Dorota Mas這wska took the Polish literary world by storm in 2002 when, as a 19-year-old, she had her first novel published. The book, translated into English as Snow White and Russian Red, divided readers, who either loved or hated it.

A film based on the book is to be released May 22. The director is Xawery 真豉wski, the winner of the debut award at the 2008 film festival in the Polish coastal city of Gdynia. The film and the novel tell the story of Silny, a shaven-headed bruiser who is having problems with his girlfriend. In his search for a happier state of mind, Silny meets four women— Angela, a sensitive dreamer, Nata, an old friend, the seemingly shy Ola, and Dorota, in whose head the whole plot is constructed. The plot, seemingly trivial and somewhat surreal, provides an excuse for the author to expose some allegedly typical Polish and not very appealing behavior, and to comment on smalltown life.

Borys Szyc plays the main part of Silny. The women’s parts are played by Roma G御iorowska as Silny’s girlfriend Magda, Maria Strzelecka as Angela, Sonia Bohosiewicz as Nata, Anna Prus as Ola and Dorota Mas這wska herself as Dorota.

Snow White and Russian Red is a bestselling novel in Poland—over 120,000 copies have been sold and the book was nominated for the Nike Literary Award. The book also earned Mas這wska the prestigious Paszport Polityki award from Polityka weekly. It has been translated into many languages, including English, Spanish, Hungarian and Russian.

M.B.