Jacek Dukaj

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Jacek Dukaj

Jacek Dukaj (born July 30, 1974 in Tarnów, Poland) is a Polish science fiction writer.

Jacek studied philosophy at the Jagiellonian University. The first science fiction story he read was The Investigation by Stanisław Lem, which inspired him to write his own stories in that genre. He successfully debuted at the age of 16 with a short story Złota Galera (Golden Galley). Winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award in 2001 for his novel Czarne oceany (Black Oceans), in 2003 for his novel Inne pieśni (Other Songs), in 2004 for his novel Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość (An Perfect Imperfection) and in 2000 for short story Katedra (The Cathedral). A short animated movie by Tomasz Baginski based on this short story was nominated to Academy Award in 2003.

Jacek Dukaj receiving the Janusz A. Zajdel Award in 2001.

His short stories have been translated into English, German, Russian, Czech, Hungarian. His first story, Golden Galley, was translated into English by Wiesiek Powaga and published in The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy. Iron General and fragments of The Cathedral were translated into English by Michael Kandel, but as of 2005 they haven't been published except for shorts excerpts available online.

He is known for the complexity of his books, and it is often said that a single short story of Dukaj contains more ideas then many other writers put into their books in their lifetime. Popular themes in his works include the technological singularity, nanotechnology and virtual reality, and thus his books often can be classified as hard sf. Among his favourite writers is Australian writer Greg Egan, and Dukaj's books bear some resemblance to Egan's, or to the likes of David Brin's.

Jacek Dukaj with the Janusz A. Zajdel Award, during the Polcon convention, Zielona Góra, 21 August 2004.

Bibliography

Short story collections

• W kraju niewiernych (In the land of the unbelievers) (SuperNOWA 2000):
• *"Ruch Generała" (Iron General) - In a world were magic is treated with scientific rigours, and which has achieved a level of development of 21st century Earth, an old, civilized country is facing increasing troubles with a larger, restless and more primitive neighbour. Note that the title in the official translation is Iron General, although the Polish title literally translates as the 'General's move'.
• *"IACTE" - On a space colony, there is a place where dreams can become a reality, and a revived Native American hunter sets on the trail of a vampire.
• *"Irrehaare" - In a full immersion, virtual reality multiverse, something has gone terribly wrong. For months now, players cannot log out, and are engaged in a war against the AI attempting to take control of this VR universe. When a new, strange player appears, one with powerful abilities but suffering from amnesia, the plot quickly thickens.
• *"Muchobójca" (Flykiller) - In space and on space colonies, there are ghosts. And were there are ghosts, there will be exorcists. However, can human-trained exorcist deal with magic that evolved elsewhere?
• *"Ziemia Chrystusa" (Christ's Earth) - After one Earth civilization has discovered how to travel to parallel universes, this technology was captured by another. Now there are several parallel civilisations, existing in uneasy truce, each trying to subjugate more parallel Earths and gain an upper hand in this multi-dimensional cold war. When a new Earth is discovered, an expedition is sent to scout it. And this new Earth seems truly unique: Jesus Christ never died and people do not believe in God - because they know he exists...
• *"Katedra" (The Cathedral) - A Catholic priest arrives on one of the Jupiter's moons, to investigate an alien artifact that resembles a gigantic Gothic cathedral.
• *"Medjugorje" - Can money buy everything? A certain billionaire thinks so, as he employs teams of mercenaries using advanced technology to attempt to 'steal' a God-sent revelation and transmit this vision to himself... See also Međugorje.
• *"In partibus infidelium" - After humanity makes contact with other space-faring civilizations, Christianity spreads far and wide. Humans become just a minority of believers and an alien is elected a pope... Note that in partibus infidelium in fact translates as 'in the land of the unbelievers' which is the title of the anthology it was published in.

Xavras Wyżryn, cover.

• Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe (Xavras Wyżryn and other national fiction) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2004):
• *"Xavras Wyżryn" - In this alternative universe, Soviet Union triumphed in the Polish-Soviet War. In the mid-1990s a US journalist is accompanying Polish partisants as they capture a nuclear warhead and smuggle it towards Moscow...
• *"Sprawa Rudryka Z." (The case of Rudryk Z.). The story is the dialog of persecutor and the defender in a trial of Rudryk Zlatk, a Macedonian dicator guilty of many crimes against a humanity apprehended by the United Nations. There is, however, a slight problem with the accused. He is but one of the twelve clones of Rudryk.
• *"Przyjaciel prawdy" (Friend of the truth) Antisemitism is a difficult subject. This is a story of a person who comes to believe that Jews have superior genetics - and for that suggestion is accused of antisemitism by his friends.
• *"Gotyk" (Gothic). 19th century alternative history, golem as the main hero of the story and science-fiction continuation of Kordian by Juliusz Słowacki.
• Król Bólu (King of Pain) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2005, planned, will include:)
• *"Szkoła" (School) - dark, pessimistic, cyberpunk. This story can be described as Dukaj's mixture of Blade Runner, Flowers for Algernon and A Clockwork Orange.
• *"Aguerre w świcie" (Aguerre at dawn). Humans have spread through the stars, thanks to 'gleiotic's - humans who gained the power to manipulate gravity. When one of them is killed in a mysterious way, the resulting investigation will shake the foundation of human civilization, touching on such issues as first contact and conspiracy theory - of course, in a post-technological singularity setting.
• *"Serce Mroku" (Heart of Darkness). This is an alternative universe in which Nazi Germany won the Second World War. Years later, in a multi-sided Cold War, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, United States and Japan achieve interstellar flight capability and struggle over the control of a new space colony. A German special forces agent arrives on a planet and is immediately sent with the mission into the wilderness to assassinate a rebellious Übermensch. Author's note: best read with Rammstein music in the background.

Novels

Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość, cover.

• Xavras Wyżryn (SuperNOWA 1997, containts two small novels - Xavras Wyżryn and Zanim noc)
• *"Zanim Noc" (Before the night) - during the Second World War, a Polish collaborator is changed by a haunted house, becoming an entity that can move through the 4th dimension.
• Aguerre w świcie (Aguerre at dawn) (short novel in anthology) Wizje Alternatywne 3, Solaris 2001)
• Czarne Oceany (Black Oceans) (SuperNOWA 2001) - in the mid-21st century, an event resembling technological singularity suddenly takes place, with Earth being transformed into a bizzare world.
• Córka łupieżcy (The daughter of a plunderer) (short novel in anthology Wizje Alternatywne 4, Solaris 2002). Daughter of an archelogist is forced to hide in The City - an uninhabited, multidimentional alien city, that seems to be the 'essence of all cities'.
• Extensa (Extensa) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2002) - in a post-technological singularity world, some people have chosen to remain unchanged and 'just human'. This is a story of one of them.
• Inne pieśni (Other songs) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2003) - in this alternate Earth, people can change the reality with their thoughts. The Earth is divided into several empires, each controlled by a demigod - a former human, who has proven to have the most powerful mind and is able to warp reality within his domain. When the Earth is attacked by aliens, a former nobody, merchant, starts on a path to become somebody much more.
• Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość (Perfect imperfection) (Wydawnictwo Literackie 2004) - a 21st century astronaut is revived several centuries later, in a post-technological singularity world. First in the planned trilogy, this book chronicles how he is cought in the web of a transgalactic intrigue. In a world were a dedicated universes are evolved just to create a more potent weapon, can a normal human become anything more then a toy of a vastly more intelligent beings?
• Baśń (The tale) (planned) - when our Earth estabilishes a trans-dimensional portal to another planet, one where magic exists, secret agents are first sent to gather information on this new place and steal knowledge and artifacts.

Short stories

• "Złota Galera" (Golden Galley), "Fantastyka" 2/1990, anthology Jawnogrzesznica, anthology Miłosne dotknięcie nowego wieku, anthology The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy). Dukaj's first short story. The Hell is a spaceship and it is on collision course with Earth...
• "Smierć matadora" (Death of a matador) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 1/1991, anthology Co większe muchy).
• "Opętani" (Possesed) ("Fenix" 1/1991)
• "Książę mroku musi umrzeć" (The prince of darkness must die) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 12/1991, Hungarian translation in "Galaktika" 7/1992) The motif of Heaven fighting Hell is common. But much less so is the vision of the aftermath. The story of the last devil.
• "Korporacja Mesjasz" (Corporation Savior) (anthology Czarna Msza, Rebis 1992) When hell and business engage in economic warfare....
• "Panie, pobłogosław morderców" (God, bless the murderers) ("Fenix" 2/1993)
• "Wszystkie nasze ciemne sprawy" (All of our dark deeds) ("Voyager" #6)
• "Irrehaare" ("Nowa Fantastyka" 6,7/1995, anthology W kraju niewiernych)
• "Wielkie podzielenie" (The great divide) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 3/1996)
• "Szkoła" (School) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 11/1996, anthology Król Bólu)
• "Ziemia Chrystusa" (Christ's Earth) (anthology Wizje alternatywne 2, Zysk i S-ka 1997, anthology W kraju niewiernych)
• "IACTE" (anthology Wizje alternatywne 2, Zysk i S-ka 1997, anthology W kraju niewiernych)
• "Ponieważ kot" (Because the cat) (anthology Trzynaście kotów)
• "Serce Mroku" (Heart of Darkness) ("Nowa Fantastyka" 11/1998, anthology "Król Bólu")
• "Ruch Generała" (Iron General) (anthology W kraju niewiernych)
• "Muchobójca" (Flykiller) (anthology W kraju niewiernych)
• "Katedra" (The Cathedral) (anthology W kraju niewiernych, album Katedra, Czech translation in Ikarie 11/2002)
• "Medjugorje" (anthology W kraju niewiernych)
• "In partibus infidelium" (anthology W kraju niewiernych)
• "Gotyk" (Gothic) (anthology Strefa Mroku, anthology Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje literackie)
• "Sprawa Rudryka Z." (The case of Rudryk Z.) (anthology Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe)
• "Przyjaciel prawdy" (Friend of truth) (anthology Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe)
• "Crux" (anthology PL+50. Historie przyszłości, Wydawnictwo Literackie 2004)

References

• [English interview with Dukaj at Wotmania 2003]
• [Jacek Dukaj's Official Website] (in Polish and English)

External links

• [Passages from The Catherdral]
• [Passages from Iron General]

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