{"id":19077,"date":"2026-03-06T14:50:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/?p=19077"},"modified":"2026-03-18T11:47:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T10:47:56","slug":"brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Brussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

We invite fans of the still little-known genre of space crime fiction to the Brussels Book Fair 2026, where Polish author\u00a0Jakub Szama\u0142ek<\/strong>, nominated for\u00a0Le Point<\/em>\u2019s European Crime Fiction Prize, will present his novel\u00a0\u201cLa Station\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(2025, M\u00e9taili\u00e9).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>Jakub Szama\u0142ek<\/strong> is a Polish crime writer and a Cambridge graduate. He is also a video game writer on titles such as\u00a0The Witcher<\/em>,\u00a0Cyberpunk 2077<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Blood of Dawnwalker<\/em>, and serves as\u00a0Narrative Director<\/strong>\u00a0at the Rebel Wolves studio. He is the author of two acclaimed trilogies: the\u00a0Athenian trilogy<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0Darknet trilogy<\/strong>, which explores the threats posed by the internet and new technologies. The latter has been translated into French by\u00a0Kamil Barbarski<\/strong>\u00a0and published by \u00c9ditions M\u00e9taili\u00e9:\u00a0Tu ne sais rien<\/em>\u00a0(Kimkolwiek jeste\u015b<\/em>),\u00a0Quelqu\u2019un te regarde<\/em>\u00a0(Cokolwiek wybierzesz<\/em>), and\u00a0Tout ce que tu veux<\/em>\u00a0(Co zasiejesz, to zbierzesz<\/em>). For this trilogy, Szama\u0142ek and Barbarski received the\u00a02024 European Crime Fiction Prize \u2013 High School Jury<\/strong>, and Jakub Szama\u0142ek was named among\u00a0Eastern and Central Europe\u2019s Young Leaders (New Europe 100)<\/strong>\u00a0by the Res Publica Foundation.<\/p>\n


Follow the author:
Website:\u00a0www.jakubszamalek.com<\/span><\/a>
Instagram (publisher): @editionsmetailie\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kamil Barbarski<\/strong> is a translator of Polish literature, as well as a writer and illustrator of Polish origin living in Paris. Born in Poland, he emigrated to France with his family at the age of 12. He studied microelectronics and worked in the mobile phone industry before devoting himself entirely to writing and translation in 2011. Barbarski has translated four novels by Szama\u0142ek, as well as works by other Polish authors across various genres, including\u00a0Zygmunt Mi\u0142oszewski, Szczepan Twardoch, Wojciech Tochman<\/strong>, and\u00a0Jakub \u017bulczyk<\/strong>. He teaches translation at\u00a0INALCO (National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations)<\/strong>\u00a0in Paris.\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Nathalie Clautier<\/strong><\/p>\n

Author of the blog\u00a0\u201cMes Lectures du Dimanche\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(since 2017), where she shares her passion for crime fiction. She also collaborates with the podcast\u00a0Un certain go\u00fbt pour le noir<\/strong>\u00a0(Club Sang \u2013 BePolar)

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cLa Station<\/strong>\u201d, grounded in rigorous scientific research, is a gripping tech thriller. The action unfolds 400 km above the Earth, on the International Space Station (ISS). Six people \u2013 four Americans and two Russians \u2013 are confined in a \u201csteel tube the size of a bus\u201d. Amid the screens, cables, and scientific equipment, where routine tasks \u2013 experiments, repairs, cleaning \u2013 structure daily life, one incident quickly spirals out of control.<\/p>\n

Tensions rise between Russians and Americans, with the Chinese looming in the background. Personal ambition, rivalry, and politics threaten their shared survival. After a solar flare, an ammonia leak could destroy the station. Accident or sabotage?<\/p>\n

Balancing a criminal investigation and looming catastrophe, Jakub Szama\u0142ek crafts a tightly controlled narrative of great psychological depth and sharp political resonance.<\/p>\n

Jakub Szama\u0142ek on the book:<\/strong>
\u201cAs a Pole educated in the United Kingdom and now living in Canada, I believe I have a unique and insightful perspective on the recent history of Russian\u2013American relations. With\u00a0La Station, I wanted to create a novel that is both captivating and suspenseful, while also offering a deeper reflection on the politics and ethics of space exploration.<\/em><\/p>\n

The International Space Station has fascinated me for years: a claustrophobic cluster of modules launched into orbit, where American and Russian crews must cooperate day after day in order to survive. I kept wondering: what would happen if the trust underpinning this partnership completely collapsed? At four hundred and eight kilometres above the Earth, no one can come to help you”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Intense and relentless,\u00a0La Station<\/em>\u00a0questions what truly draws us to the stars: the desire to explore the unknown, selfish ambition, or the instinct to flee the problems rooted on Earth?<\/p>\n

This rich and multifaceted novel, slightly alternate-history in tone, is a breathless space-set closed-room drama, an exhausting psychological thriller, a well-documented scientific essay on the ISS, a thoughtful reflection on today\u2019s geopolitical stakes, and a committed work of fiction that remains a sheer pleasure to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full review (in French): https:\/\/les-lectures-du-maki.blogspot.com\/2025\/10\/la-station-jakub-szamalek.html<\/span><\/a>\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n

Watch the video prepared by the publisher: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DPEkaU_DjJL<\/span><\/a>\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n

The book is also available in English, translated by\u00a0Kasia Beresford<\/strong>.

\"\"
Meetings with Jakub Szama\u0142ek and translator Kamil Barbarski
at the 2026 Brussels Book Fair:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday 29 March<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

AUTHOR’S TALK:

<\/strong>14:00 \u2013 14:55 \u2013 Peace Tested by International Rivalries<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>
with Jakub Szama\u0142ek and Kamil Barbarski
in conversation with Nathalie Clautier
Place \u00e0 l\u2019Europe stage, Gare Maritime\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n

SIGNING SESSIONS:
<\/strong>
15:00 \u2013 16:00 \u2013 Libraire Europ\u00e9enne stand, Gare Maritime
16:15 \u2013 18:00 \u2013 M\u00e9dias Diffusion (Belgium)
stand, Hall 1, no. 101\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n

Free entry. Registration recommended.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/span>Brussels Book Fair
26\u201329 March 2026 from 10h to 19h<\/span>
(Friday, 27 March from 10h to 21)<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
Tour & Taxis<\/strong>, Avenue du Port 86C, Brussels
Free entry<\/strong><\/p>\n



\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We invite fans of the still little-known genre of space crime fiction to the Brussels Book Fair 2026, where Polish author\u00a0Jakub Szama\u0142ek, nominated for\u00a0Le Point\u2019s European Crime Fiction Prize, will present his novel\u00a0\u201cLa Station\u201d\u00a0(2025, M\u00e9taili\u00e9). Jakub Szama\u0142ek is a Polish crime writer and a Cambridge graduate. He is also a video game writer on titles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":227,"featured_media":19282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-literature","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBrussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb - Instytut Polski w Brukseli<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"pl_PL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb - Instytut Polski w Brukseli\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We invite fans of the still little-known genre of space crime fiction to the Brussels Book Fair 2026, where Polish author\u00a0Jakub Szama\u0142ek, nominated for\u00a0Le Point\u2019s European Crime Fiction Prize, will present his novel\u00a0\u201cLa Station\u201d\u00a0(2025, M\u00e9taili\u00e9). 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He is also a video game writer on titles […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Instytut Polski w Brukseli\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-06T13:50:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-18T10:47:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"missonea\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Napisane przez\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"missonea\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Szacowany czas czytania\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minut\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"event\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/\",\"name\":\"Brussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":[\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png\",\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2-300x169.png\",\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2-1024x576.png\",\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png\"],\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-06T13:50:04+02:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-18T10:47:56+02:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#\/schema\/person\/f41db53be78e91d342f7df407326d8f7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"pl-PL\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/\"]}],\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"startDate\":\"2026-03-29\",\"endDate\":\"2026-03-29\",\"eventStatus\":\"EventScheduled\",\"eventAttendanceMode\":\"OfflineEventAttendanceMode\",\"location\":{\"@type\":\"place\",\"name\":\"\",\"address\":\"\",\"geo\":{\"@type\":\"GeoCoordinates\",\"latitude\":\"\",\"longitude\":\"\"}},\"description\":\"We invite fans of the still little-known genre of space crime fiction to the Brussels Book Fair 2026, where Polish author\u00a0Jakub Szama\u0142ek, nominated for\u00a0Le Point\u2019s European Crime Fiction Prize, will present his novel\u00a0\u201cLa Station\u201d\u00a0(2025, M\u00e9taili\u00e9).\\nJakub Szama\u0142ek is a Polish crime writer and a Cambridge graduate. He is also a video game writer on titles such as\u00a0The Witcher,\u00a0Cyberpunk 2077\u00a0and\u00a0The Blood of Dawnwalker, and serves as\u00a0Narrative Director\u00a0at the Rebel Wolves studio. He is the author of two acclaimed trilogies: the\u00a0Athenian trilogy\u00a0and the\u00a0Darknet trilogy, which explores the threats posed by the internet and new technologies. The latter has been translated into French by\u00a0Kamil Barbarski\u00a0and published by \u00c9ditions M\u00e9taili\u00e9:\u00a0Tu ne sais rien\u00a0(Kimkolwiek jeste\u015b),\u00a0Quelqu\u2019un te regarde\u00a0(Cokolwiek wybierzesz), and\u00a0Tout ce que tu veux\u00a0(Co zasiejesz, to zbierzesz). For this trilogy, Szama\u0142ek and Barbarski received the\u00a02024 European Crime Fiction Prize \u2013 High School Jury, and Jakub Szama\u0142ek was named among\u00a0Eastern and Central Europe\u2019s Young Leaders (New Europe 100)\u00a0by the Res Publica Foundation.\\nFollow the author:Website:\u00a0www.jakubszamalek.comInstagram (publisher): @editionsmetailie\u200b\\n\u00a0\\nKamil Barbarski is a translator of Polish literature, as well as a writer and illustrator of Polish origin living in Paris. Born in Poland, he emigrated to France with his family at the age of 12. He studied microelectronics and worked in the mobile phone industry before devoting himself entirely to writing and translation in 2011. Barbarski has translated four novels by Szama\u0142ek, as well as works by other Polish authors across various genres, including\u00a0Zygmunt Mi\u0142oszewski, Szczepan Twardoch, Wojciech Tochman, and\u00a0Jakub \u017bulczyk. He teaches translation at\u00a0INALCO (National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations)\u00a0in Paris.\u200b\\n\u00a0\\nNathalie Clautier\\nAuthor of the blog\u00a0\u201cMes Lectures du Dimanche\u201d\u00a0(since 2017), where she shares her passion for crime fiction. She also collaborates with the podcast\u00a0Un certain go\u00fbt pour le noir\u00a0(Club Sang \u2013 BePolar)\\n\u201cLa Station\u201d, grounded in rigorous scientific research, is a gripping tech thriller. The action unfolds 400 km above the Earth, on the International Space Station (ISS). Six people \u2013 four Americans and two Russians \u2013 are confined in a \u201csteel tube the size of a bus\u201d. Amid the screens, cables, and scientific equipment, where routine tasks \u2013 experiments, repairs, cleaning \u2013 structure daily life, one incident quickly spirals out of control.\\nTensions rise between Russians and Americans, with the Chinese looming in the background. Personal ambition, rivalry, and politics threaten their shared survival. After a solar flare, an ammonia leak could destroy the station. Accident or sabotage?\\nBalancing a criminal investigation and looming catastrophe, Jakub Szama\u0142ek crafts a tightly controlled narrative of great psychological depth and sharp political resonance.\\nJakub Szama\u0142ek on the book:\u201cAs a Pole educated in the United Kingdom and now living in Canada, I believe I have a unique and insightful perspective on the recent history of Russian\u2013American relations. With\u00a0La Station, I wanted to create a novel that is both captivating and suspenseful, while also offering a deeper reflection on the politics and ethics of space exploration.\\nThe International Space Station has fascinated me for years: a claustrophobic cluster of modules launched into orbit, where American and Russian crews must cooperate day after day in order to survive. I kept wondering: what would happen if the trust underpinning this partnership completely collapsed? At four hundred and eight kilometres above the Earth, no one can come to help you\\\".\\nIntense and relentless,\u00a0La Station\u00a0questions what truly draws us to the stars: the desire to explore the unknown, selfish ambition, or the instinct to flee the problems rooted on Earth?\\nThis rich and multifaceted novel, slightly alternate-history in tone, is a breathless space-set closed-room drama, an exhausting psychological thriller, a well-documented scientific essay on the ISS, a thoughtful reflection on today\u2019s geopolitical stakes, and a committed work of fiction that remains a sheer pleasure to read.\u201d\\nRead the full review (in French): https:\/\/les-lectures-du-maki.blogspot.com\/2025\/10\/la-station-jakub-szamalek.html\u200b\\nWatch the video prepared by the publisher: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DPEkaU_DjJL\u200b\\nThe book is also available in English, translated by\u00a0Kasia Beresford.Meetings with Jakub Szama\u0142ek and translator Kamil Barbarski at the 2026 Brussels Book Fair:\\nSunday 29 March\\nAUTHOR'S TALK:14:00 \u2013 14:55 \u2013 Peace Tested by International Rivalries\u00a0with Jakub Szama\u0142ek and Kamil Barbarskiin conversation with Nathalie ClautierPlace \u00e0 l\u2019Europe stage, Gare Maritime\u200b\\nSIGNING SESSIONS:15:00 \u2013 16:00 \u2013 Libraire Europ\u00e9enne stand, Gare Maritime16:15 \u2013 18:00 \u2013 M\u00e9dias Diffusion (Belgium) stand, Hall 1, no. 101\u200b\\nFree entry. Registration recommended.\\n\u200bBrussels Book Fair26\u201329 March 2026 from 10h to 19h(Friday, 27 March from 10h to 21)Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port 86C, BrusselsFree entry\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"pl-PL\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Brussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/\",\"name\":\"Instytut Polski w Brukseli\",\"description\":\"Instytuty Polskie\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"pl-PL\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#\/schema\/person\/f41db53be78e91d342f7df407326d8f7\",\"name\":\"missonea\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"pl-PL\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a34ccb132d984086e65e1c2c896f1bc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a34ccb132d984086e65e1c2c896f1bc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"missonea\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/author\/missonea\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Brussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb - Instytut Polski w Brukseli","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/","og_locale":"pl_PL","og_type":"article","og_title":"Brussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb - Instytut Polski w Brukseli","og_description":"We invite fans of the still little-known genre of space crime fiction to the Brussels Book Fair 2026, where Polish author\u00a0Jakub Szama\u0142ek, nominated for\u00a0Le Point\u2019s European Crime Fiction Prize, will present his novel\u00a0\u201cLa Station\u201d\u00a0(2025, M\u00e9taili\u00e9). Jakub Szama\u0142ek is a Polish crime writer and a Cambridge graduate. He is also a video game writer on titles […]","og_url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/","og_site_name":"Instytut Polski w Brukseli","article_published_time":"2026-03-06T13:50:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-18T10:47:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"missonea","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Napisane przez":"missonea","Szacowany czas czytania":"7 minut"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"event","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/","url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/","name":"Brussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/#primaryimage"},"image":["https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png","https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2-300x169.png","https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2-1024x576.png","https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png"],"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png","datePublished":"2026-03-06T13:50:04+02:00","dateModified":"2026-03-18T10:47:56+02:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#\/schema\/person\/f41db53be78e91d342f7df407326d8f7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"pl-PL","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/"]}],"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","startDate":"2026-03-29","endDate":"2026-03-29","eventStatus":"EventScheduled","eventAttendanceMode":"OfflineEventAttendanceMode","location":{"@type":"place","name":"","address":"","geo":{"@type":"GeoCoordinates","latitude":"","longitude":""}},"description":"We invite fans of the still little-known genre of space crime fiction to the Brussels Book Fair 2026, where Polish author\u00a0Jakub Szama\u0142ek, nominated for\u00a0Le Point\u2019s European Crime Fiction Prize, will present his novel\u00a0\u201cLa Station\u201d\u00a0(2025, M\u00e9taili\u00e9).\nJakub Szama\u0142ek is a Polish crime writer and a Cambridge graduate. He is also a video game writer on titles such as\u00a0The Witcher,\u00a0Cyberpunk 2077\u00a0and\u00a0The Blood of Dawnwalker, and serves as\u00a0Narrative Director\u00a0at the Rebel Wolves studio. He is the author of two acclaimed trilogies: the\u00a0Athenian trilogy\u00a0and the\u00a0Darknet trilogy, which explores the threats posed by the internet and new technologies. The latter has been translated into French by\u00a0Kamil Barbarski\u00a0and published by \u00c9ditions M\u00e9taili\u00e9:\u00a0Tu ne sais rien\u00a0(Kimkolwiek jeste\u015b),\u00a0Quelqu\u2019un te regarde\u00a0(Cokolwiek wybierzesz), and\u00a0Tout ce que tu veux\u00a0(Co zasiejesz, to zbierzesz). For this trilogy, Szama\u0142ek and Barbarski received the\u00a02024 European Crime Fiction Prize \u2013 High School Jury, and Jakub Szama\u0142ek was named among\u00a0Eastern and Central Europe\u2019s Young Leaders (New Europe 100)\u00a0by the Res Publica Foundation.\nFollow the author:Website:\u00a0www.jakubszamalek.comInstagram (publisher): @editionsmetailie\u200b\n\u00a0\nKamil Barbarski is a translator of Polish literature, as well as a writer and illustrator of Polish origin living in Paris. Born in Poland, he emigrated to France with his family at the age of 12. He studied microelectronics and worked in the mobile phone industry before devoting himself entirely to writing and translation in 2011. Barbarski has translated four novels by Szama\u0142ek, as well as works by other Polish authors across various genres, including\u00a0Zygmunt Mi\u0142oszewski, Szczepan Twardoch, Wojciech Tochman, and\u00a0Jakub \u017bulczyk. He teaches translation at\u00a0INALCO (National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations)\u00a0in Paris.\u200b\n\u00a0\nNathalie Clautier\nAuthor of the blog\u00a0\u201cMes Lectures du Dimanche\u201d\u00a0(since 2017), where she shares her passion for crime fiction. She also collaborates with the podcast\u00a0Un certain go\u00fbt pour le noir\u00a0(Club Sang \u2013 BePolar)\n\u201cLa Station\u201d, grounded in rigorous scientific research, is a gripping tech thriller. The action unfolds 400 km above the Earth, on the International Space Station (ISS). Six people \u2013 four Americans and two Russians \u2013 are confined in a \u201csteel tube the size of a bus\u201d. Amid the screens, cables, and scientific equipment, where routine tasks \u2013 experiments, repairs, cleaning \u2013 structure daily life, one incident quickly spirals out of control.\nTensions rise between Russians and Americans, with the Chinese looming in the background. Personal ambition, rivalry, and politics threaten their shared survival. After a solar flare, an ammonia leak could destroy the station. Accident or sabotage?\nBalancing a criminal investigation and looming catastrophe, Jakub Szama\u0142ek crafts a tightly controlled narrative of great psychological depth and sharp political resonance.\nJakub Szama\u0142ek on the book:\u201cAs a Pole educated in the United Kingdom and now living in Canada, I believe I have a unique and insightful perspective on the recent history of Russian\u2013American relations. With\u00a0La Station, I wanted to create a novel that is both captivating and suspenseful, while also offering a deeper reflection on the politics and ethics of space exploration.\nThe International Space Station has fascinated me for years: a claustrophobic cluster of modules launched into orbit, where American and Russian crews must cooperate day after day in order to survive. I kept wondering: what would happen if the trust underpinning this partnership completely collapsed? At four hundred and eight kilometres above the Earth, no one can come to help you\".\nIntense and relentless,\u00a0La Station\u00a0questions what truly draws us to the stars: the desire to explore the unknown, selfish ambition, or the instinct to flee the problems rooted on Earth?\nThis rich and multifaceted novel, slightly alternate-history in tone, is a breathless space-set closed-room drama, an exhausting psychological thriller, a well-documented scientific essay on the ISS, a thoughtful reflection on today\u2019s geopolitical stakes, and a committed work of fiction that remains a sheer pleasure to read.\u201d\nRead the full review (in French): https:\/\/les-lectures-du-maki.blogspot.com\/2025\/10\/la-station-jakub-szamalek.html\u200b\nWatch the video prepared by the publisher: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DPEkaU_DjJL\u200b\nThe book is also available in English, translated by\u00a0Kasia Beresford.Meetings with Jakub Szama\u0142ek and translator Kamil Barbarski at the 2026 Brussels Book Fair:\nSunday 29 March\nAUTHOR'S TALK:14:00 \u2013 14:55 \u2013 Peace Tested by International Rivalries\u00a0with Jakub Szama\u0142ek and Kamil Barbarskiin conversation with Nathalie ClautierPlace \u00e0 l\u2019Europe stage, Gare Maritime\u200b\nSIGNING SESSIONS:15:00 \u2013 16:00 \u2013 Libraire Europ\u00e9enne stand, Gare Maritime16:15 \u2013 18:00 \u2013 M\u00e9dias Diffusion (Belgium) stand, Hall 1, no. 101\u200b\nFree entry. Registration recommended.\n\u200bBrussels Book Fair26\u201329 March 2026 from 10h to 19h(Friday, 27 March from 10h to 21)Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port 86C, BrusselsFree entry"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"pl-PL","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Szamalek-1920-\u00d7-1080-px-2.png","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/en\/2026\/03\/06\/brussels-book-fair-2026-jakub-szamalek-la-station\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Brussels Book Fair 2026 : Jakub Szama\u0142ek \u00ab\u00a0 La Station \u00bb"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#website","url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/","name":"Instytut Polski w Brukseli","description":"Instytuty Polskie","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"pl-PL"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#\/schema\/person\/f41db53be78e91d342f7df407326d8f7","name":"missonea","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"pl-PL","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a34ccb132d984086e65e1c2c896f1bc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a34ccb132d984086e65e1c2c896f1bc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"missonea"},"url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/author\/missonea\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/227"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19077"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19396,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19077\/revisions\/19396"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/brussels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}