Polish crime fiction needs fresh blood
We revisit our interview with Robert Małecki, writer, president of the Kult Kultury Foundation, and initiator of the Crime Debut of the Year competition for the Literary Award of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.
You are a respected, award-winning author published in large print runs. It’s not very common for someone in your position to want to support emerging creators—essentially your own competition. Why did you decide to propose launching this competition?
Because I truly value crime fiction, and it simply saddens me when strong debuts—and the talented authors behind them—go unnoticed. This happens because publishers usually take a cautious approach to promoting debut works. Meanwhile, Polish crime fiction, if it is to continue developing, needs—however it may sound—fresh blood.
Fot. Mikołaj Starzyński via robertmalecki.pl
How do you see the role of the competition and our Literary Award?
I would like this award to serve as a strong motivator for publishers to promote debuts more effectively and to boldly highlight their presence on the market. At the same time, I hope readers will treat this award as a mark of literary quality. Often, when browsing bookstore shelves, we look for familiar names on book covers.
This award should change that habit and effectively stimulate readers’ curiosity.
Anyone can write. What does it take (what should one do) to gain readers’ recognition? What is your key to their hearts—and wallets?
I think you need to write the kind of books you yourself enjoy reading. You should never follow trends, because they always pass. Besides, in writing—as in any creative activity—you simply need to be honest. Literature certainly appreciates honesty, and readers will likely value it too. (…)
Fot. Łukasz Piecyk via robertmalecki.pl
When it comes to my writing, I really enjoy coming up with the beginning of a crime story and having a general idea of how it should end. But everything between points A and Z is, for me, an interesting and extraordinary adventure. That’s why I love discovering the story as I write it. I do it for myself, but of course with readers in mind.
17 April 2023 / 24 April 2026