Andrzej Stasiuk (born in 1960) is one of the most important figures in contemporary Polish literature. Travel writing, inspired by visits to the south of Poland and the Balkans, forms a significant part of his work. Always a highly subjective writer, Stasiuk pays close attention to the landscapes he sees, especially industrial wastelands, which he describes with incomparable lyricism. He is also a keen observer of people and tries to imagine their lives, even when he cannot really understand them. In Germany, however, Stasiuk seems only to see himself ; his encounters with Germans shine light on his own personality or qualities which he attributes to Slavs more generally.