Primeval and Other Times

Primeval and Other Times (Polish: Prawiek i inne czasy) is a fragmentary novel by Olga Tokarczuk, published by Wydawnictwo W.A.B. in 1996.[1][2][3]

Primeval and Other Times
First edition cover (W.A.B., 1996)
AuthorOlga Tokarczuk
Original titlePrawiek i inne czasy
TranslatorAntonia Lloyd-Jones
CountryPoland
LanguagePolish
Genre
Set inPrawiek, Poland
PublisherWydawnictwo W.A.B.
Publication date
1996
Published in English
2010
Pages268
ISBN978-83-87021-01-6

It is Tokarczuk's third novel and was highly successful. It is set in the fictitious village of Prawiek (Primeval) at the very heart of Poland, which is populated by some eccentric, archetypical characters. The novel chronicles the lives of Prawiek's inhabitants over a period of eight decades, beginning in 1914.[4] It has been translated into many languages (published in English in Antonia Lloyd-Jones' translation by Twisted Spoon Press in 2009) and established Tokarczuk's international reputation as one of the most important representatives of Polish literature in her generation.[5][6]

Structure

The novel is divided into 60 short vignettes, each focusing on different fictional characters in different periods of time. According to Tokarczuk, this fragmentary form of storytelling, which she further explored in Dom dzienny, dom nocny ("House of Day, House of Night", 1998), is representative of the novel's perception of reality. According to the author, the style of writing arouses this fragmentary perception and conveys that the separate vignettes are part of something greater. Tokarczuk was not fully conscious of the structure's purpose when she wrote the novel, but she strongly defended it against the publisher who suggested changing it.[7]

The novel contains elements of fantasy[8] mixed with magic realism.[9]

Setting

In developing the setting for the novel, Olga Tokarczuk modeled after the village of Zagrody, located in the Kielce region, where she spent her childhood holidays.[10] Tokarczuk emphasized, however, that although it owes its topography to that of Zagrody, Prawiek is a fictional village of her own creation. Tokarczuk has rejected linking characters presented in the book with the real inhabitants of Zagrody. The attempts by journalists to do so in the 1990s she considered outrageous.[11] In 2012, inhabitants of Staszów County organized a project to document the locations presented in the novel through photography.[10]

Reception

After its publication, the novel was reviewed by many Polish critics. Ewa Kraskowska wrote that "Olga's time" in literature had come, describing her prose as one of the most captivating phenomena in literature and compared it to the writings of Bolesław Leśmian and Bruno Schulz. Dariusz Nowacki criticized Tokarczuk's prose as being conformist and having a quality more typical of the entertainment industry. Wojciech Browarny considered there to be a feminist element in Tokarczuk's writing, but said she should not be categorised into the group of feminist writers. Anna Tatarkiewicz praised Tokarczuk for being representative of the prose of young women. The novel was also reviewed by Przemysław Czapliński and Kinga Dunin.[12]

The novel was nominated for the 1997 Nike Award jury prize.[13] It was, however, awarded their audience award for 1997.[14] Tokarczuk was also awarded the 1996 Paszport Polityki in the literature category. She was also awarded the Kościelski Award in 1997.[14] The novel was a success with readers in Poland and abroad, and has been translated into over twenty languages.[15] In 2010, it was published in English as Primeval and Other Times by Twisted Spoon Press, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.[16] The novel was included in the official reading list of Poland's Ministry of National Education.[16]

Adaptations
  • play Prawiek i inne czasy Białostockiego Towarzystwa Wierszalin, dir. Sebastian Majewski, premiered 1997[17][18]

Publication history
  • Prawiek i inne czasy (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo W.A.B. 1996. ISBN 978-83-87021-01-6.
  • Oer en andere tijden (in Dutch). Translated by Lesman, Karol. Breda: De Geus. 1998. ISBN 978-90-5226-558-2.
  • Dieu, le temps, les hommes et les anges (in French). Translated by Glogowski, Christophe. Paris: Éditions Robert Laffont. 1998. ISBN 978-2-221-08615-5.
  • Pravěk a jiné časy (in Czech). Translated by Vidlák, Petr. Brno: Host. 1999. ISBN 9788086055831.
  • Dio, il tempo, gli uomini e gli angeli (in Italian). Translated by Belletti, Raffaella. Rome: Edizioni e/o. 1999. ISBN 978-88-7641-387-2.
  • Ur und andere Zeiten (in German). Translated by Kinsky, Esther. Berlin: Berlin Verlag. 2000. ISBN 9783827003409.
  • Praamžiai ir kiti laikai (in Lithuanian). Translated by Jarutis, Vyturys. Vilnius: Strofa. 2000. ISBN 978-9986-751-31-1.
  • Un lloc anomenat Antany (in Catalan). Translated by Rubió, Anna; Sławomirski, Jerzy. Barcelona: Edicions Proa. 2001. ISBN 978-84-8256-964-2.
  • Pravijek i ostala vremena (in Croatian). Translated by Mioč, Pero. Zagreb: Nakladni zavod Matice hrvatske. 2001. ISBN 978-953-185-049-0.
  • Un lugar llamado Antaño (in Spanish). Translated by Rabasco Macías, Ester; Wyrzykowska, Bogumila. Barcelona: Editorial Lumen. 2001. ISBN 978-84-264-1293-5.
  • Străveacul și alte vremi (in Romanian). Translated by Zaicik, Olga. Iași: Polirom. 2002. ISBN 9789736810084.
  • Правек и другие времена (in Russian). Translated by Изотова, Татьяна. Moscow: Новое литературное обозрение. 2004. ISBN 5867933067.
  • Правік та інші часи (in Ukrainian). Translated by Дмитрук, Віктор. Lviv: Кальварія. 2004. ISBN 9666631369.
  • Pravek in drugi časi (in Slovenian). Translated by Šuler-Galos, Jasmina. Maribor: Litera. 2005. ISBN 961-6422-87-1.
  • 太古和其他的時間 (in Chinese). Translated by 易麗君&袁漢鎔. Taipei: 大塊文化. 2006. ISBN 978-986-797-599-7.[19]
  • Gammeltida och andra tider (in Swedish). Translated by Ilke, Lennart. Sweden: Ariel förlag. 2006. ISBN 978-91-975540-0-8.[20]
  • Alku ja muut ajat (in Finnish). Translated by Kärkkäinen, Tapani. Helsinki: Otava. 2007. ISBN 978-951-1-21067-2.
  • Правек и другите времиња (in Macedonian). Translated by Tanushevska, Lidija. Skopje: Македонска реч. 2007. ISBN 978-9989-163-46-3.
  • Правек и други времена (in Bulgarian). Translated by Кръстев, Георги. Sofia: Алтера. 2008. ISBN 978-954-9757-07-1.
  • Primeval and Other Times. Translated by Lloyd-Jones, Antonia. Prague: Twisted Spoon Press. 2010. ISBN 978-80-86264-35-6.
  • Őskor és más idők (in Hungarian). Translated by Gábor, Körner. Budapest: L'Harmattan Kiadó. 2011. ISBN 978-963-236-333-2.
  • Algus ja teised ajad (in Estonian). Translated by Lindepuu, Hendrik. Tartu: Hendrik Lindepuu Kirjastus. 2012. ISBN 9789949933334.[21]
  • Pamtivek i druga doba (in Serbian). Translated by Markić, Milica. Belgrade: Paideia. 2013. ISBN 978-86-7448-571-2.
  • Pravek a iné časy (in Slovak). Translated by Chmel, Karol. Bratislava: Premedia. 2015. ISBN 978-80-8159-329-1.[22]
  • Το Αρχέγονο και άλλοι καιροί (in Greek). Translated by Ιωαννίδου, Αλεξάνδρα Δ. Athens: Εκδόσεις Καστανιώτη. 2017. ISBN 978-960-03-6165-0.[23]
  • 태고의 시간들 (in Korean). Translated by 최성은. Seoul: 은행나무. 2019. ISBN 979-11-88810-89-5.[24]
  • Outrora e Outros Tempos (in Portuguese). Translated by Fernandes Swiatkiewicz, Teresa. Amadora: Cavalo de Ferro. 2020. ISBN 9789895640690.[25]

References
  1. Czapliński, Przemysław (2003). Kalendarium życia literackiego 1976-2000 : wydarzenia, dyskusje, bilanse (in Polish) (1 ed.). Kraków: Wyd. Literackie. p. 448. ISBN 83-08-03511-6. OCLC 53952728.
  2. "Unhistorical materialism". The Economist. Warsaw. 1 October 1998. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  3. Sosnowski, Jerzy (8 October 1997). "Budzik dla duszy". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish) (235). p. 13. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  4. Eberhart, Katie. "Primeval and Other Times: Olga Tokarczuk". TS.
  5. "Primeval and Other Times". Twisted Spoon Press. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  6. Franklin, Ruth (29 July 2019). "Olga Tokarczuk's Novels Against Nationalism". The New Yorker. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  7. Śliwiński, Piotr (1999). "Chciałabym pilnować środka – rozmowa z Olgą Tokarczuk". Kontrapunkt. Rozmowy o książkach (in Polish) (1 ed.). Poznań: Obserwator. p. 244. ISBN 83-87235-18-0. OCLC 44740948.
  8. Orliński, Wojciech (8 February 2020). "Kto decyduje, co jest ency, a co nie". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  9. Klejnocki, Jarosław (20 October 2008). "Recenzja książki: Olga Tokarczuk, "Prawiek i inne czasy"". Polityka (in Polish). Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  10. Chrobot, Agata (11 October 2019). "Prawiek z powieści "Prawiek i inne czasy" – to wieś Zagrody w gminie Staszów. Niezwykła historia jednego z dzieł Noblistki Olgi Tokarczuk". Echo Dnia Świętokrzyskie (in Polish). Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  11. Śliwiński, Piotr (1999). "Chciałabym pilnować środka – rozmowa z Olgą Tokarczuk". Kontrapunkt. Rozmowy o książkach (in Polish) (1 ed.). Poznań: Obserwator. p. 243. ISBN 83-87235-18-0. OCLC 44740948.
  12. Czapliński, Przemysław (2003). Kalendarium życia literackiego 1976-2000 : wydarzenia, dyskusje, bilanse (in Polish) (1 ed.). Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie. p. 461. ISBN 83-08-03511-6. OCLC 53952728.
  13. "Nagroda Nike 1997". nike.org.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  14. "Prawiek i inne czasy". instytutksiazki.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  15. "Olga Tokarczuk – "Prawiek i inne czasy"". wydawnictwoliterackie.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  16. "Dyskusja o "Prawieku" Olgi Tokarczuk". culture.pl (in Polish). 25 May 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  17. Czapliński, Przemysław (2003). Kalendarium życia literackiego 1976-2000 : wydarzenia, dyskusje, bilanse (in Polish) (1 ed.). Kraków: Wyd. Literackie. p. 485. ISBN 83-08-03511-6. OCLC 53952728.
  18. Żmijewska, Monika (4 May 2020). "Niebiescy, Boscy, Prawiek i inne czasy. Wierszalin zaprasza online na spektakl sprzed 22 lat". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  19. "太古和其他的時間（十年典藏版)". www.locuspublishing.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  20. "Tokarzcuk". ariel.nu (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  21. "Algus ja teised ajad". Hendrik Lindepuu Kirjastus (in Estonian). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  22. "Olga Tokarczuk: Pravek a iné časy". premedia.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  23. "Το Αρχέγονο και άλλοι καιροί". Εκδόσεις Καστανιώτη (in Greek). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  24. Biscuitpress.kr. "태고의 시간들". ehbook.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  25. "Outrora e Outros Tempos". cavalodeferro.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
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