Andrzej Ziemiański, also known as Patrick Shoughnessy, is a Polish author of fantasy, science fiction, thriller and crime, who by 2012 have sold over 500,000 copies of his books. Ziemiański was educated as an architect and he holds a PhD in architecture. Ziemiański is best known for his epic fantasy/sci-fi series Achaia. His Achaia series was deemed to be one of the most important novels in modern Polish fantasy and it was called by Science Fiction magazinea series, which started a new era. Ziemiański fashioned a world that transgressed the border between life and fiction. The main protagonist of the series, Achaia, became synonymous with a certain type of female character and numerous readers identified with her. The novel entered Polish fantasy canon, and the author became one of the most recognizable brands in the Polish publishing market. His novels and short stories often top bestseller lists and popularity rankings. The author has been called the creator of "Polish urban fantasy" genre.
Biography
Andrzej Ziemiański was born in Wrocław, Poland, where he grew up and settled. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at Wroclaw University of Technology in 1983. Subsequently, he worked as a fellow researcher and professor in various institutions. In 1992, he acquired a PhD in technical sciences. Ziemiański started publishing short stories and novels in 1978, at first in the sci-fi genre. However, his focus gradually changed and he wrote a mainstream novel Miecz Orientu, which was published in episodes in the prestigious Twórczość magazine. The novel was later published as a whole in 2006. During that time, Ziemiański would also publish using a pen name Patrick Shoughnessy. Subsequently, the author withdrew from having his work published and remained silent for a decade. Ziemiański returned to writing at the turn of the century instantly gaining fame and raising controversy. He quickly became one of the most prominent Polish writers. His short stories, such as Bomba Heisenberga, Autobahn nach Poznań or Zapach szkła, would win first prize in popularity polls among readers, and two of them won Janusz A. Zajdel Award. At the 2002 Sfinks Awards, four various Ziemiański’s short stories won subsequently: seventh, third, second and first prize. During that time, the first part of Achaia trilogy was published and it quickly became the bestselling book at the main Polish chain bookstore, Empik. The trilogy strengthened the author's position by settling into the Polish canon of fantasy genre. The following Achaia volumes would top bestseller lists. Ziemiański's other novels were also well-received leading publishers' books rankings. From 2010, Ziemiański writes a blog regarding railways, which was awarded the first prize by the Social Media, Poland, in the category of Corporate Blog. Since 2010, the author teaches Creative Writing at the Faculty of Journalism at University of Wroclaw. Ziemiański's novels and short stories were translated into Czech, Slovak and Russian language.
Reception of ''Achaia''
Achaia has become a symbol among Polish readers. Fashion collections, songs, music and even house pets have been named after the novel's main protagonist. Since the changes in law regarding the protection of personal data, every student must choose a nickname in order to use the computer system. The name Achaia has been so popular among students that subsequent numbers had to be assigned to them.
