Retelling myths and legends in Slavic fantasy

In 2006 Maria Janion wrote in The Uncanny Slavdom that “the new narrative of the humanities can tell the story of our culture differentlyˮ. Since that time such 'new narratives' have multiplied literally right in front of our eyes. While in the late 2000s the existence of a distinct Slavic fantasy subgenre was a matter of controversy, hotly debated by both authors and academics, today its presence and popularity is too conspicuous to leave any room for doubt. Each year the market is flooded with dozens of new Slavic fantasy books, which are then discussed in countless blogs, vlogs, discussion groups, and podcasts. The growth of interest in Slavic fantasy is phenomenal and seems to be part of a larger trend gaining ground not just in Poland but also in other Slavic nations. This gives rise to a number of questions which this article tries to address: What is Slavic fantasy? What place does it occupy in modern popular culture? What effects, beneficial or less so, will it have?