An interview with a Szczecin writer, Sylwia Trojanowska.
Sylwia Trojanowska is a writer, theatre artist, coach and business trainer. Actively works for women empowerment. She is an ambassador of the "Many reasons to live" campaign, aimed at promoting preventive cervical smear tests, and a member of the "Business Magnolias" chapter, recognising exceptional women from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. She made her debut in 2015 with the novel "Szkoła Latania".
Interview with Sylwia Trojanowska | Author: Monika Gapińska
Perhaps the Lentz Villa will appear in her novel!
Monika Gapińska – Probably, you've recently been absorbed by pre-war, wartime and immediate postwar history, haven't you? Because both the latest novel, "Łabędź" and the trilogy about Ludwik Starkowski, refer to this period.
Sylwia Trojanowska – Novels with history in the background have always been my favourites. When I started writing myself, I knew that I would write in this genre in the future. My fifth novel, "Sekrety i Kłamstwa", from 2018, started this creative adventure. "Swan" is already the fourth novel with history in the background, but I know that it is not the last one. I am planning to write a few more.
M.G. – Walking along the streets of Szczecin and looking at post-German tenement houses or such buildings as the Lentz Villa, do you come up with ideas for plots located in the German Stettin?
S.T. – Yes, of course. The architecture of our city is a great inspiration for me. I like to look at the facades of tenement houses and look for past traces. The restored objects are captivating, and I am glad that there are more and more of them in Szczecin. But, to be honest, the most attractive and inspiring ones show the passage of time.
M.G. – Maybe the Lentz Villa or its vicinity will appear in your novels one day?
S.T. Honestly, it's very, very… likely.
M.G. – In the new novel, Polish Szczecin and German Stettin appear, but the central part of the book takes place in Fordon. Where did the idea for this place come from? Although I guess there will be a bit more of Szczecin and Stettin in the second part of the book. Please, reveal this secret!
S.T. – Fordon showed up unexpectedly. On the map of Poland, I was looking for the birthplace of the main character, Ania Łabędź. When I came across the name "Fordon", I felt this "something" that made me end my search. Then I started reading about Fordon, going through postcards and photos of the old Fordon, and I knew I had made the right choice. Szczecin, or rather Stettin, will dominate the sequel to "Łabędź", but I cannot reveal more.
M.G. – You found the name and surname of the book's main character in the memories of the first Polish president of Szczecin, didn't you?
S.T. – Yes, it's a fantastic story. However, I have the impression that my writing is full of these unusual occurrences (laughs). I came across a woman named Anna Łabędź while reading Piotr Zaremba's diaries. I was preparing my research for "Sekrety i Kłamstwa", and then I decided that when I was writing another novel with history in the background, I would bring a heroine to life with this name and surname. And that's what happened.
M.G. – "Łabędź" has recently appeared in bookshops, and I am looking forward to its continuation. Is the second part ready? Will it be released this year?
S.T. – I am in the process of writing it, and its premiere is scheduled for fall this year, so really soon.
***
1938, Fordon near Bydgoszcz. The young Anna Łabędź is getting ready to start studying at the nursing school in Warsaw. The girl has ambitious plans and is determined to fight for her dreams, so she works in a cafe to earn money to begin a new phase of her life. It is how the novel entitled "Łabędź" begins. The book is a thrilling forbidden love of a Polish woman and a German man in pre-war times and World War II.
Sylwia Trojanowska – Novels with history in the background have always been my favourites. When I started writing myself, I knew that I would write in this genre in the future. My fifth novel, "Sekrety i Kłamstwa", from 2018, started this creative adventure. "Swan" is already the fourth novel with history in the background, but I know that it is not the last one. I am planning to write a few more.
M.G. – Walking along the streets of Szczecin and looking at post-German tenement houses or such buildings as the Lentz Villa, do you come up with ideas for plots located in the German Stettin?
S.T. – Yes, of course. The architecture of our city is a great inspiration for me. I like to look at the facades of tenement houses and look for past traces. The restored objects are captivating, and I am glad that there are more and more of them in Szczecin. But, to be honest, the most attractive and inspiring ones show the passage of time.
M.G. – Maybe the Lentz Villa or its vicinity will appear in your novels one day?
S.T. Honestly, it's very, very… likely.
M.G. – In the new novel, Polish Szczecin and German Stettin appear, but the central part of the book takes place in Fordon. Where did the idea for this place come from? Although I guess there will be a bit more of Szczecin and Stettin in the second part of the book. Please, reveal this secret!
S.T. – Fordon showed up unexpectedly. On the map of Poland, I was looking for the birthplace of the main character, Ania Łabędź. When I came across the name "Fordon", I felt this "something" that made me end my search. Then I started reading about Fordon, going through postcards and photos of the old Fordon, and I knew I had made the right choice. Szczecin, or rather Stettin, will dominate the sequel to "Łabędź", but I cannot reveal more.
M.G. – You found the name and surname of the book's main character in the memories of the first Polish president of Szczecin, didn't you?
S.T. – Yes, it's a fantastic story. However, I have the impression that my writing is full of these unusual occurrences (laughs). I came across a woman named Anna Łabędź while reading Piotr Zaremba's diaries. I was preparing my research for "Sekrety i Kłamstwa", and then I decided that when I was writing another novel with history in the background, I would bring a heroine to life with this name and surname. And that's what happened.
M.G. – "Łabędź" has recently appeared in bookshops, and I am looking forward to its continuation. Is the second part ready? Will it be released this year?
S.T. – I am in the process of writing it, and its premiere is scheduled for fall this year, so really soon.
***
1938, Fordon near Bydgoszcz. The young Anna Łabędź is getting ready to start studying at the nursing school in Warsaw. The girl has ambitious plans and is determined to fight for her dreams, so she works in a cafe to earn money to begin a new phase of her life. It is how the novel entitled "Łabędź" begins. The book is a thrilling forbidden love of a Polish woman and a German man in pre-war times and World War II.
