The Snark | Karol Nawrocki's Masterclass in Political Fiction

When Life Beats the Fictional Oddities

Welcome, fellow readers, to one of the most bizarre and brilliant real-life political stunts to come out of Poland in recent years. If you’ve ever doubted that life is stranger than fiction, let me introduce you to Karol Nawrocki, the presidential candidate who took political self-promotion to new, absurd heights by… interviewing himself. Oh yes, you read that correctly. This is not fiction. It’s not some twisted subplot of a political thriller. This is the real deal.

So, grab your popcorn because this episode of "Political Absurdity" is brought to you by a man who makes all the other self-important politicians look like amateurs in the game of ridiculousness.

Step Right Up and Meet the Crime Writer… Who's Actually the Candidate!

Okay, here’s my take on the situation—because, you know, when you’re a few thousand miles away, things get real fuzzy, and I don't speak Polish. So, this could be completely off, but let’s roll with it, shall we?

Nawrocki, a historian with aspirations to lead Poland, decided that his campaign needed an extra boost. But how do you endorse a book about organized crime while also being a candidate running on a tough-on-crime platform? Simple! You don a disguise, hop on TV, and conduct an interview with a "different person"—someone who just happens to be you.

That’s right. Karol Nawrocki, in an attempt to pump up his book about Poland's 1990s underworld, appeared on TV disguised as Tadeusz Batyr, a mysterious figure who would interview Nawrocki about his book. Batyr, naturally, lavished praise on Nawrocki’s writing, which, of course, was exactly what Nawrocki wanted. Except, here's the catch: Batyr was Nawrocki. Yes, folks, he had a secret identity—and he used it to promote his own work. The plot twist? There was no plot. The only twist was his face.

The Great Deflection: "I Was Just Using a Pseudonym!"

Of course, once the ruse was exposed—because, let’s be honest, it was as transparent as a cheap disguise at a children’s party—Nawrocki defended his actions. "Pseudonyms are normal in Polish journalism and literature," he argued. A literary defense. Well, that's one way to explain away a completely ludicrous political move.

Here’s the thing: no one in Polish literature has ever pulled a stunt like this. This wasn’t some artistic rebranding or cheeky pen name. This was a full-on political self-promotion disguised as a newsworthy event. A man who is running for president of a country decided to hide his own identity and endorse his book in front of the nation, and—spoiler alert—no one bought it. Except, apparently, for him.

But it gets worse. Imagine a politician literally looking you in the eye and saying, “Trust me. I wasn’t promoting myself. This is just my literary alter ego.” If Nawrocki were a character in a fiction novel, this would be the part where you’d roll your eyes and start sharpening your pen for the dramatic reveal of his deepest character flaw.

What This "Nonsense" Can Teach Fiction Writers

Let’s leave politics aside for a moment (because who really needs that kind of chaos in their life?) and look at this situation through the lens of writing fiction.

Life is stranger than fiction, and we—writers—are often at a loss for how to top it. The key takeaway here? Lean into the improbable. Embrace the absurd. We can only go so far in our creative worlds before the world we live in throws us a curveball that makes our wildest plot twists look tame.

This is where writers can learn from Karol Nawrocki's blundering: create characters whose flaws, contradictions, and absurdities push the boundaries of what we expect. The more improbable the situation, the more it often rings true to life. Nawrocki’s decision to interview himself is a shining example of how deeply misguided ambition, pride, and vanity can create the most improbable and even comically tragic characters.

In fiction, these wildly improbable moments don’t need to be limited to political figures. Imagine a protagonist so desperate for validation that they literally interview themselves in a public forum to get the praise they crave. Is it absurd? Sure. But is it relatable? Totally. We all know people who create their own "echo chambers," whose need for external validation drives them to create increasingly ridiculous and flawed strategies to get it.

When Fiction Feels Too Safe, Try Adding Some Chaos

Writers often strive for realism in their stories, but there is beauty in embracing the ridiculousness of life. When you’re stuck in a plot, and your characters seem flat, just lean into something so wildly improbable it’ll have your readers saying, "Wait, what?" Nawrocki did it. Why not make your protagonist trip on their own feet for a 300-page arc?

Here's the deal: in fiction, much like in real life, a twist can be born from absurdity, not just from logic. People will always surprise you—just as Nawrocki did. So, if you're stuck trying to make your character’s journey feel fresh, consider taking the most improbable, ludicrous action that’s still somehow believable—and let your characters sink or swim with it.

The Moral of This Bizarre Tale: Fictional Characters Deserve the Same Absurdity as Real People

To wrap this up: Karol Nawrocki’s stunt is a writer's dream. The man may have made a fool of himself politically, but for us fiction writers, his actions are a goldmine of inspiration. Why? Because they teach us that we don't always need logic to make characters interesting. Sometimes we need chaos, contradictions, and the improbable.

As writers, we have the power to push our characters to absurd extremes—whether that’s via a ridiculous self-promotion, an accidental disaster, or any other outlandish scenario that might just give your story a whole new life. After all, if a presidential candidate can pull off a stunt this absurd, who’s to say your characters can’t do the same?

So, go ahead—lean into the strange. The more ridiculous, the better. And remember, if life’s this absurd, so should be your fiction.

The Snark