Olga Tokarczuk

Noble Laureate in Literature (2018)

Olga Tokarczuk is the 2018 Nobel Laureate in Literature for her narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life. Her works, both novels and short stories, often impart her inspiring mysticism and eco-poetic message to the world. Tokarczuk was born in 1962 in Sulechów, Poland, the daughter of a medical doctor. She studied psychology at the University of Warsaw and received her master's degree in 1988. After completing her studies, Tokarczuk worked as a therapy assistant and then as an editor for a local publishing house. Throughout her career, she has also written for various newspapers and periodicals. Tokarczuk's literary career began in the late 1980s with her debut novel Bieguni (Flights), which won the prestigious Polish Nike Literary Award in 2008. This was followed by short story collections, novels, plays, poetry and essays which explore feminist themes, migration, history, ecology and psychology all mined from her abundant imagination. The 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature is particularly noteworthy for being awarded to a female writer from Poland. Tokarczuk’s success can be seen as a redefinition of what makes great literature, and shows that an author no longer needs to be a man of influence to be respected and considered for one of the greatest awards in literature. Her works also serve as a reminder that being open-minded and embracing different cultures is the only way to move forward. This makes her Nobel Laureate win a truly significant achievement not only for Olga Tokarczuk but for women everywhere.