Andrzej Sapkowski

Born: June 21, 1948 

Life: 

Born two years after the end of World War II, Andrzej Sapowski was born in Łódź, Poland. Although not much has been written about his childhood, growing up in Poland during the 1950s had a significant influence on his writing. Sapkowski stated in an interview that the strong women featured in his writing are based on women he saw in his community. Characters like Yennefer drew influence from real women like his mother who became strong pillars in the community and breadwinners in the home after the war. When asked about his views on feminism, Sapkowski said, "I believe that the feminine element dominates in nature. Women are generally stronger than men. All power of this world should be in the hands of women. Life, the world are too serious to leave it in our hands". 

Sapkowski studied economics at the University of Łódź and was a senior sales representative for a foreign trade company. His literary career began as a translator, focusing on science fiction works of literature. Andrzej wrote his first short story, "The Witcher", to enter a contest held by science fiction and fantasy magazine, Fantastyka. He used his experience in business to market the short story and won 3rd place in the contest. Sapkowski admitted that it was his son, an avid reader of Fantastyka magazine, who requested that he write the Witcher series. 

"The Witcher" was published in Fantastyka in 1986 and was the start of the wildly popular fantasy series that includes three collections of short stories, five novels, three videos games, a table-top rpg, and a show on Netflix. Sapkowski's books have been translated into 24 languages including Portuguese, Korean, and Romanian.  

Sapkowski has taken his inspiration from American and European influences alike. Ernest Hemingway, Mikhail Bulgakov, Umberto Eco and even Raymond Chandler are recognized as his favorite writers. "The Witcher" series protagonist Geralt is often compared to Chandler's Philip Marlowe. Although receiving a number of awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Awards, Sapkoski has stated "I love their style, but I know I can never match them". 

Sapkowski currently resides in his hometown of Łódź.