Although CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Badowski says it’s all a front, the grumpiness of Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski is legendary. This is the guy whose advice to novice writers was “Learn something that is worth doing. For example, repairing computers. That makes money. Forget about writing, it’s [a] hard business.” And as for his attitude towards the phenomenally popular game series? “I have no time for this.”
Which, I have to be honest, I find immensely charming. Here’s a man with no patience for nonsense. But perhaps even Sapkowski cracked a smile when he learnt he was getting Poland’s Gold Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture, which the country’s Ministry of Culture hands out to artists who have made major contributions to its heritage.
Well, with his new gold medal (which you can see up-close on the Wiki page, and which wouldn’t look out of place in The Witcher itself) Sapkowski is now among the most hallowed of those ranks. He was given the medal by Polish culture minister Marta Cienkowska and, judging by the photos, immediately erupted into a gregarious bout of dancing, laughing, and merrymaking.
No, just kidding. He looks like someone just told him the restaurant’s special of the day has run out. What a legend.
Still, everyone else seems very happy he’s got the recognition. On X, Cienkowska tweeted (the following is machine translated) “The words ‘something ends, something begins’ are the title of one of your stories—and a beautiful metaphor. For although each book and tale has its conclusion, the legacy you have created never ends. It lives on—in readers, gamers, viewers, and in culture.”
The Polish government itself published a tribute to “one of the most frequently translated fantasy authors” to mark the ceremony.
Andrzej Sapkowski uhonorowany Złotym Medalem „Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis”Andrzej Sapkowski – pisarz, twórca postaci Wiedźmina, jeden z najczęściej tłumaczonych na języki obce autorów fantastyki – został odznaczony Złotym Medalem „Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis. Najwyższe… pic.twitter.com/HAsuteuJXGSeptember 15, 2025
Also marking the occasion? Adam Badowski, of course, who tweeted that “Mr. Sapkowski’s work has influenced millions of fantasy fans around the world and inspired the next generation of artists, writers, and storytellers shaping Polish culture—us included. There would be no Witcher game without the Master!”
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