The Witcher author and creator Andrzej Sapkowski has long been outspoken and protective of his own works, even at the risk of upsetting those who work on adaptations such as the divisive Netflix series.
Now, Sapkowski has gone into far more detail regarding the eternal debate between books and live-action adaptations – especially concerning his ongoing Witcher series.
"I'll put it this way: there's the original and then there are adaptations. Regardless of the quality of these adaptations, there are no dependencies or points of convergence between the literary original and its adaptation," Sapkowski wrote during a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything).
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Sapkowski continued, "The original stands alone, and every adaptation stands alone; you can't translate words into images without losing something, and there can't be any connections here."
It's here where The Witcher author gets into his grand theory about literature proving superior to anything that would be adapted for the screen, proving steadfast in his belief that the written word "triumphs" over images. We wouldn't be surprised if literature teachers around the world just nodded in appreciation.
"Moreover, adaptations are mostly visualisations, which means transforming written words into images, and there is no need to prove the superiority of the written word over images, it is obvious," Sapkowski remarked. "The written word always and decidedly triumphs over images, and no picture – animated or otherwise – can match the power of the written word."
Sapkowski's wildly-popular The Witcher series, starring Geralt as a wandering monster hunter, first began in 1994's Blood of Elves and has since transformed into a franchise involving several novels and short stories, a video game trilogy, and multiple adaptations – including a Netflix show.
The Witcher season 4 will see Liam Hemsworth step into the muddied boots of Geralt, with Henry Cavill having departed as The White Wolf after the third season. A new video game, The Witcher 4, is also in the works.
For more, check out our guide on reading The Witcher books in order, plus all the best Netflix shows you should be watching right now.
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