Olga Tokarczuk Foundation

Olga Tokarczuk Foundation was established in 2020 in Wrocław – on 27 March to be exact, when our Founder signed the founding act and described the values, plans and goals of the organization.

We are an independent non-governmental organization, aiming to support and promote Polish and world culture and art in Poland and abroad, as well as to promote and support the broadly understood protection of human rights, democracy, civil society, civil liberties, to counteract discrimination, support women’s rights, and promote and support wide-ranging development of Poland, and in particular of Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Lubusz Land, as well as Wałbrzych and Kłodzko districts.

The activity of Olga Tokarczuk Foundation

We support translators – we are well aware that they are particularly important ambassadors of Polish culture abroad – and that is why in September 2022, we organize the first World Congress of Olga Tokarczuk’s Translators. The event will be filled with debates devoted to translation issues, and – most of all – it will be an opportunity to meet people of letters who made it possible to read Olga Tokarczuk in over 40 languages.

We are devoted to issues of ecology, in particular related to environmental protection and animal rights, and implemented in the #zezwierzęcej [animal perspective] project, as well as discussed during many meetings. The #zezwierzęcej debates draw extensively on animal studies, they allow to change one’s point of view and encourage to abandon the comfortable ignorance regarding the exploitation of animals and nature.

We promote and build the idea of a democratic society without barriers and prejudices, in which freedom of speech is valued, as well as free exchange of ideas. We fight for equality in every domain of life, we oppose discrimination, especially discrimination in regard to sexual identity and orientation. We conduct charity work – last year we organized an “Auction of Mutilated Books”, thanks to which we collected over forty thousand PLN and donated it to other non-governmental organizations fighting for LGBT+ people.

In 2021, we began a cooperation with the University of Wrocław – we established the Olga Tokarczuk Ex-Center. Academic Research Centre. It is an opportunity to actively support academic and educational activity, as we do also thanks to the “How to Get a Nobel Prize” competition as well as the Tymoteusz Karpowicz Literary Review National Competition, which culminates each year during the widely popular Mountains of Literature Festival.

In the near future, we plan to organize scholarships and residency stays for artists – to allow our guests to get to know and get inspired by not only Wrocław, but also by the entire Lower Silesia.

The Council of Olga Tokarczuk Foundation

When Olga Tokarczuk Foundation was established, the Programme Council consisted of Olga Tokarczuk, Agnieszka Holland and Irek Grin. The Board was formed by Grzegorz Zygadło, Izabella Kaluta and Zbyszko Fingas.

Currently, the Council consists of four people: Olga Tokarczuk, Agnieszka Holland, Irek Grin and Zbyszko Fingas. Grzegorz Zygadło is on the Board.

fot. Edyta Dufaj

The Team of Olga Tokarczuk Foundation

Our team – apart from the Council and the Board – consists of four people: Jana Karpienko, Olga Tokarczuk’s assistant, Jagoda Borys, Marlena Mazur and Michalina Dzierżęga. We often cooperate with Agnieszka Orłowska, Ewa Dąbrowska and Wioletta Maciejewska, as well as Rafał Komorowski, Piotr Pflegel, Maks Pflegel and Jarek Mizera.

Od lewej: Jagoda Borys, Michalina Dzierżęga, Marlena Mazur, Olga Tokarczuk, Jana Karpienko. Fot. Piotr Pflegel
Od lewej: Beata Maciejewska, Michalina Dzierżęga, Ewa Dąbrowska, Jana Karpienko, Olga Tokarczuk, Marlena Mazur, Jagoda Borys, Agnieszka Orłowska. Fot. Piotr Pflegel

Manifesto

The Olga Tokarczuk Foundation is being established in turbulent and surprising times, when reality is changing before our eyes: the well-known signposts and permanent landmarks are disappearing, however other perspectives and possibilities are opening up. New ideas and thoughts are needed.

We want to create a space for international conversation about the coming years; a place to combine those areas and energy of life that seem to be independent and distant from each other. We will support such cultural, artistic, scientific and civic initiatives that show different points of view, look for new ideas for social life, and create pioneering solutions.

What is particularly important for the Founder is the openness of thinking and acting, therefore our cultural policy is inseparably connected with the principles of democracy, freedom of speech, free exchange of thoughts and social solidarity. Culture cannot be subject to political pressure and censorship.

There is no society, culture, politics, and science without women. The activities of the Foundation will always take this into account, broadly supporting the activity of women and taking care of parities.

It is impossible to look at man in isolation from the environment and its mutual relations with other living creatures. That is why we care so much about the rights of animals as well as their cultural presence in human life.

We believe in the free exchange of thoughts and inspirations. We believe in the power of literature.

We invent a new world.