Nominations for the Witold Pilecki International Book Award 2025 (fifth edition) - Instytut Pileckiego

We know the authors nominated for the fifth edition of the Witold Pilecki International Book Award! Out of 60 submissions, the Awards Committee has selected 12 publications to compete in three categories.

Since 2021, the Pilecki Institute has been annually awarding the Witold Pilecki International Book Award in three categories: academic history book, historical reportage and special prize. This year, 60 books published by 35 publishing houses from both Poland and abroad have been submitted to the competition.

The award will be presented to authors of the best academic and reportage books that were published in 2024 and are devoted to the experience of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe of confronting totalitarianism in the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on Poland.

The partner of the award is the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim.

The books entered for the present edition of the competition demonstrate a high level of academic and literary skill, as well as explore topics of particular importance for both history and the Polish society. The selected publications distinguish themselves by a novel approach, well-documented findings and commitment to the truth.

NOMINATIONS 2025

On 8 October 2025, the Awards Committee composed of: Dr. Piotr Cywiński, Prof. Padraic Kenney, Krzysztof Kosior, Prof. Damian Markowski, Aneta Prymaka-Oniszk, Prof. Pierre-Frédéric Weber, and Dr. Kazimierz Wóycicki, selected this year’s nominations.

In the academic history book category, the Awards Committee chose the best monographs on the experience of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe of confronting totalitarianism in the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on Poland. The shortlist includes the following five books:

• Michał Bilewicz, Traumaland. Polacy w cieniu przeszłości, Wydawnictwo MANDO / Wydawnictwo WAM,
• Tomasz Ceran, Zbrodnia pomorska 1939. Początek ludobójstwa niemieckiego w okupowanej Polsce, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej,
• Piotr M. Majewski, Brzydkie słowo na „k”. Rzecz o kolaboracji, Wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej,
• Dariusz Węgrzyn, „Internirung”. Deportacja mieszkańców Górnego Śląska do ZSRS na tle wywózek niemieckiej ludności cywilnej z terenu Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej do sowieckich łagrów pod koniec II wojny światowej, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej,
• Rafał Wnuk, Sławomir Poleszak, Niezłomni czy realiści? Polskie podziemie antykomunistyczne bez patosu, Wydawnictwo Literackie.

In the historical reportage category, the Awards Committee selected books that offer the reader an engaging story about the experience of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe of confronting totalitarianism in the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on Poland. The shortlist includes the following four publications:

• Patrycja Dołowy, Pęknięte lustro. Próba portretu Adama Czerniakowa, Wydawnictwo Filtry,
• Grzegorz Gauden, Polska sprawa Dreyfusa. Kto próbował zabić prezydenta, Wydawnictwo Agora,
• Emil Marat, Bratny. Hamlet rozstrzelany, Wydawnictwo Czarne,
• Michał Przeperski, Dziki Wschód. Transformacja po polsku 1986–1993, Wydawnictwo Literackie.

In the special prize category, the Awards Committee was searching for books that bear testimony to the criminal actions of contemporary totalitarian and authoritarian systems, describe the tragic fate of populations affected by wars and armed conflicts (war reportage), and condemn deliberate and persistent violation of human rights. The shortlist includes the following three publications:

• Maria Buko, Drugie pokolenie obozowe. Pamięć i doświadczenie potomków polskich więźniów niemieckich nazistowskich obozów koncentracyjnych, Wydawnictwo Naukowe UMK,
• Maksym Eristavi, Russian Colonialism 101. How to Occupy a Neighbor and Get Away with It. An Illustrated Guide, IST Publishing,
• Serhii Plokhy, Rosja–Ukraina. Największe starcie XXI wieku, Wydawnictwo Znak Horyzont.

We offer our warm congratulations to the nominees and their publishers and wish them the best of luck. The winners of the Witold Pilecki International Book Award will be announced during a gala ceremony held in December 2025. All the shortlisted authors, however, can already consider themselves successful, for their books were selected from among a great number of valuable publications.

The authors of the best books in the first two categories will be awarded PLN 46,850 gross, while the winner of the special prize will be awarded PLN 45,000 gross. All the authors will receive a commemorative statuette. In each of the three categories, honorary mentions may also be conferred, accompanied by an award of PLN 5,000 gross. The awards will be presented during a gala ceremony in December 2025.

CATEGORY Academic History Book

Michał Bilewicz, Traumaland. Polacy w cieniu przeszłości, Wydawnictwo MANDO / Wydawnictwo WAM

Eternally disgruntled, apprehensive, and distrustful of one another, and yet surprisingly united in times of crisis – such are the citizens of the Traumaland. The author explains how difficult history and collective trauma affect the thinking of contemporary Poles, and points to behavior patterns that we have “inherited” from our ancestors.

Dr hab. Michał Bilewicz, Professor at the University of Warsaw, heads the Center for Research on Prejudice at the university’s Faculty of Psychology. His research interests include psychological mechanisms of reconciliation, collective memory, trauma, and prejudice.

Tomasz Ceran, Zbrodnia pomorska 1939. Początek ludobójstwa niemieckiego w okupowanej Polsce, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej

The book recounts the extermination of the Polish and Jewish civilian populace in Pomerania in the first months of the German occupation. Drawing in part on previously unused materials from the Central Office of the State Justice Administrations for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes in Ludwigsburg, the author analyzes the causes, development and consequences of the crime, while also evoking Raphael Lemkin’s concept of genocide.

Dr hab. Tomasz Ceran works at the Bydgoszcz Branch of the Institute of National Remembrance. His research focuses on the history of ideas, the theory of totalitarianism, genocide studies and the German occupation of Gdańsk Pomerania and Kuyavia.

Piotr M. Majewski, Brzydkie słowo na „k”. Rzecz o kolaboracji, Wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej

The book raises questions about the motives behind collaboration and the interpretations of this phenomenon, which arouses such strong public feelings. Analyzing various circumstances and forms of collaboration with the occupiers, the author demonstrates how the moral assessment of particular cases from Poland and Europe can change in a given historical context.

Dr hab. Piotr M. Majewski, Professor at the University of Warsaw, where he teaches at the Faculty of History. He specializes in the history of Eastern and Central Europe in the 20th century, with a particular focus on the history of Czechoslovakia and Czech-German relations.

Dariusz Węgrzyn, „Internirung”. Deportacja mieszkańców Górnego Śląska do ZSRS na tle wywózek niemieckiej ludności cywilnej z terenu Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej do sowieckich łagrów pod koniec II wojny światowej, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej

Toward the end of the Second World War, thousands of residents of Upper Silesia were deported to the USSR. Dariusz Węgrzyn depicts the tragic fates of the deportees – “living reparations” – who, as part of the policy of collective responsibility, had to work in the Soviet labor camps as a form of compensation for damage caused by the German troops during the war.

Dr. Dariusz Węgrzyn works at the Silesian Freedom and Solidarity Centre in Katowice. He studies contemporary history, with a particular focus on the postwar history of Upper Silesia.

Rafał Wnuk, Sławomir Poleszak, Niezłomni czy realiści? Polskie podziemie antykomunistyczne bez patosu, Wydawnictwo Literackie

In 1945, several thousand people fought with weapons in hand as part of the underground anticommunist movement. Were they idealists or madmen, patriots or hooligans? The authors avoid sweeping generalizations and clear-cut judgments. Citing the often fascinating stories of individual partisans, they debunk the myth that the underground was united.

Prof. dr hab. Rafał Wnuk is a museologist, political scientist and historian affiliated with the Catholic University of Lublin. His research focuses on cultural memory and the anti-Soviet and anti-German resistance in 20th-century Europe.

Dr. Sławomir Poleszak works at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Central Europe in Lublin and the Military Historical Bureau. He specializes in the history of the Polish anticommunist underground.
 

CATEGORY Historical Reportage

Patrycja Dołowy, Pęknięte lustro. Próba portretu Adama Czerniakowa, Wydawnictwo Filtry

The book’s protagonist took his life during the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto. The suicide of the head of the Jewish Council, like the rest of his actions, was met with mixed reactions: some lauded it as a heroic act of defiance, while others condemned it as cowardice. The author explores Czerniaków’s motives and judgment, emphasizing his internal conflict between Polish and Jewish identity.

Dr. Patrycja Dołowy is a writer, visual artist, social activist, and promoter of arts and sciences. She teaches at the Artes Liberales Faculty of the University of Warsaw. She specializes in the study of memory and identity.

Grzegorz Gauden, Polska sprawa Dreyfusa. Kto próbował zabić prezydenta, Wydawnictwo Agora

This political thriller-cum-courtroom drama-cum-social tragedy tells the story of the assassination attempt on Stanisław Wojciechowski, the President of the Republic of Poland. Although Ukrainian nationalists confessed to the attack, it was Stanisław Steiger, a Jewish student, who was brought before the court. Taking a closer look at the case, the author exposes not only numerous errors and forgeries of the investigators, but also the underlying antisemitism.

Grzegorz Gauden is a press and radio journalist by profession and a lawyer and economist by education. He was active in the opposition during the Polish People’s Republic, and he spent the years 1984–1993 in exile in Sweden. Following his return to the country, he became involved in the media industry.

Emil Marat, Bratny. Hamlet rozstrzelany, Wydawnictwo Czarne

The author of Kolumbowie. Rocznik 20, a book that has shaped the collective memory of the Warsaw Uprising among several generations of Poles, is rightfully dubbed “the Polish Hemingway”. A notorious womanizer and a troubled father, he had both conflicted feelings and conflicted views. The biography of Roman Bratny takes a closer look at his complex personality, while also exploring his legacy in Polish culture.

Emil Marat is a journalist and a non-fiction author. Bratny. Hamlet rozstrzelany is the final book in his trilogy about the protagonists of the Kolumbowie. Rocznik 20 novel, after Made in Poland (co-written with Michał Wójcik) and Sen Kolumba.

Michał Przeperski, Dziki Wschód. Transformacja po polsku 1986–1993, Wydawnictwo Literackie

Peculiar and chaotic, but also fascinating – such is the image of Poland in Michał Przeperski’s book. The author looks beyond the sentimentality surrounding the turn of the 1990s to portray society in a time of political transformation. Dziki Wschód is also a roman à clef of sorts: without knowledge of the realities of the time, it is difficult to understand the present political and social situation.

Dr. Michał Przeperski is an employee of the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences and a spokesperson for the Polish History Museum. He specializes in the history of Central Europe in the 20th century, with a particular focus on political and social transformations.

 

CATEGORY Special Prize

Maria Buko, Drugie pokolenie obozowe. Pamięć i doświadczenie potomków polskich więźniów niemieckich nazistowskich obozów koncentracyjnych, Wydawnictwo Naukowe UMK

The Second World War finds an echo not only in the memoirs of its witnesses or in political disputes. The harrowing experiences of people who survived the German totalitarian hell marked the lives of their children – the second camp generation. The book presents the author’s findings from extensive research on transgenerational trauma, while also giving sympathetic expression to everyday life stamped with pain.

Dr. Maria Buko is a social scientist, historian, documentarian, and oral history researcher. She studies autobiographical, intergenerational and collective memory, as well as its social and historical contexts.

Maksym Eristavi, Russian Colonialism 101. How to Occupy a Neighbor and Get Away with It. An Illustrated Guide, IST Publishing

Just before Russia’s attack, the Ukrainian journalist went online to publish a list of Russian invasions in recent decades. His post immediately went viral. In cooperation with other Ukrainian artists, the author transformed it into an illustrated “guide to Russian invasions”, hoping to bring public attention to the aggressor’s pattern of behavior and long-standing impunity.

Maksym Eristavi is a journalist, podcaster and author of multimedia educational projects. His works combine investigative journalism with storytelling to expose Russia’s imperial politics.

Serhii Plokhy, Rosja–Ukraina. Największe starcie XXI wieku, Wydawnictwo Znak Horyzont

The book reconstructs the Russian invasion of Ukraine, combining the description of military action with an analysis of political processes taking place in the shadow of war. The conflict itself is not examined solely in terms of current events: the author argues that Russia’s attack stems from historical and social tensions dating back to the final years of the tsarist regime.

Prof. Serhii Plokhy serves as the Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. His research interests include Russian imperialism, the Cold War, and the history of post-Soviet states. In the United States, he is widely recognized as an expert on the 20th-century history of Ukraine, Russia, and Eastern Europe.

 

THE WINNERS OF PREVIOUS EDITIONS

In the previous edition, the Pilecki Award was presented to Grzegorz Hryciuk for his book Przesiedleńcy. Wielka epopeja Polaków 1944–1946. In the historical reportage category, the award went to Kalina Błażejowska for Bezduszni. Zapomniana zagłada chorych. The special prize was awarded to Christopher Miller for his book The War Came To Us: Life and Death in Ukraine. 

In 2023, the Pilecki Award was presented to Agnieszka Witkowska-Krych for her book Dziecko wobec Zagłady. Instytucjonalna opieka nad sierotami w getcie warszawskim and to Bartłomiej Noszczak for his book Orient zesłańców. Bliski Wschód w oczach Polaków ewakuowanych ze Związku Sowieckiego (1942–1945). The prize for war correspondents was awarded to Zbigniew Parafianowicz for Śniadanie pachnie trupem. Ukraina na wojnie.

In 2022, the winners of the second edition were Niemiecki zbrodniarz przed polskim sądem. Krakowskie procesy przed Najwyższym Trybunałem Narodowym by Dr. Joanna Lubecka (academic history book) and Wielka gra majora Żychonia. As wywiadu kontra Rzesza by Andrzej Brzeziecki (historical reportage). The special prize was awarded to Tomaš Forró for Apartament w hotelu wojna. Reportaż z Donbasu.

In 2021, the Pilecki Award was presented to Filip Gańczak for his book Jan Sehn. Tropiciel nazistów and to Christina Lamb for her famous work Our Bodies, Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women (in 2023, the book was published in Polish as Nasze ciała, ich pole bitwy).

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