Katarzyna Surmiak-Domańska

A non-fiction writer with a degree in Romance studies. She works as an independent author as well as a reporter for Gazeta Wyborcza. She is also a tutor and lecturer at the Polish School of Reportage, a juror of the R. Kapuściński Award for Literary Reportage, a member of the Polish PEN Club, and of the Literary Union.

In her books, she addresses themes such as violence, victimhood, racism, misogyny, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Her works have been translated into Czech, Slovak, Serbian, and German.

In her latest book, „The Cleansing”, the author examines the Volhynian-Galician massacre of 1943-44, in which her own family suffered. Through this example, she demonstrates how trauma can be transmitted across generations through silence.

In September, her new book on the transmission of war trauma will be published. This time, Surmiak-Domańska includes the voices of other representatives of Generation X, Y, and Z, who share how the trauma of the Second World War has continued to shape their families.

The author also investigates why the estimated rates of probable PTSD in Poland are much higher than in other countries.