Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski has been named the winner of the 2016 World Fantasy Award.

He will collect the distinction at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio, at the end of October, joining the ranks of 63 previous recipients who include Ursula K. Le Guin, Stephen King and Terry Pratchett.

Sapkowski’s career is among the most spectacular success stories in the world of literature.

Born in 1948, he is an economist by profession. He worked as a sales representative for many years before publishing his first short story in 1986.

Entitled “Wiedźmin” (The Witcher), it developed into a series of short stories and novels featuring Geralt, a mutant assassin trained since childhood to hunt down and destroy monsters.

A computer game based on “The Witcher” has proved a worldwide hit.

Sapkowski’s books have topped bestseller lists in Poland for years and have been translated into 20 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Czech, Lithuanian and Portuguese. He is the second most often translated Polish author, after Stanisław Lem. (mk/pk)