The Empusium
ABOUT
THE BOOK
In September 1913, a young Pole suffering from tuberculosis arrives at Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen. Every evening the residents gather to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur and debate the great issues of the day. Meanwhile, disturbing things are happening in the guesthouse and the surrounding hills. Someone – or something – seems to be watching, attempting to infiltrate this cloistered world. Little does the newcomer realize that they have already chosen their next target. A century after the publication of The Magic Mountain, Olga Tokarczuk revisits Thomas Mann territory and lays claim to it, blending horror story, comedy, folklore and feminist parable with brilliant storytelling.
Original title in Polish Empuzjon, published by Wydawnictwo Literackie (2022)
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Antonia
Lloyd-Jones
Antonia Lloyd-Jones has translated works by many of Poland’s leading contemporary novelists and reportage authors, as well as crime fiction, poetry and children’s books. Her translation of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk was shortlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize.
Antonia Lloyd-Jones has translated works by many of Poland’s leading contemporary novelists and reportage authors, as well as crime fiction, poetry and children’s books. Her translation of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk was shortlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
Originally written in Polish, Olga Tokarczuk’s “The Empusium” is a literary horror novel with a historical and philosophical twist, that explores themes such as misogyny, violence, and the nature of reality, within a gothic and philosophical setting. It was included on the list of essential translated books in 2024. It has been translated in 25 languages: Romanian, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Turkish, Portuguese, Serbian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Greek, Finnish, Swedish, Estonian, Czech, Danish, Slovenian, Slovak, Persian, Spanish, French, Georgian, Italian, Hebrew, Croatian,
It won some literary prizes: Janusz A. Zajdel Award Nominee for Novel (2023), Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award for Gold Distinction (2023), Europese Literatuurprijs (2024), Metų verstinė knyga Nominee for Fiction (2023).The author won the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018.
The Romanian translation was selected on the 2025 list of books for the ”Battle of the Books” Reading Club for Adults, the 11th edition, organized yearly by Cluj County Library. (”Octavian Goga” Cluj County Library)