms the image of the (predominantly) benevolent elf defined by Tolkien. The aim of this article is to explore the way in which Sapkowski portrays the elven race as sovereign in their exclusion from the world of humanity. Sapkowski’s story allows the group to maintain its unique motivations, resisting morally dualistic stereotyping at the same time. Moreover, because neither humanity nor elfdom may claim moral superiority in their conflict, the colonial experience of the elves is not simply appropriated by the author as an example of Indigenous victimhood. Rather, it serves the purpose of presenting readers with a multifaceted tapestry of colonial conflict contained within a fantasy world. The players of this world, though opposed and prone to othering their enemies, are nevertheless rhetorically equal.

Fifty shades of discrimination: how does fantasy portray prejudice and discrimination?

ABSTRACT This paper aims at an interdisciplinary analysis of the various roles of prejudice and discrimination in fantasy. It focuses on the ways the storyworlds of The Witcher and The Lord of the Rings portray racial discrimination. Reading the books of J.R.R. Tolkien and Andrzej Sapkowski through jurisprudential lenses allows us to draw conclusions as to the meaning of the implicit and explicit presentation of discriminatory practices by authors in storyworlds. Remarks on movie and TV series adaptations are included to develop transmedia storytelling analysis.

Meaning Reconstruction in Fairy Tales Across Eras: An Intertextual Study on A Grain of Truth and Beauty and the Beast

Intertextuality is a study that observes the relation and connection that text has with other texts. By looking at intertextuality, it can be seen how one text can have resemblances to another text, whether that resemblance is intentional or not. This study uses a story by Andrzej Sapkowski, titled A Grain of Truth as the material objects of the study. It tells the story of a cursed human with a monstrous body who desires to find love to be human again. This research uses qualitative research methods, and the data were analyzed using intertextuality theory to answer the research questions. This paper aims at finding out the intertextuality connection between A Grain of Truth and Beauty and the Beast, through their resemblances in theme and due to the sociocultural enironment erround the stories. The result shows that there are sesemplances in terms of theme, characterization, and symbols in the story. This is related to the collective unconsciousness about the perception of love and curse in fantasy.

Gerald's Emotional State in The Last Wish

Psychology is a general concept that every human being possesses. Using Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory, this study investigates the types of Psychological Aspects found in Geralt, the main character in Andrzej Sapkowski's novel "The Witcher: The Last Wish" (Id, Ego, and Superego). The researcher used the qualitative method and a case study design to achieve the research goal. The data is gathered through document analysis in the form of the main character's utterances. The researcher discovered 806 data from Geralt's utterances, with 149 data (18.48%) included the Psychological Aspects. According to the findings, 34 data were assigned to the Id (22.81%), 40 data were assigned to the Ego (26.84%), and 75 data were assigned to the Superego (50.33%). The most noticeable Psychological Aspect of Geralt's character is Superego. The superego is the component of personality acquired from one's parents, and society includes the values and morals of society learned from one's parents and others. According to the story, Geralt has been an orphan since he was a child and has survived to grow up on his own.

Transhumanizm w uniwersum „Wiedźmina”

In the 21st century, concepts of human modification and improvement increasingly appear in scientific literature, extending beyond the realm of fantasy. Influenced by successful, advanced technological experiments, these concepts are transitioning from literary fiction to more serious philosophical discourse. This ancient quest first found literary expression in the 19th century, notably in the works of Jules Verne. Transhumanism in fantasy is primarily associated with science fiction, featuring human enhancement through advanced technology in narratives about distant futures, space travel, other planets, and the cyberpunk genre. However, the presence of transhumanist themes in fantasy literature receives less attention. In these cases, modifications are typically achieved through spells or the magical properties of potions and plants. In Poland, the most notable example is Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher universe, further developed by CD Projekt Red’s video games. The most literal example is the witchers, monster slayers created through magical mutations. Wizards represent a less obvious group of enhanced characters. Similarly, Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon embodies transhumanist aspirations. These examples collectively illustrate the diverse manifestations of transhumanism in fantasy literature.

The Power of Chaos

The Power of Chaos

O tłumaczeniu piosenki Toss a coin to your witcher na język polski i niemiecki. Analiza porównawcza.

The subject of this paper is a translation analysis of the song "Toss a coin to your witcher". The song was translated into Polish and German and is a part of the first season of "The Witcher", a screen adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's prose. The film was developed by the streaming platform Netflix. In the theoretical part of his paper, the author focuses on the description of the textual-melodic level of source texts and, among others, on the ways of creating rhyme and rhythmic systems in the song lyrics. The analytical part consists of a description of the translation of the song into Polish and German, as well as an analysis of the strategies and techniques used to translate the melodic aspects and intertextual elements in the translation. The analysis leads to the conclusion that in order to reflect the rhyme structure of the original text it may be helpful to use strictly defined grammatical and syntactic features of the target language (in the German translation these were the sentence structure with modal verbs and typical grammatical features of separable verbs). Moreover, it is crucial to use the so-called semantic translation techniques such as generalisation or concretisation. The study of the rhythmic levels of translations confirmed the use of a rarely used technique in the translation of melodic texts, i.e. rhythmic exoticisation of the target text. Intertextual elements were generally translated in a pragmatically adequate manner.

Bibliotherapy of children affected by war by means of fantasy literature

The aim of this study is to highlight the aspect of bibliotherapy in helping children and young people affected by war. The study consists of an analysis of selected texts, extracted from fantasy literature, which are helpful in trauma overcoming. The author briefly analyses The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) by Clive Staples Lewis, Harry Potter (1997-2007) by Joanne Kathleen Rowling, The Witcher (1992-1999) by Andrzej Sapkowski. The Hunger Games (2008-2010) by Suzanne Collins and Shadow and Bone (2012) by Leigh Bardugo. It is assumed the use of reading books to regenerate the nervous system and psyche of a traumatized person. 
 The research method is content analysis and modeling working with the text. The author draws attention not only to the implication of fantasy literature in helping to unravel one's own moral problems, but also to experience and cope with the difficult emotions that accompany reading. Additionally, she to take notice of such ways to work with text as: the possibility of understanding one's situation, gaining distance from difficult affairs, working through the problem, changing one's way of thinking and gaining hope for a better future. 
 Results. The author is particularly attentive to the young reader's identification with the main character, experiencing emotions and ultimately experiencing catharsis, which symbolises the shedding of emotional tension. All this leads to insight, full understanding and acceptance of a difficult situation. 
 Conclusions of the study are intended to confirm that fantasy literature is able to stimulate reflection, help people understand and accept the difficult situations associated with war. Although the world created by the writers is a fantasy place, there are mechanisms familiar to our world such as violence, pain, suffering and the contest between good and evil. The young reader can be equipped with tools to help win over traumas.

La persécution des non-Humains : histoire européenne et mémoire polonaise de l’antisémitisme dans Le Sorceleur d’Andrzej Sapkowski

Dans la saga romanesque du Sorceleur, le Polonais Andrzej Sapkowski relit le topos de la fantasy qu’est la haine entre les différentes races intelligentes (Humains, Elfes, Nains) au prisme de l’histoire européenne et polonaise contemporaine. Les discriminations que font subir les Humains aux autres races empruntent à une vaste gamme de références historiques, des ghettos médiévaux aux pogroms en Europe de l’Est au XIXe siècle, voire à la Shoah. Il participe ainsi du renouveau mémoriel qui travaille la société polonaise dans les années 1980-1990.

Польсько-український переклад експресивно-емоцiйної лексики в оповіданнях із циклу Відьмак Анджея Сапковського

The article deals with the study of expressive and emotional vocabulary in the translation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s stories about the Witcher, which was carried out by Serhiy Legeza and is relevant in connection with the growing interest in the author’s work among Ukrainian readers. This popular literary series is known for its complex plot, multi‑‑layered characters and emotionally charged scenes. Studying the ways of conveying emotionally colored vocabulary in the Ukrainian language makes it possible to better understand the characteristics and functions of these expressions in the text. The purpose of the study is to analyze the ways in which the translator chooses appropriate words, grammatical constructions, and stylistic techniques for the transfer of emotionally colored vocabulary from Polish to Ukrainian. It is important to identify the main difficulties that translators face in this process, as well as to analyze strategies for solving these problems. The results of the study emphasize the importance of careful analysis and the translator’s creative approach to the emotionally charged texts. Taking into account the context and stylistic features of the original text helps to achieve the most accurate and expressive translation. Such an analysis contributes to the development of a cultural and linguistic community, contributing to a better understanding and appreciation of literary works.

Slavic Mythology Lost in Fantasy

Slavic myths increasingly survive in people’s consciousness as supernatural elements or as literary characters rather than as real beliefs in their existence. Adult readers in Poland and Slovakia, for example, encounter Slavic supernatural beings in the fantasy literature book series such as Wiedźmin by Andrzej Sapkowski and Černokňažník by Juraj Červenák; however, literature cannot be expected to portray superstitions and demons in the same way as belief legends. Placing Sapkowski’s and Červenák’s works within the context of ethnographically recorded beliefs illuminates various aspects of intercultural and intertextual relationships within the literary setting. This article shows that there are several types of literary adaptation of Slavic myths: adaptation in accordance with folk beliefs, denial of superstitions, incorporating a folk myth in order to create an illusion, and using the name of a demon while also adding characteristics from other sources – especially from popular culture.

SLAVIC SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY IN INTERFACULTY COURSES AT LOMONOSOV MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY (2013-2020)

The article shares the author’s experience of teaching interfaculty science fiction (sci-fi) and fantasy lecture courses at Lomono-sov Moscow State University, attended by students of all departments. In the period between 2013 and 2020 six such courses were taught, the number of students varying from 250 to 450 each. The courses comprised sci-fi and fantasy theory, sci-fi and fantasy status among other types of fiction narratives, the main stages of Russian and foreign sci-fi and fantasy history, the creative activity of outstanding sci-fi and fantasy writers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Apart from the Russian, West European and North American writers, works by East European (Slavic) authors were thoroughly examined. The article contains neat observations on the degree of Slavic sci-fi and fantasy writers’ popularity among young Russian readers and on the most inter-esting fiction texts for students. The data obtained through the analysis of the students’ assignments comprise their answers to the questions about their favorite sci-fi writers and books lists, on the reasons of certain fantastic worlds’ attractiveness, on their preferences in sci-fi or fantasy. The article also clarifies the principles of writers and their works selection for the lecture cours-es, it characterizes the creative activity of Slavic writers and reveals the interrelation between Slavic writers’ fiction works and the general scope of problems discussed at interfaculty sci-fi lecture courses. Taking into account the students’ interest in works by Karel Čapek, Stanislaw Lem, Andrzej Sapkowski and other Slavic authors, we suggest some ideas about the potential structure of a specialized lecture course focusing on science fiction and fantasy in Slavic countries.

The Theme of Magic in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher Saga Cycle of Novels

The role of magic in Andrzej Sapkowskiʼs fantasy series “The Witcherʼs Saga” has been studied in the article. In his text, the author focuses on the types of magic, magical rituals, and the magic of the annual cycle holidays. The magical rituals which form the composition of the novels have been researched.The peculiarities of the writerʼs perception of the sphere of magic have been revealed. It has been proven that the image of magic is closely related to reality and has signs of aetiology (the key difference between myth and fairytale).The importance of magic in the construction of the fantasy genre in the example of “The Witcherʼs Saga” by A. Sapkowski has been highlighted and compared with other fantasy narratives. One of the defining features of “The Witcherʼs Saga” is that the protagonists are born from magic. The article studies how the magical origins of the protagonists influence their development and story.Magic in A. Sapkowskiʼs novels is not only sorcery. It is also associated with the impact of one person on another, the impact of a human being on nature and is an important component of rituals. These facts prove the mythologization of A. Sapkowskiʼs text.It has been highlighted that in A. Sapkowskiʼs octalogy features of neomythologism are connected with the depiction of fantastic creatures whom A. Sapkowski gives human traits, such as the ability to love. Love in A. Sapkowskiʼs novels is the strongest magic because the highest manifestation of magic is the magic of human relationships.

Portrayals of gender and identity in the soundtrack of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red, 2019) is an award-winning role-playing video game (RPG); the third instalment of The Witcher game series inspired by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels. Centring upon the protagonist Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher 3 has been praised for developing a complex, authentic, and immersive game environment that combines magic and fantasy elements within a broadly medieval setting. A central aspect of the game’s success is its soundtrack – the fusion of music, sound, and voice – which further contributes to building the game’s overall narrative and the complex construction of its central characters. This paper explores how The Witcher 3’s soundtrack constructs identity, focusing in particular on its use of neo-medievalist signifiers and its contrasting representations of masculinity and femininity. Neo-medievalist sounds are a central concept in building the game’s identity; these sounds draw on folkloristic elements surrounding the choice of instrumentation and the recurrence of folk music throughout the game’s narrative, thus increasing the player’s immersion within The Witcher 3’s world. Regarding gender, female vocalisations are used within the soundtrack to add depth and emotion to male characters – particularly Geralt of Rivia, who due to his mutations lacks in conventional emotional capabilities. Despite the inclusion and emphasis of female voices on the soundtrack, the placement of women in influential roles is limited through other musical scoring techniques, which effectively reduces the agency of these characters, thus suggesting an imbalanced treatment oftowards gender. Through exploring these aspects, I argue that the soundtrack is a crucial part of how gender and identity are constructed throughout The Witcher 3, further exploring how these elements affect the player’s overall in-game immersion.  

Krąg mitów arturiańskich w twórczości Johna Ronalda Reuela Tolkiena i Andrzeja Sapkowskiego

The article is devoted to the functioning of the Arthurian legends in the works by both J.R.R. Tolkien and A. Sapkowski. The universe of Andrzej Sapkowski, who inscribed his own story into the Arthurian myth, makes an impression of being rooted in a long, centuries-old tradition. Tolkien also drew from the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, using the eternal desire for the coming of the king – restorer. The most interesting issue is the different approach to the legend presented by both writers. Tolkien omitted elements „contaminated” with Christian influence, extracting the pure essence of pagan Celticism, while renouncing an inspiration from the medieval history. Sapkowski, on the contrary, openly admits to his fascination, apotheosing the Arthurian myth in both its forms – the primitive one and the one filtered through the Christian tradition.

Kilka uwag o księgach, nie tylko uczonych, w prozie Andrzeja Sapkowskiego

Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels are not typical “books about books”. However, both The Witcher cycle and The Hussite Trilogy abound in themes associated with them. The characters read, own book collections, they themselves are authors of various works. From the titles listed in individual texts, one could compile quite an extensive bibliography. This fact encourages a description of the way various texts exist in the world presented by the creator of The Witcher.
 Education of a young protagonist is a good opportunity to present books one reads, and the use of this readings in further life.
 Contrary to what the reader would expect, the book collections he learns about do not belong to universities. As for the library in Oxenfurt, we only know its roof, which is used by poet Jaskier, wanting to free himself from the spies following him. The scholarly books can be found in various places, even in a hut in a remote area (behind a curtain of dubious purity), inhabited by the scholar in exile — Vysogota from Corvo.
 Not only universities and scholars (including wizards) have impressive book collections. Duchess Anarietta, who hosts the witcher and his team, has a huge library in her palace in Toussaint.
 The subject of banned books appears in The Hussite Trilogy, so the hidden library motif is the obvious motive.
 Some protagonists of The Witcher cycle are authors of books. It is worth emphasizing that the reader has the opportunity to learn at least fragments of the mentioned works. They are also read by other characters. Quotes from the characters’ works also appear in mottoes.

Rekonstrukcja historii Tristana i Izoldy w „Maladie” Andrzeja Sapkowskiego w kontekście postmodernistycznych tendencji literatury fantasy

The second half of the twentieth century was the time of the most dynamic development of fantasy, which places this genre in the space of postmodern poetic. One of the first Polish authors utilizing this type fictional setting was Andrzej Sapkowski. His short story, Maladie, should be treated as a manifesto of the form and function of this kind of fantastic literature. This paper aims to follow the structure of the story in relation to the intertextuality category, including the retelling strategy, but also distinguishes features of postmodern texts: being a scriptible and above that world-building, literary character of the text and metatextuality. By following the relation between Sapkowski’s short story and Joseph Bédier’s novel, it is possible to illustrate the standpoint of the Polish author regarding the essence of fantasy and bring closer narrative tools used in his prose.

Krew i brud. Uwagi na temat estetyki oraz poetyki opisów śmierci w cyklu o wiedźminie Andrzeja Sapkowskiego

Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series is the first Polish fantasy series that has gained so much popularity. When Sapkowski published his first story — The Witcher — in 1986, fantasy literature wasn’t well-known in Poland. In fact Polish readers, who were interested in fantasy, would mainly know John R.R. Tolkien’s novels like The Hobbit, Or Thete and Back Again, The Lord of the Rings or Silmarillion, all belonging to mythopoeic fantasy. Sapkowski’s story was vastly different from them, because the Polish author referred to sword and sorcery literature, which at that time was little-known in Poland. He created an interesting protagonist and a dark, vicious world, full of violence and graphic descriptions of death.
 It appears that one of the main factors having an influence on the huge popularity of the series, may be the attempt to shock the reader by using a unique construction of the presented world, which contains a lot of graphic violent imagery. This article presents those methods of description of death and violence in The Witcher series to present why they are so interesting to the readers and what makes them stand out from the rest of similar descriptions in Polish fantasy literature.
 The analysis is divided into several parts. The first part presents the influence of Sapkowski’s debut story on Polish fantasy literature. The second part contains the analysis of the dynamics of descriptions of death. The third and the fourth focus on showing the individualisation of death in The Witcher series and on detail exposure. The next part presents the narrative treatments used by Sapkowski to increase the impact of the literary images of death, for example changes of a narrative perspective. The last part of the article presents naturalistic elements of the descriptions and explains what functions they perform in the text.

Slovanská fantasy globálnym popkultúrnym fenoménom

The aim of the paper is to introduce or rather (re)present The Witcher as a model-like pop cultural phenomenon illustrating the mechanisms within the framework of which a local hero, the main character of fantasy narratives written by Andrzej Sapkowski, transforms into a global hero. The Witcher — the character as well as the trademark, or rather brand — represents popular culture pars pro toto and emblematically a pop cultural artefact, undergoing a transformation on an axis from short stories to a novel saga, becoming an object of local cinematic and television-based adaptation and also a thematic basis for a successful digital-game series distributed globally, as well as recently a source of a high-budget television series designed for a global television market.

Czuła narracja: nowe oblicze literatury polskiej w oczach Chińczyków

The article presents the dynamics, characteristics and the shifting paradigms of the reception of Polish literature in China from 2012 to 2020. The author analyses the reasons for the popularity of the most often translated and read Polish authors on the Chinese publishing market, with particular interest in Czesław Miłosz, Olga Tokarczuk and Andrzej Sapkowski. She also presents the translators – both experienced and often recognised and awarded doyens of Polish studies in China, and those from the intermediate and youngest generations to whom the oldest ones passed the knowledge, skills, passion and the sense of common mission of building cross-cultural dialogue through literature.