Author(s): Olga Tokarczuk (translated by Jennifer Croft)

Fiction

Description: In THE BOOKS OF JACOB, Tokarczuk traverses the Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in search of Jacob Frank, a highly controversial historical figure from the eighteenth century and the leader of a mysterious, heretical Jewish splinter group that converted at different times to both Islam and Catholicism. Examining Frank through the eyes of both his supporters and those who reviled him, Tokarczuk paints an intricate picture of a divisive yet charismatic man whose life highlights the complex narrative strands of history. Lauded by critics, the publication of THE BOOKS OF JACOB met with a violent reaction from far right-groups in Poland and Tokarczuk became the recipient of death threats for its subversion of the dominant nationalist interpretation of the formation of the modern Polish nation-state. Considered by many critics to be Tokarczuk's masterpiece, THE BOOKS OF JACOB won Poland's highest literary honour, the Nike, in 2015.

Review: 'A magnificent writer.' -- Svetlana Alexievich, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate 2015

Prizes: Winner of The Nike Literary Award 2015.

Author Biography: Olga Tokarczuk is one of Poland's best and most beloved authors. In 2015 she received the Brueckepreis and the prestigious annual literary award from Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, as well as Poland's highest literary honour, the Nike and the Nike Readers' Prize. Tokarczuk also received a Nike in 2015 for THE BOOKS OF JACOB. She is the author of eight novel, two short story collections and has been translated into a dozen languages.