Primeval and Other Times
{{short description|1996 novel by Olga Tokarczuk}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Primeval and Other Times
| image = Prawiek i inne czasy (Olga Tokarczuk).png
| alt =
| caption = First edition cover (W.A.B., 1996)
| author = Olga Tokarczuk
| audio_read_by =
| title_orig = Prawiek i inne czasy
| orig_lang_code = pl
| translator = Antonia Lloyd-Jones
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = Poland
| language = Polish
| genre = {{hlist|Postmodern|fantasy|magic realism}}
| set_in = Prawiek, Poland
| publisher = Wydawnictwo W.A.B.
| pub_date = 1996
| english_pub_date = 2010
| media_type =
| pages = 268
| awards =
| isbn = 978-83-87021-01-6
| isbn_note =
| oclc =
| dewey =
| congress =
}}
Primeval and Other Times ({{langx|pl|Prawiek i inne czasy}}) is a fragmentary novel by Olga Tokarczuk, published by {{ill|Wydawnictwo W.A.B.|pl}} in 1996.{{Cite book |last=Czapliński |first=Przemysław |title=Kalendarium życia literackiego 1976-2000 : wydarzenia, dyskusje, bilanse |publisher=Wyd. Literackie |year=2003 |isbn=83-08-03511-6 |edition=1 |location=Kraków |page=448 |language=pl |oclc=53952728}}{{Cite news |date=1 October 1998 |title=Unhistorical materialism |newspaper=The Economist |location=Warsaw |url=https://www.economist.com/moreover/1998/10/01/unhistorical-materialism |url-access=subscription |access-date=10 October 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Sosnowski |first=Jerzy |date=8 October 1997 |title=Budzik dla duszy |language=pl |page=13 |work=Gazeta Wyborcza |issue=235 |url=http://www.archiwum.wyborcza.pl/Archiwum/1,0,259197,19971008RP-DGW,Budzik_dla_duszy,.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=10 October 2020}}
It is Tokarczuk's third novel and was highly critically 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.{{cite web|url=https://tskymag.com/2010/11/olga-tokarczuks-primeval-and-other-times-reviewed-by-katie-eberhart/|title=Primeval and Other Times: Olga Tokarczuk|last=Eberhart |first=Katie|date=27 November 2010 |publisher=TS}} It has been translated into many languages and established Tokarczuk's international reputation as one of the most important Polish authors of her generation.{{cite web|url=https://www.twistedspoon.com/primeval.html|title=Primeval and Other Times|publisher=Twisted Spoon Press|access-date=11 October 2019 }}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/08/05/olga-tokarczuks-novels-against-nationalism|title=Olga Tokarczuk's Novels Against Nationalism|last=Franklin |first=Ruth|magazine=The New Yorker|date=29 July 2019|access-date=11 October 2019 }}
Structure
The novel is divided into 60 short vignettes, each focusing one or more fictional characters in different periods of time. According to Tokarczuk, this fragmentary form of storytelling, which she further explored in 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.{{Cite book |last=Śliwiński |first=Piotr |title=Kontrapunkt. Rozmowy o książkach |publisher=Obserwator |year=1999 |isbn=83-87235-18-0 |edition=1 |location=Poznań |page=244 |language=pl |chapter=Chciałabym pilnować środka – rozmowa z Olgą Tokarczuk |oclc=44740948}}
The novel contains elements of fantasy{{Cite news |last=Orliński |first=Wojciech |author-link=Wojciech Orliński |date=8 February 2020 |title=Kto decyduje, co jest ency, a co nie |language=pl |work=Gazeta Wyborcza |url=https://wyborcza.pl/naszaeuropa/7,168189,25676400,kto-decyduje-co-jest-ency-a-co-nie.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=10 February 2020}} mixed with magic realism.{{Cite news |last=Klejnocki |first=Jarosław |date=20 October 2008 |title=Recenzja książki: Olga Tokarczuk, "Prawiek i inne czasy" |language=pl |work=Polityka |url=https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kultura/ksiazki/271350,1,recenzja-ksiazki-olga-tokarczuk-prawiek-i-inne-czasy.read |access-date=10 February 2020}}
Setting
The setting for the novel was inspired by the village of Zagrody, located in the Kielce region, where Tokarczuk spent her childhood holidays.{{Cite news |last=Chrobot |first=Agata |date=11 October 2019 |title=Prawiek z powieści "Prawiek i inne czasy" – to wieś Zagrody w gminie Staszów. Niezwykła historia jednego z dzieł Noblistki Olgi Tokarczuk |language=pl |work=Echo Dnia Świętokrzyskie |url=https://echodnia.eu/swietokrzyskie/prawiek-z-powiesci-prawiek-i-inne-czasy-to-wies-zagrody-w-gminie-staszow-niezwykla-historia-jednego-z-dziel-noblistki-olgi/ar/c1-14493383 |access-date=27 December 2019}} She emphasized, however, that although the fictional village in the book owes its topography to that of Zagrody, it is a fictional locale of her own creation. Tokarczuk rejected the idea that characters in the book could be linked to real inhabitants of Zagrody, and criticised journalists who attempted to do in the late 1990s.{{Cite book |last=Śliwiński |first=Piotr |title=Kontrapunkt. Rozmowy o książkach |publisher=Obserwator |year=1999 |isbn=83-87235-18-0 |edition=1 |location=Poznań |page=243 |language=pl |chapter=Chciałabym pilnować środka – rozmowa z Olgą Tokarczuk |oclc=44740948}} In 2012, inhabitants of Staszów County organized a project to document the locations presented in the novel through photography.
Reception
After its publication, the novel was reviewed by many Polish critics. {{ill|Ewa Kraskowska|pl}} 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. {{ill|Dariusz Nowacki|pl}} 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 as a feminist writer. {{ill|Anna Tatarkiewicz|pl}} praised Tokarczuk for being representative of the prose of young women. The novel was also reviewed by {{ill|Przemysław Czapliński|pl}} and Kinga Dunin.{{Cite book |last=Czapliński |first=Przemysław |title=Kalendarium życia literackiego 1976-2000 : wydarzenia, dyskusje, bilanse |publisher=Wydawnictwo Literackie |year=2003 |isbn=83-08-03511-6 |edition=1 |location=Kraków |page=461 |language=pl |oclc=53952728}}
Tokarczuk was awarded the 1996 Paszport Polityki in the literature category and the 1997 Kościelski Award for Primeval. The novel was nominated for the 1997 Nike Award jury prize.{{Cite web |title=Nagroda Nike 1997 |url=http://nike.org.pl/strona.php?p=28&eid=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708051307/http://nike.org.pl/strona.php?p=28&eid=12 |archive-date=8 July 2015 |access-date=20 July 2015 |website=nike.org.pl |language=pl}} While it did not receive the main prize it was, however, awarded their audience award that year.{{Cite web |title=Prawiek i inne czasy |url=http://www.instytutksiazki.pl/ksiazki-detal,literatura-polska,67,prawiek-i-inne-czasy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323143136/http://www.instytutksiazki.pl/ksiazki-detal,literatura-polska,67,prawiek-i-inne-czasy.html |archive-date=23 March 2017 |access-date=23 March 2017 |website=instytutksiazki.pl |language=pl}} The novel was popular among readers in Poland and abroad, and has been translated into over twenty languages.{{Cite web |title=Olga Tokarczuk – "Prawiek i inne czasy" |url=http://www.wydawnictwoliterackie.pl/ksiazka/3467/Prawiek-i-inne-czasy---Olga-Tokarczuk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323144640/http://www.wydawnictwoliterackie.pl/ksiazka/3467/Prawiek-i-inne-czasy---Olga-Tokarczuk |archive-date=23 March 2017 |access-date=23 March 2017 |website=wydawnictwoliterackie.pl |language=pl}} In 2010, it was published in English as Primeval and Other Times by Twisted Spoon Press, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.{{Cite web |date=25 May 2011 |title=Dyskusja o "Prawieku" Olgi Tokarczuk |url=http://culture.pl/pl/wydarzenie/dyskusja-o-prawieku-olgi-tokarczuk |access-date=23 March 2017 |website=culture.pl |language=pl}} The novel was included in the official reading list of Poland's Ministry of National Education.
The book has also been reviewed by Kirsten Lodge for the Slavic and East European Journal.{{cite journal |last=Lodge |first=Kirsten |date=September 2012 |title=Review Article: Recent Polish Literature: Fantasy, Time, and Intertwining Worlds|journal=Slavic and East European Journal |volume=56 |pages=447–450 |jstor=41698563 |id={{EBSCOhost|84426729}} |number=3}}
Adaptations
A stage adaptation of Prawiek i inne czasy, performed by Białostockie Towarzystwo Wierszalin, directed by {{ill|Sebastian Majewski|pl}}, premiered in 1997{{Cite book |last=Czapliński |first=Przemysław |title=Kalendarium życia literackiego 1976-2000 : wydarzenia, dyskusje, bilanse |publisher=Wyd. Literackie |year=2003 |isbn=83-08-03511-6 |edition=1 |location=Kraków |page=485 |language=pl |oclc=53952728}}{{Cite news |last=Żmijewska |first=Monika |date=4 May 2020 |title=Niebiescy, Boscy, Prawiek i inne czasy. Wierszalin zaprasza online na spektakl sprzed 22 lat |language=pl |work=Gazeta Wyborcza |url=https://bialystok.wyborcza.pl/bialystok/7,35241,25918923,niebiescy-boscy-prawiek-i-inne-czasy-wierszalin-zaprasza.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 October 2020}}
Publication history
- {{Cite book |title=Prawiek i inne czasy |publisher=Wydawnictwo W.A.B. |year=1996 |isbn=978-83-87021-01-6 |location=Warsaw |language=pl}}
- {{Cite book |title=Oer en andere tijden |publisher=De Geus |year=1998 |isbn=978-90-5226-558-2 |location=Breda |language=nl |translator-last=Lesman |translator-first=Karol}}
- {{Cite book |title=Dieu, le temps, les hommes et les anges |publisher=Éditions Robert Laffont |year=1998 |isbn=978-2-221-08615-5 |location=Paris |language=fr |translator-last=Glogowski |translator-first=Christophe}}
- {{Cite book |title=Pravěk a jiné časy |publisher=Host |year=1999 |isbn=9788086055831 |location=Brno |language=cs |translator-last=Vidlák |translator-first=Petr}}
- {{Cite book |title=Dio, il tempo, gli uomini e gli angeli |publisher=Edizioni e/o |year=1999 |isbn=978-88-7641-387-2 |location=Rome |language=it |translator-last=Belletti |translator-first=Raffaella}}
- {{Cite book |title=Ur und andere Zeiten |publisher=Berlin Verlag |year=2000 |isbn=9783827003409 |location=Berlin |language=de |translator-last=Kinsky |translator-first=Esther |translator-link=Esther Kinsky}}
- {{Cite book |title=Praamžiai ir kiti laikai |publisher=Strofa |year=2000 |isbn=978-9986-751-31-1 |location=Vilnius |language=lt |translator-last=Jarutis |translator-first=Vyturys}}
- {{Cite book |title=Un lloc anomenat Antany |publisher=Edicions Proa |year=2001 |isbn=978-84-8256-964-2 |location=Barcelona |language=ca |translator-last=Rubió |translator-first=Anna |translator-last2=Sławomirski |translator-first2=Jerzy}}
- {{Cite book |title=Pravijek i ostala vremena |publisher=Nakladni zavod Matice hrvatske |year=2001 |isbn=978-953-185-049-0 |location=Zagreb |language=hr |translator-last=Mioč |translator-first=Pero}}
- {{Cite book |title=Un lugar llamado Antaño |publisher=Editorial Lumen |year=2001 |isbn=978-84-264-1293-5 |location=Barcelona |language=es |translator-last=Rabasco Macías |translator-first=Ester |translator-last2=Wyrzykowska |translator-first2=Bogumila}}
- {{Cite book |title=Străveacul și alte vremi |publisher=Polirom |year=2002 |isbn=9789736810084 |location=Iași |language=ro |translator-last=Zaicik |translator-first=Olga}}
- {{Cite book |title=Правек и другие времена |publisher=Новое литературное обозрение |year=2004 |isbn=5867933067 |location=Moscow |language=ru |translator-last=Изотова |translator-first=Татьяна}}
- {{Cite book |title=Правік та інші часи |publisher=Кальварія |year=2004 |isbn=9666631369 |location=Lviv |language=uk |translator-last=Дмитрук |translator-first=Віктор}}
- {{Cite book |title=Pravek in drugi časi |publisher=Litera |year=2005 |isbn=961-6422-87-1 |location=Maribor |language=sl |translator-last=Šuler-Galos |translator-first=Jasmina}}
- {{Cite book |title=太古和其他的時間 |publisher=大塊文化 |year=2006 |isbn=978-986-797-599-7 |location=Taipei |language=zh |translator=易麗君&袁漢鎔}}{{Cite web |title=太古和其他的時間（十年典藏版) |url=https://www.locuspublishing.com/Produkt.aspx?bokId=1111TT020A |access-date=10 October 2020 |website=www.locuspublishing.com |language=zh}}
- {{Cite book |title=Gammeltida och andra tider |publisher=Ariel förlag |year=2006 |isbn=978-91-975540-0-8 |location=Sweden |language=sv |translator-last=Ilke |translator-first=Lennart}}{{Cite web |title=Tokarzcuk |url=https://www.ariel.nu/tokarzcuk |access-date=10 October 2020 |website=ariel.nu |language=sv}}
- {{Cite book |title=Alku ja muut ajat |publisher=Otava |year=2007 |isbn=978-951-1-21067-2 |location=Helsinki |language=fi |translator-last=Kärkkäinen |translator-first=Tapani}}
- {{Cite book |title=Правек и другите времиња |publisher=Македонска реч |year=2007 |isbn=978-9989-163-46-3 |location=Skopje |language=mk |translator-last=Tanushevska |translator-first=Lidija}}
- {{Cite book |title=Правек и други времена |publisher=Алтера |year=2008 |isbn=978-954-9757-07-1 |location=Sofia |language=bg |translator-last=Кръстев |translator-first=Георги}}
- {{Cite book |title=Primeval and Other Times |publisher=Twisted Spoon Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-80-86264-35-6 |location=Prague |language=en |translator-last=Lloyd-Jones |translator-first=Antonia}}
- {{Cite book |title=Őskor és más idők |publisher=L'Harmattan Kiadó |year=2011 |isbn=978-963-236-333-2 |location=Budapest |language=hu |translator-last=Gábor |translator-first=Körner}}
- {{Cite book |title=Algus ja teised ajad |publisher=Hendrik Lindepuu Kirjastus |year=2012 |isbn=9789949933334 |location=Tartu |language=et |translator-last=Lindepuu |translator-first=Hendrik}}{{Cite web |title=Algus ja teised ajad |url=http://www.hlk.ee/raamatud/7 |access-date=10 October 2020 |website=Hendrik Lindepuu Kirjastus |language=et}}
- {{Cite book |title=Pamtivek i druga doba |publisher=Paideia |year=2013 |isbn=978-86-7448-571-2 |location=Belgrade |language=sr |translator-last=Markić |translator-first=Milica}}
- {{Cite book |title=Pravek a iné časy |publisher=Premedia |year=2015 |isbn=978-80-8159-329-1 |location=Bratislava |language=sk |translator-last=Chmel |translator-first=Karol}}{{Cite web |title=Olga Tokarczuk: Pravek a iné časy |url=http://www.premedia.sk/sk/literatura/olga_tokarczuk_pravek_a_ine_casy |access-date=10 October 2020 |website=premedia.sk |language=sk}}
- {{Cite book |title=Το Αρχέγονο και άλλοι καιροί |publisher=Εκδόσεις Καστανιώτη |year=2017 |isbn=978-960-03-6165-0 |location=Athens |language=el |translator-last=Ιωαννίδου |translator-first=Αλεξάνδρα Δ.}}{{Cite web |title=Το Αρχέγονο και άλλοι καιροί |url=https://www.kastaniotis.com/book/978-960-03-6165-0 |access-date=10 October 2020 |website=Εκδόσεις Καστανιώτη |language=el}}
- {{Cite book |title=태고의 시간들 |publisher=은행나무 |year=2019 |isbn=979-11-88810-89-5 |location=Seoul |language=ko |translator=최성은}}{{Cite web |last=Biscuitpress.kr |title=태고의 시간들 |url=http://ehbook.co.kr/book/26183 |access-date=10 October 2020 |website=ehbook.co.kr |language=ko-KR}}
- {{Cite book |title=Outrora e Outros Tempos |publisher=Cavalo de Ferro |year=2020 |isbn=9789895640690 |location=Amadora |language=pt |translator-last=Fernandes Swiatkiewicz |translator-first=Teresa}}{{Cite web |title=Outrora e Outros Tempos |url=https://cavalodeferro.pt/livros/outrora-e-outros-tempos |access-date=10 October 2020 |website=cavalodeferro.pt |language=pt}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Olga Tokarczuk}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Primeval and Other Times}}
Category:Novels by Olga Tokarczuk
Category:Polish novels adapted into plays
Category:Nike Award–winning works