Janusz Głowacki (13 September 1938 – 19 August 2017) was a Polish playwright, essayist and screenwriter.

Janusz Głowacki was born on 13 September 1938 in Poznań. He began his literary career by publishing his collections of short stories depicting the cultural and social reality of the 1960s and 1970s in Poland, such as The Nonsense and Spinner (1968) and The New La-ba-da Dance (1970). His works achieved great popularity and made him famous, thanks especially to his satirical portrayal of social phenomena in regularly published articles.

He wrote the screenplay for Andrzej Wajda's Polowanie na muchy (1969) (Hunting Flies) and co-wrote the screenplay of the popular Polish movie Rejs (The Cruise), released in 1970.

Głowacki emigrated in 1981 to New York City in the wake of the imposition of martial law in Poland by its Communist government. There, he was nominated for the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play for Antigone in New York (1994). He was prominent in New York City society and the arts.

Awards and honours

• 1982: The Guardian and The Times awarded Cinders as the best play of the year
• 1987: American Theatre Critics Association Award for Hunting Cockroaches
• 1987: Joseph Kesselring Honorary Mention
• 1987: John S. Guggenheim Award
• 1987: Hollywood Drama League Critics Award
• 1987: Time Magazine called Hunting Cockroaches the best play of the year
• 1988: National Endowment for the Arts
• 1993: Time Magazine called Antigone in New York one of the best plays of the year
• 1994: Nomination for The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play for Antigone in New York
• 1994: Jurzykowski Prize
• 1997: Le Baladin Award, Paris
• 1997: Students of Sorbonne Award, Paris
• 1998: Critics Award for Antigone in New York, staged in Proscenium Theatre in Paris
• 1999: Tony Cox Award at Nantucket Film Festival
• 2001: The Fourth Sister wins at International Theatre Festival in Dubrovnik
• 2002: Grand Prix for the best author at "Rzeczywistość przedstawiona" Festival
• 2002: Nomination for Nike Award
• 2003: Grand Prix at Two Theatres Festival
• 2005: Śląski Wawrzyn Literacki
• 2005: Award of Minstry of Culture and National Heritage for literature
• 2005: Nomination for Nike Award
• 2011: Czesław Miłosz Award given by US Embassy in Warsaw
• 2011: Warsaw Literary Award
• 2013: Gustaw Award
• 2013: Special Award "Diamond of Polish Radio Three"
• 2013: Naptune Award - Gdańsk Literary Award
• 2013: Jan Michalski Prize for Literature, finalist, Good Night, Dzerzi!