* Born in 1948

  * Graduated from Łódź University's Foreign Trade Department

  * 1972-1994 worked in trade
  * According to publishers, for several years he has been one of the five
    best-selling writers in the Polish book market; however, as a rule he
    doesn't talk about his circulation
  * In 1986 he wrote his first fantasy story, creating his main literary
    character, the "witcher," a mutant possessing supernatural physical and
    magical powers who fights monsters in a fantasy world
  * In 1990 he published his first volume of six short stories, "The Last
    Wish", reprinted in 1993

  * In 1992 he published the second volume, also with six stories, titled
    The Sword of Destiny
  * In 1994 he started a five-volume saga on the adventures of the witcher;
    published so far are "Elf Blood" (1994), "Time of Contempt" (1995),
    "Baptism by Fire" (1996), and "The Tower of the Swallow" (1997). The
    last volume, "The Lady of the Lake" is to come out late this year.
  * In 1995 he published "King Arthur's World," an essay discussing the
    popularity of legends of King Arthur among contemporary readers and
    their influence on 20th-century authors; the volume included the
    micro-novel "Maladie", a variation on the legend of Tristan and Isolde
  * A series of comic books based on the witcher's adventures was published,
    with graphics by Bogusław Polch
  * He authored a fantasy computer game, "The Eye of Yrrhedes", one of the
    most popular in Poland
  * Except for his first volume of short stories, he works exclusively with
    superNOWA publishers
  * So far his works have been translated into Czech and Russian; their
    translation into German is nearing completion
  * In 1998 he received the prestigious Passport award from the well-known
    Polityka weekly, granted for the most interesting achievements in Polish
    culture
  * With the writer's consent, a group of his fans has organized an Internet
    website titled Sapkowski Zone (http://sapkowski.fantasy.art.pl).


                              BOOKSELLER BOUNTY
        Czesław Apiecionek, owner of the Odeon network of bookstores:

       Each new book by Andrzej Sapkowski is a publishing hit that makes its
  way  onto  the  bestsellers  list.  What's more, it remains there for many
  weeks,  which  is  a rarity. In Poland, a book that manages to stay on the
  top  for a week is already a success. And Sapkowski's books draw people to
  bookstores. Press or radio information about publishing a new novel always
  sends them to the stores.
       Sapkowski's  books  reach a wide audience from all strata of society,
  but  young  readers  dominate.  Not teenagers, but mature young people who
  seem loyal to the writer. Many compare Sapkowski to [the best-known Polish
  science-fiction  author] Stanisław Lem because of the subject of his works
  and popularity among young readers.
       Perhaps  Sapkowski  owes  his success to the brilliant sense of humor
  present  in  his  novels,  an original interpretation of our times and the
  consistency  of  his  writing.  He knows his audience's tastes and remains
  faithful  to  them.  Also, he writes in a very lively way. He successfully
  uses  his  great literary knowledge while writing. It should also be noted
  that  contemporary  readers  are  well-acquainted  with  computers and the
  latest  technology,  and Sapkowski excellently moves around in that world.
  Despite  his  numerous  successes,  there is a widespread opinion that the
  writer  still  has his best days ahead of him-that he hasn't shown all his
  cards.