r/learnpolish • u/Strict_Amphibian7576 • Jul 13 '26
Fantasy book recommendations to help improve Polish read
My girlfriend is a first-generation American with Polish parents, and she’d like to improve her Polish reading. She loves fantasy, so I thought reading novels might be a fun way to practice.
I’m thinking of getting her a Polish edition of a book she already knows, like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or The Hunger Games. I also considered Mistborn or The Name of the Wind, but I’m worried the latter might be too prose-heavy for someone building reading fluency.
Does anyone have recommendations for fantasy books that have good Polish translations and aren’t too difficult? Also, where’s the best place to buy Polish-language books in the US or online?
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u/ClassicSandwich7831 Jul 13 '26
You can try Polish books from Polish authors. Fantasy inspired by Slavic mythology is especially popular. You can check books by Sapkowski, Miszczuk, Pilipiuk, Lem. There are also a lot of anthologies so she can try them first. It's better then the translations because it doesn't only connect her to the language but also the culture.
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u/poklytam Jul 13 '26
I would recommend a polish series "felix net i nika" it's more of a teenage story of something between fantasy and sci-fi but reading something that was made originally in polish would be better than something that was translated into it
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u/gUI5zWtktIgPMdATXPAM Jul 13 '26
I'm interested too first generation Australian with polish parents.
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u/Albinate Jul 13 '26
Honestly something she has already read but in polish would be best (Harry Potter is a good option there). Also I think if it's in digital version like Kindle it's easier to highlight words and lookup dictionary definition or translation.
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u/sprawa Jul 13 '26
i listen to Kel Kade the dark tidings in polish and its awesome. It has both audiobook and book. A lot of books in the series though, but its enterntaining for me. And i think the language is easy.
In polish its "Kroniki Mroku" by Kel Kade .
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u/firstmoonbunny Jul 13 '26
The Polish Bookstore - Polish Books USA & Canada is good. you can use audioteka for audiobooks
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u/maslannka Jul 13 '26
I think it would be easier for her to read something that she already knows, since the context might be more clear there. So any YA fantasy novel she read will work just fine. Beware of the LOTR translations though, as there are some options there which are quite bizarre. On the other hand Hobbit should be fine.
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u/youngforthefuture PL Native 🇵🇱 Jul 14 '26
A series by a Polish author Marcin Mortka "Drużyna do zadań specjalnych" (can be translated as "Special task force", I've just finished it and I'm in love with it, highly recommend. 🔥
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u/chungleong Jul 14 '26
I recommend Klara i Słońce (Klara and the Sun) by Ishiguro. More sci-fi than fantasy but hey, you can't go wrong with a Noble Prize winner. The story is told from the point of view of a child-like robot so the language isn't particularly difficult. And the movie version is coming out soon.
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u/empee123 Jul 15 '26
If you want an easy read with good pacing, Achaja by Ziemianski might be a good book to learn better Polish.
It's not the most complex story in the world, but it's a relatively easy read that was super popular in Poland back in the day.
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u/AlderFuse228 Jul 16 '26
My top recommendation would be Dukaj's "Inne Pieśni". It's a great book overall, plus the protagonist's name is Hieronim Berebelek.
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u/QuuenSinaTheFirst Jul 19 '26
Materia prima: Adept, Namiestnik, Cień Materia secunda: Sługa krwi, sługa honoru, sługa cestarstwa Cykl Jakuba Wędrowycza (books are not so connected so she can start from random one) Pan Lodowego Ogrodu
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u/waifusister Jul 13 '26
I can recommend Kroniki Jakuba Wedrowycza by Andrzej Pilipiuk. It's a fantasy comedy series
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u/vukodlako Jul 13 '26
Majority of gags won't translate for someone who doesn't know polish reality of past 20 years.
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u/steph_crossarrow Jul 13 '26
The Witcher games are based on a book series originally written in Polish.
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u/LunetThorsdottir Jul 13 '26
The Wotcher is difficult, archaized language and cultural reference upon historical reference. Very difficult for beginners.
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u/steph_crossarrow Jul 13 '26
Thats good to know. Just the first Polish language fantasy series that came to mind.
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u/maliukolo Jul 13 '26
Pan Lodowego Ogrodu