Alumnus Karol Lagodzki named finalist for PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
Karol Lagodzki, an alumnus of Mississippi University for Women, is one of five finalists for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel for his work, “Controlled Conversations.”
The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel honors a debut novel of exceptional merit by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. The award aims to preserve the novel as an art form and to support the longevity of the writer’s literary career. The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize intended to allow significant time and resources to pursue a subsequent work of fiction.
“To have ‘Controlled Conversations’ shortlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award alongside books by writers I admire and look up to is still difficult for me to believe. Every writer struggles with insecurity, so recognition like this truly helps, especially when working on new and difficult things. I hope it encourages other writers from small presses, too, by showing that a book without a PR budget can get noticed, too,” said Lagodzki.
Lagodzki describes the new novel as a love story and a portrait of resilience under authoritarianism.
“You can think of it as a love story, or a few love stories, and how relationships evolve in the culture of autocracy, in the pressure cooker. But it’s also a novel about regular people doing their best to maintain some level of dignity when the outside environment is making it very hard for them,” said Lagodzki.
Winners for the Book Awards will be announced live in the spring at the 61st Literary Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 8.
The work was first drafted and submitted as a thesis while he was a student in the university’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. He credits associate professor of English and creative writing Dr. Brandy Wilson for the crucial role in advising him on developing the authenticity of characters. Upon graduation, Lagodzki continued to refine the draft and would ultimately submit it to Sunbury Press to be published under Milford House.
“We are very proud of Karol Lagodzki’s accomplishments of making the long list and now being named one of four finalists for the PEN/Hemmingway Award for Debut Novel for his book ‘Controlled Conversations.’ Karol is a gifted writer who had a clear sense of direction in our program,” said Dr. Kendall Dunkelberg, chair of the Department of Languages, Literature & Philosophy. “He worked diligently after defending his thesis to refine it and prepare for publication, and that hard work has really paid off. His novel is both timely and finely crafted. We are so pleased for him that it is getting the recognition it deserves.”
Lagodzki was born in Poland and moved to the United States in the 1990s during a period of significant political change. He would ultimately complete his bachelor’s degree at McNeese State University in Louisiana and earn his MBA from Indiana University. He earned his MFA from The W in 2020. He continues his study of creative writing at Eastern Kentucky University.
Founded in 1922, PEN America is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, convey information and ideas, express their views, and access the views, ideas and literatures of others, according to their website.
“Controlled Conversations” reminds us of a time — not very long ago — of the struggles, compromises and corrosive impact of martial law on Soviet-controlled Poland. It is a story not of future Nobel laureates but of regular people with different backgrounds and ambitions in search of dignity, the freedom to love who they choose, and a decent cup of tea. At this time of threats to democracy in Poland and globally, Lagodzki’s novel reminds us of the precariousness of personal liberty,” Lee A. Feinstein, former U.S. Ambassador to Poland and author, described the novel.