A passionate novel of unstoppable physical obsession amongst a group of Brussels eurocrats, Illegal Liaisons offers a fascinating insight into the first Polish generation that is truly 'free', but struggle to know where the boundaries of that freedom lie. Jonathan takes the role of a stay-at-home dad when his wife Megi moves the family from Poland to Brussels to pursue a career as a lawyer in the European Commission. Much as Jonathan tries, his new life seems to leave him with a void which he soon fills with the body of the sexy, up-and-coming Swedish journalist Andrea. What follows is a tormenting battle between conscience and desire, which more often than not ends in a draw. Plebanek writes about sex in an unembarrassed way, asking uncomfortable questions about what is moral. Her characters have to negotiate between the old-fashioned devout Catholicism they grew up with, and the modern way of living they are desperate to embrace. Watch them as they try to claim their rightful place within the international crowd in the big world that turns out to be really rather small. Expect the upending of stereotypes, a fair amount of profanity and a good share of smut.

Born in what is now Ukraine to Polish parents, naturalised as a British citizen, and schooled on the high seas of international commerce, Joseph Conrad was a true citizen of the world. His novels bore witness to the dehumanising repercussions of empire, explored a world in which state-sponsored terrorism ruined individuals' lives, and pioneered complex narrative structures and subjective points-of-view in what was to become the first wave of literary modernism. To mark his 160th birthday, 14 authors and critics from Britain, Poland and elsewhere have come together to celebrate his legacy with new pieces of fiction and non-fiction. Conrad felt that the writer's task was to offer 'that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask.' In an age of increasing isolationism, these celebrations remind you of the value of such glimpses. Commissioned as part of the Joseph Conrad Year 2017.