Aquila Polonica's WWII Books Named Finalists in Four Categories in 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards

May 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA -- Three books published by Aquila Polonica Publishing, based in Los Angeles and the U.K., have been named finalists for the 2011 Independent Book Publishers Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards.

“I’m thrilled that our books were judged to be among the very best, considering that we are such a young company and the competition is so fierce,” said Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian.  “I feel like it’s a vote of confidence that we’re doing something right.”

     •   303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron, by Arkady Fiedler, translated by Jarek Garlinski, is a finalist in both History and Interior Design categories. It’s the story of the famous squadron of Polish fighter pilots that played a critical role in the skies over Great Britain during the darkest days of World War II. The book includes nearly 200 archival black and white photos, maps and illustrations. The Washington Times calls 303 Squadron a “must-read.”

     •   The Ice Road: An Epic Journey from the Stalinist Labor Camps to Freedom, by Stefan Waydenfeld, is a finalist in the Autobiography/Memoirs category. This is a teenage boy’s vivid account of his family’s deportation from Poland to a forced labor camp in the Russian arctic north. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum calls it “extraordinary.”

     •   Maps and Shadows, by Krysia Jopek, is a finalist in the Historical Fiction category. This lyrical debut novel shifts points of view among four members of a family sent first to Siberia, then to distant corners of the globe, eventually reuniting after the war.

The Benjamin Franklin Awards recognize excellence in independent publishing. Now entering their 23rd year, the Awards have become known as one of the independent publishing world’s premier award competitions.

Aquila Polonica’s three books faced competition from nearly 1,300 entries in 50 categories in the annual competition, according to IBPA officials. Publications are grouped by genre and are judged on editorial and design merit by top practitioners in each field. Entries are winnowed down to three finalists for each category.

Winners of the 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards will be announced at a gala dinner in New York City, Monday, May 23, on the eve of the publishing trade show BookExpo America.

Aquila Polonica Publishing is dedicated to publishing, in English, the Polish experience of World War II with first-hand accounts, memoirs, photographs, artwork, poetry, literature and historical studies.  The company’s book The Mermaid and the Messerschmitt: War Through a Woman’s Eyes 1939-1940, by Rulka Langer, won the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Best First Book (Nonfiction).

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