Joanna Chmielewska (Polish: [jɔˈanna xmjɛˈlɛfska]; 2 April 1932 – 7 October 2013),[1][2] was the pen name of Irena Kühn (née Becker), a Polish novelist and screenwriter. Her work is often described as "ironic detective stories".[3] Her novels, which have been translated into at least eleven languages,[4] have sold more than 6 million copies in Poland[1] and over 10 million copies in Russia.[5]
Joanna Chmielewska | |
---|---|
Born | Irena Becker 2 April 1932 Warsaw, Poland |
Died | 7 October 2013 | (aged 81)
Occupation | novelist |
Citizenship | Poland |
Period | 1964-2013 |
Genre | Crime fiction |
Notable works | Całe zdanie nieboszczyka Wszystko czerwone |
Website | |
www |
Born in Warsaw in 1932, Chmielewska graduated as an architect in 1954 from Warsaw University of Technology, and worked as a designer before devoting herself to writing.[1][5] Her first short story was published in the popular magazine Kultura i Życie (Culture and Life) in 1958 and her first novel, Klin (The Wedge), in 1964. She loved horse races and gambling: both hobbies are mentioned extensively in her books.[6] She was also a connoisseur of amber,[5][6] a passion which forms the basis for her 1998 novel Złota mucha (The Golden Fly).
She wrote more than fifty novels. Most frequently, the protagonist is a woman called Joanna that inherits many characteristics from Chmielewska herself. She also often wrote about Joanna's friends like Alicja (We Are All Suspects, All in Red), co-workers (We Are All Suspects, Wild Protein) or family (The Forefathers' Wells, Bad Luck).
She died on 7 October 2013.[7]
As of September 2008, there are no published English language translations of Chmielewska's work, and so the exact translation of the Polish titles into English can vary from source to source.