Polski (anty)kryminał kobiecy, czyli kilka uwag o Joannie Chmielewskiej

The article is dedicated to Joanna Chmielewska, considered the queen of Polish crime fiction, who has enjoyed great popularity for over forty years not only in Poland but also abroad. Chmielewska’s success is evidenced by the numerous translations and reissues of her books, as well as by the influence she has had on various crime writers in Russia (the most well-known case being that of Daria Dontsova), to the extent that Russian literary critics have coined the term “ironičeskij detektiv”—that is, ironic crime novel—to describe her prose. The aim of the article is to analyze Chmielewska’s prose based on three main themes: 1) the variety and status of her crime novels as a parody of the literary genre; 2) the author’s self-creation and the portrayal of her female characters; 3) the language, irony, and humor in the narration.