Polish writer and volunteer Szczepan Twardoch has received the Empik Bestsellery 2025 award in the Fiction category for his novel about the Russian–Ukrainian war, Null (Eng. Zero). The news was reported on the Facebook page of the Polish Institute in Kyiv. The award is presented to authors of books and music releases that achieved the highest sales in the Empik chain of stores in Poland over the past year.
During the ceremony, Twardoch thanked his readers: “First of all, I would like to thank my readers who have read and continue to read this complex and joyless book. For me, this is proof of the power of the written word and proof that my work as a writer has value.”
The audience also applauded the writer for his consistent support of Ukraine and his volunteer trips to the east of the country. Twardoch has repeatedly raised funds and delivered vehicles and other essential supplies to the front line. It was from the experience of these trips that the novel Null emerged. The events of the novel unfold on the front line — the so-called “zero”. The main character is a foreign legionnaire nicknamed Horse. Through his story, the author depicts the brutality of war and examines its impact on the human psyche and identity.
In addition to the Empik award, Null was recognised as the best book of 2025 in a readers’ poll conducted by Gazeta Wyborcza. It also took second place in the ranking of the 20 best books published in Germany in 2025, according to the German weekly Der Spiegel. The book is currently shortlisted for the best book of the year by users of the reading portal Lubimyczytać.pl.
Work is underway on the Ukrainian translation of the novel. Twardoch’s works have previously been published in Ukrainian by several publishers, including Nash Format, Laboratoria, and others.