Twardoch completed his education in
sociology at the Interdepartmental Individual Studies in the Humanities of
University of Silesia in Katowice. As an independent journalist, Twardoch's work has appeared in various publications including
Gazeta Wyborcza, and
Rzeczpospolita. He served as the editor of the literary section for the bimonthly magazine
Christianitas and has been a regular columnist for
Polityka and
Wysokie Obcasy Extra. Twardoch's literary career is marked by several accolades. His short story
The Madness of Rotmistrz von Egern was a contender for the
Nautilus Prize in 2003, securing fourth place. He won the Nautilus for the best short story of 2006 with
Rondo, and in 2008, his
Epiphany of Vicar Trzaska earned the Silver Award of the
Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award. His novel
Wieczny Grunwald received the Distinction of the Józef Mackiewicz Award in 2011. The following year, he was nominated for the
Gdynia Literary Prize for his collection
Tak jest dobrze. His novel
Morphine won him the
Polityka's Passport for 2012 but was also a finalist for the 2013
Nike Literary Award and received further nominations that year. In 2014, Twardoch published
Drach, which was shortlisted for the 2015 Nike Literary Award and won the 2016 German
Brücke Berlin Literary Prize. The
Koscielski Foundation Prize was awarded to him in 2015. He received the top prize in the "O!lśnienie 2016" poll in the Literature category, organized by
Onet.pl in April 2017. His novel
King was nominated for the 2017 Gdynia Literary Prize. In 2019, he was the recipient of the
Samuel Bogumil Linde Prize. Noteworthy is the adaptation of Twardoch's work into plays and television, including the 2018 stage premiere of
King, directed by
Monika Strzępka, and the series
The King of Warsaw produced for
Canal+ in 2019, in which Twardoch made a cameo appearance. Other adaptations include
Drach,
Pokora, and
Bull, directed by
Robert Talarczyk. In February 2022, he was honored with the
Kazimierz Kutz Award, and in November 2023, Twardoch received the
Planet Lem Award for his innovative thinking about reality, celebrated alongside surpassing one million copies of his books sold. Szczepan Twardoch's books, which include paper books, ebooks, and audio files, have collectively surpassed one million sales, with
Król being his most popular novel. His work
Drach has been translated into
Silesian. He lives in
Pilchowice in
Upper Silesia. == Publications ==