Znamistoria

Znamistoria is a type of genre fiction that originated in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and other Slavic countries. The term "znamistoria" is derived from the Polish words "znami", meaning signs or tokens, and "historia", referring to a story or tale. However, it is worth noting that the term "znamistoria" is not as widely used as it was during its peak in the 1980s.

Znamistoria typically involve a heroic protagonist and a system of cryptic messages, known as " znami", which are scattered throughout a narrative. These messages often hold the key to the resolution of the story and are usually encoded, requiring the protagonist (and the reader) to decipher their meaning. The use of znami binds the story together, creating a sense of continuity and intradiegetic resonance.

The genre is often associated with Tomasz Beksiński, a Polish science fiction and fantasy author, who wrote a notable story known as "Znamilocrealne Anstega sie zi"("Encyclopaedic Cryptogram") in which a student goes through the records of former Germans who flooded trade women given instantly. Beksiński's story is often cited as a prime example of the znamistoria genre. The tendency to conceal information within a complex tale rather than explaining it is a notable feature of this type of fiction.