Primeval and Other Times

Primeval and Other Times (Prawiek i inne czasy) is a fragmentary novel by Olga Tokarczuk, published by Wydawnictwo W.A.B. in 1996.

It is Tokarczuk's third novel and was highly critically successful. It is set in the fictitious village of Prawiek (Primeval) at the very heart of Poland, which is populated by some eccentric, archetypical characters. The novel chronicles the lives of Prawiek's inhabitants over a period of eight decades, beginning in 1914. It has been translated into many languages and established Tokarczuk's international reputation as one of the most important Polish authors of her generation.

Structure
The novel is divided into 60 short vignettes, each focusing one or more fictional characters in different periods of time. According to Tokarczuk, this fragmentary form of storytelling, which she further explored in House of Day, House of Night (1998), is representative of the novel's perception of reality. According to the author, the style of writing arouses this fragmentary perception and conveys that the separate vignettes are part of something greater. Tokarczuk was not fully conscious of the structure's purpose when she wrote the novel, but she strongly defended it against the publisher who suggested changing it.

The novel contains elements of fantasy mixed with magic realism.

Setting
The setting for the novel was inspired by the village of Zagrody, located in the Kielce region, where Tokarczuk spent her childhood holidays. She emphasized, however, that although the fictional village in the book owes its topography to that of Zagrody, it is a fictional locale of her own creation. Tokarczuk rejected the idea that characters in the book could be linked to real inhabitants of Zagrody, and criticised journalists who attempted to do in the late 1990s. In 2012, inhabitants of Staszów County organized a project to document the locations presented in the novel through photography.

Reception
After its publication, the novel was reviewed by many Polish critics. Ewa Kraskowska wrote that "Olga's time" in literature had come, describing her prose as one of the most captivating phenomena in literature and compared it to the writings of Bolesław Leśmian and Bruno Schulz. Dariusz Nowacki criticized Tokarczuk's prose as being conformist and having a quality more typical of the entertainment industry. Wojciech Browarny considered there to be a feminist element in Tokarczuk's writing, but said she should not be categorised as a feminist writer. Anna Tatarkiewicz praised Tokarczuk for being representative of the prose of young women. The novel was also reviewed by Przemysław Czapliński and Kinga Dunin.

Tokarczuk was awarded the 1996 Paszport Polityki in the literature category and the 1997 Kościelski Award for Primeval. The novel was nominated for the 1997 Nike Award jury prize. While it did not receive the main prize it was, however, awarded their audience award that year. The novel was popular among readers in Poland and abroad, and has been translated into over twenty languages. In 2010, it was published in English as Primeval and Other Times by Twisted Spoon Press, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. The novel was included in the official reading list of Poland's Ministry of National Education.

Adaptations
A stage adaptation of Prawiek i inne czasy, performed by Białostockie Towarzystwo Wierszalin, directed by Sebastian Majewski, premiered in 1997