Dorota Masłowska

Dorota Masłowska was born in Wejherowo, Poland, in 1983. Whilst preparing for her A-levels, she wrote her debut novel Snow White and Russian Red (2002; published in Germany in 2004) in the space of a month; it became a bestseller and has now been translated into over twenty languages. The novel centres on the sensitive and rebellious anti-hero Andrzej, known as “The Strong One”, and breaks with the conventional comfort of the coming-of-age genre. Following his break-up with his girlfriend Magda, the protagonist drifts through dreary, nameless small towns. His drug use fuels the nationalist hatred that threatens to erupt into a Polish-Russian war. After completing her A-levels, Masłowska began studying psychology in Gdańsk, but soon moved to Warsaw to study cultural studies. Her second novel, Die Reiherkönigin: Ein Rap (2005; published in Germany in 2007), laments the burdens of early success and the cultural scene, which is populated by self-centred opportunists. Both works have been adapted for the stage and performed in Gdańsk, Szczecin, Warsaw, Kraków and Łódź. Masłowska’s latest novel, Im Paradies, was published in Germany in January 2026 and describes the diverging realities within society, in a world full of pretence and loneliness.

The author has been awarded, amongst others, the Polityka Prize (2002), the German Youth Literature Prize (2005), the Polish Nike Literary Prize (2006) and the Polish Paszport Polityki Culture Prize (2023) in the ‘Cultural Figures’ category.

Snow White and Russian Red
Cologne, 2004
(Translation: Olaf Kühl)

Die Reiherkönigin
Cologne, 2007
(Translation: Olaf Kühl)

Andere Leute
Berlin, 2019
(Translation: Olaf Kühl)

Bowie in Warschau
Berlin, 2022
(Translation: Olaf Kühl)

Im Paradies
Berlin, 2026
(Translation: Olaf Kühl)