TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After three years of disruption due to the COVID pandemic, Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) returns Jan. 31- Feb. 5 with Poland selected as this year’s theme country.
With a population of 38 million, Poland boasts a rich literary tradition that includes five Nobel Prize for Literature winners. Representing their country at TIBE will be six Polish authors and two illustrators, per UDN. The most anticipated author is Andrzej Sapkowski, creator of "The Witcher", a series of six fantasy novels which has been turned into an eponymous Netflix series.
Sapkowski, known to some as the “Polish J.R. Tolkien”, will participate in TIBE night readings, interactive workshops, and other appearances. No doubt many will be eager to seek out his signature as his “The Witcher" series was not only a bestseller and hit Netflix series in many countries, but also a popular video game "The Witcher".
In 2011, when U.S. President Barack Obama visited Europe, among the many gifts he was presented by the Polish prime minister included "The Witcher" novels and videogame. Sapkowski regularly appears in top ten lists of Polish authors, and his earnings and widespread acceptance across many fields of art and media cannot be disputed.
A photo of "Polish Tolkien" Andrzej Sapkowski. (Bogdan Uznanski, TIBE photo credit)
Another Polish author attending TIBE includes Witold Szabłowski, one of the best-known journalists and authors in Poland. He has received accolades from Amnesty International and the British Pen Club Award for the English edition of "The Assassin From Apricot City." His work illuminates the difficulty of transitioning from communism and the Iron Curtain to democracy and freedom.
Polish illustrator Piotr Socha will also attend TIBE in person. Socha was born into a beekeeper's family and grew up surrounded by bees. His masterpiece "Bees, A Honeyed History" was the result of collaboration with researchers from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Socha uses humor and detailed illustration to examine bees and their involvement in ecology, human history, science, art, agriculture, etc. The book has been published in 28 languages, including Taiwan, and has won numerous awards.
