The Changing Face of Stefan Grabinski Readership

Interest in the "Polish Poe," Stefan Grabinski, appears to be on the upswing in his homeland. Agharta Press has just released a new anthology called Tragedy on the Tower. The book collects previously unseen stories from Grabinski, as well as works by fellow writer Jan Huskowski.

Oddly enough, Grabinski's following in Poland is small and possibly less passionate than abroad. Translated books like The Dark Domain in English have been the main purveyors of weird Grabinskian ideas and style to literary horror lovers in recent times. Now, with Agharta's new release, a flicker of change could be starting.

It's well deserved, since reading Grabinski in his native tongue undoubtedly yields additional curiosities not carried over well in translation. Look for the devoted Grabinski cult to remain small in the near term. However, thanks to renewed interest in Europe and beyond, it's likely that Grabinski's readership may soon undergo a more international transformation.

Changes may be in order for Grabinski scholarship too, where Miroslaw Lipinski has dominated the field for several decades. Here, new voices are joining the fray. Check out Marek Wilczynski's new electronic article, "Secret Passages Through Poe: The Transatlantic Affinities of H.P. Lovecraft and Stefan Grabinski" for a fresh look at Stefan Grabinski within a broader weird fiction context.

-Grim Blogger