BookStar 2025
Дирекција на Фестивалот „BookStar“
Телефон: 02 3201 007
www.bookstar.mk
@bookstar_festival @antolog_mk
@bookstar2017 @Antolog_Books
BookStar 2025
“On Writing Matters” („За писателцките работи“) roots itself in the work of Krste Misirkov (1874 – 1926), marking the upcoming centennial anniversary of his death (2026).
And it is no coincidence that at the beginning of the new millennium, Misirkov was proclaimed the most significant public figure of the 20th century, while “On the Macedonian Matters” is considered one of the most important books ever written and published in the Macedonian language. Because all of this, this years, “BookStar” focuses its attention on domestic literature and the challenges it faces. The slogan is directly inspired by Misirkov’s work, and indirectly by his views and the way he presents and elaborates them. He not only lays the foundations of the Macedonian language and the contemporary Macedonian literature, as well as of cultural and national self-awareness, but also displays an intellectual and writing dimension that we have rarely seen in our environment. Calling for a thorough rethinking of inherited values and advocating for changes through cultural revival, Misirkov is a kind of benchmark that should follow the description of the intellectual regardless of affiliation: courage, visionary, (r)evolutionary and uncompromising. With the small lexical and semantic transformation of the title of his book, the slogan transfers the emphasis from ethnic and social issues to creative and literary processes, i.e. the “matters” that are crucial and significant for the art of writing both in Macedonia and in Europe.
“On Writing Matters” is a call for a conversation about the essence of writing, about the responsibility and freedom of the author, but also about the intimate, often invisible, work that stands behind every written piece and which sometimes brings fateful changes for the writer and the environment in which he creates. The slogan is a bridge between tradition and modernity, between the Macedonian Don Quixote and today’s European literary scene as a “melting pot”, creating a context in which readers will be able to experience literature in a living, current, powerful and engaging act.
“BookStar” is the first festival of European Literature in the region, organized by the publishing house “Antolog”. This event, which started in 2015 and is held every autumn, includes guest appearances by both foreign and domestic authors, the European Book Fair, conversations, promotions, discussions, film screenings, music performances, exhibitions and other cultural events. The festival interprets cultural change through the prism of literature for eleven years in a row. It is a socially engaged event that aims to stir the interest of the general public, offering content that helps to better understand the problems that literature and society face today.
“BookStar” Festival Management
Publishing house “Antolog”
Address: Gjorgji Pulevski 29 lok. 1, 1000 Skopje
Phone знакче. +389 2 3201 007
www.bookstar.mk
@bookstar_festival @antolog_mk
@bookstar2017 @Antolog_Books
АНТОЛОГ – Книжевен центар
Staff:
Žarko Kujundjiski
Valentina Kujundjiska
Boban Zdravkovski Andreevski
Tijana Milikj
Ivana Božinovska
Eli Kostova
Darko Mlinar
Gordana Vrencoska, designer
Brands & Co Agency, marketing
Biljana Stojanovska, PR and media
Aleksandar Kotevski, photographer
Jovan Nastevski Jon, video
Elena Gjoršeska, proofreading
Marko Trpeski, book cover’ designer
Volunteers:
Emili Andreeska
Zafir Jovanov
Stefan Kimovski
Filip Trifunovski
29 септември
18.00 – Продажен салон – КИЦ
Поткаст „Гол ручек“ со Душко Крстевски и Шоле Резазаде (Холандија/Иран)
19.00 – Сала Империјал 2 – КИЦ Отворање на 11-от Саем на европската литература На пијалак со авторите на „BookStar“
19.30 – Сала Империјал 2 – КИЦ Отворање на фестивалот „BookStar“ 2025
„Писателот зборува“ – Калина Малеска: „Книжевноста низ
на
Доделување на наградата „BookStar“ 2025 за „Опаш во устата“
Претставување на наградената книга: Весна Мојсова-Чепишевска
Обраќање на добитникот: Блаже Миневски
20.00 – Сала Империјал 2 – КИЦ „Жената пред највисоките ѕидови:
отпор, траума, надеж“
Разговор со авторките: Петра Клабоухова (Чешка) и Серај Шахинер (Турција) Модератори: Александар Маџаровски и Драгица Стаменковиќ
21.00 – Сала Империјал
30 септември
18.00 – Сала Империјал 2 – КИЦ „Шчо напраифме
19.00
ПРОГРАМА
1 октомври
12.00 – Градска библиотека „Браќа Миладиновци“
Книжевно читање „За писателцките работи“
Странски учесници: Шоле Резазаде (Холандија/Иран), Серај Шахинер (Турција), Онджеј Штиндл (Чешка), Ахмет Умит (Турција), Мајнхард Раухенштајнер (Австрија)
Домашни учесници: Блаже Миневски, Александар Прокопиев, Калина Малеска, Ермис Лафазановски, Михајло
Свидерски, Иван Антоновски, Дијана
Петрова
Водител: Тијана Милиќ
18.00 – Продажен салон – КИЦ Поткаст „Гол ручек“ со Душко Крстевски и Онджеј Штиндл (Чешка)
19.19 – Салон 19.19 – КИЦ „Мајсторот е тука!“ Разговор со авторот Ахмет Умит (Турција)
Модератор: Јордан Коцевски
2
октомври
10.30
12.00 – Ramstore mall „Meet. Snap. Celebrate.“
НАСТАН
18.00 – Буква „Правда за кратката проза!“ Разговор со авторите: Мајнхард Раухенштајнер (Австрија), Владимир Мартиновски, Сања МихајловиќКостадиновска, Иван Шопов Модератор: Владимир Јанковски
Влезотнаситекнижевнинастание бесплатен. Организаторотгозадржуваправотоза променивопрограмата.
PROGRAM
September 29
8:00 – Sales Hall – KIC
Podcast “Naked Lunch” with Duško Krstevski and Sholeh Rezazadeh (Netherlands/Iran)
19:00 – Imperial Hall 2 – KIC
Opening of the 11th Fair of European Literature
Having a drink with BookStar authors
19:30 – Imperial Hall 2 – KIC
“BookStar” 2025 Festival opening “The Writer Is Speaking” – Kalina Maleska: “Literature in the Context of Changе” Award Ceremony: BookStar 2025 Award
Blaže Minevski - “A Tail in the Mouth”
Presentation of the book: Vesna MojsovaČepiševska
Address by the laureate
20:00 – Imperial Hall 2 – KIC
“The Woman Before the Highest Walls: Resistance, Trauma, Hope”
Panel with authors: Petra Klabouchová (Czech Republic) and Seray Şahiner (Türkiye)
Moderators: Aleksandar Madjarovski and Dragica Stamenkovikj
21:00 – Imperial Hall 2 – KIC
“A Few Words on Macedonian Contemporary Classics”
Panel with authors: Blaže Minevski, Aleksandar Prokopiev, Olivera Kjorveziroska
Moderators: Vladimir Martinovski and Aleksandra Jurukovska
September 30
18:00 – Imperial Hall 2 – KIC
“What Have We Done and What Do We Need to Do Next?”
Panel with authors: Kalina Maleska, Žarko Kujundjiski, Mihajlo Sviderski, Dijana Petrova, Ivan Antonovski
Moderator: Simona Jovanoska
19:00 – Sales Hall – KIC
Podcast “Naked Lunch” with Duško Krstevski and Blaže Minevski
20:30 – Imperial Hall 2 – KIC
“Stories on the Border Between Different Worlds”
Panel with authors: Sholeh Rezazadeh (Netherlands/Iran) and Ondřej Štindl (Czech Republic)
Moderator: Aleksandar Madjarovski
PROGRAM
October 1
12:00 – City Library
“Brothers Miladinovci”
Literary Reading “On Writing Matters”
Guest writers: Sholeh Rezazadeh (Netherlands/Iran), Seray Şahiner (Türkiye), Ondřej Štindl (Czech Republic), Ahmet Ümit (Türkiye), Meinhard Rauchensteiner (Austria)
Host writers: Blaže Minevski, Aleksandar Prokopiev, Kalina Maleska, Ermis Lafazanovski, Mihajlo Sviderski, Ivan Antonovski, Dijana Petrova
Presenter: Tijana Milikj
18:00 – Sales Hall – KIC Podcast “Naked Lunch” with Duško Krstevski and Ondřej Štindl (Czech Republic)
19:19 – Salon 19.19 – KIC “The Master Is Here!” Таlk with the author Ahmet Ümit (Türkiye)
Moderator: Jordan Kocevski
October 2
10:30 – Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” – Skopje
Announcement and presentation of the “Dragi” 2025 Award for Best Translation to Macedonian language Address by the laureate
12:00 – Ramstore Mall „Meet. Snap. Celebrate.“ Ahmet Ümit IRL – Meeting with the author and book signing
Host: Aleksandra Ilievska EXCLUSIVE EVENT
18:00 – Bukva Café “Justice for the Short Fiction!” Panel with authors: Meinhard Rauchensteiner (Austria), Vladimir Martinovski, Sanja MihajlovikjKostadinovska, Ivan Šopov
Moderator: Vladimir Jankovski
Admissiontoallliteraryeventsisfree.
Theorganizerreservestherighttomake changestotheprogram.
AUTHORS (in alphabetical order)
Аleksandar Prokopiev
The number of books published by the Macedonian author Aleksandar Prokopiev (1953, Skopje) counts over twenty (short story collections, novellas, essays and one novel), and their translations into Balkan and world languages are even more numerous. For example, eight translations of his works have been published in Serbian so far (most of them in the edition of “Geopoetika”). In 2000, the Encyclopedia Britannica highlighted his book of hybrid prose ”Anti-Instructions for Personal Use” as one of the most interesting annual publications from Southeast Europe. In 2011, for the book of fairy tales for adults “The Tiny Human” he received the prestigious international “Balkanika” award (previously, in 2007, his novel “The Peeper” was shortlisted for it). In 2022, in the latest edition of the extensive, renowned French history of European literature “Les Lettres Européennes”, his prose is analyzed in the chapter “Trends and Contemporary Figures 1989 – 2021”, where it is compared with the narration of inventive storytellers such as Barthélemy, Calvino…
In addition to his lifelong obsession with reading and writing, Prokopiev has also had successful creative periods in rock and roll, alternative theater, scripts for animated films, etc.
The Young Master of the Game Antolog, Skopje, 2025
My first three published books were written in three cities (Belgrade, Skopje, Paris, and then Skopje again) in the period of a liberated, independent literary and cultural scene full of experimentation, rebellion and persistent steps away from established norms. The end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties was a time with a strong manifest energetic impetus in confronting the great changes in the external and internal world, when in literature, as well as in music, fine arts, theater, film, relatives came together, provoked, led debates, polemics, but also created valuable achievements, under the obvious influence of postmodern poetics. If I had to somehow separate the mutual connection of the three books in the intertwining of the real and the fictional through short narrative forms, then: the miniatures in “The Young Master of the Game” are closest to narrative poetic prose, “...or...” with long impulsive sentences that begin and end with three periods, are expressively acting fragments, in “Sailing to the South” the compositional procedure results in the creation of “real” stories. Special thanks to the publishing house “Antolog” for its offer to republish these three books, inevitable in the exciting journey of my writing self-discovery. AleksandarProkopiev
Ахмет Умит
http://www.ahmetumit.com/
https://x.com/baskomsernevzat
www.instagram.com/baskomsernevzat
www.youtube.com/ahmetumityazar
Ahmet Ümit
Ahmet Ümit was born in Gaziantep (Türkiye) in 1960. He graduated from Marmara University, Department of Public Administration. In 1985-1986, he studied politics at the Academy of Social Sciences in Moscow. His first book was a poetry collection in 1989. In 1992, his first book of short stories was published. This was followed by his detective story books. His first novel, Fog and Night, written in 1996, was considered a masterpiece in detective literature. The film Farewell to My Beautiful Homeland was made based on his screenplay. The author, whose works have been published in 37 different languages, has reached a vast international readership. Many of his works have been adapted into films and television series, and some of them into theatre plays as well.
Ahmet Ümit made a TV programme called “Yaşadığın Şehir” (The City You Live In) to raise awareness of urbanism, to increase sensitivity to historical cities and to develop multiculturalism. With his works Patasana and Ninatta’s Bracelet, Ahmet Ümit was elected a member of the Turkish Institute of Antiquity in 2006, and in 2023 he was elected an archaeologist member of the German Archaeological Institute.
A Voice Splits the Night (Bir Ses Böler Geceyi)
Translation to Macedonian: Aneta Matovska
Antolog, Skopje, 2025
Under the light of the full moon, a small town sinks into a dream. A jeep crashes into the wall of the village cemetery. The dead man awaits purification during an Alevi ritual. The events will lead him to the heart of the ancient faith and to the darkness in his own soul, reminding him of the events of his revolutionary period.
The Time of Birds of Prey (Yırtıcı Kuşlar Zamanı)
Translation to Macedonian: Zeynep Husein
Antolog, Skopje, 2025
It has been raining non-stop in Istanbul for days. A landslide caused by the rain reveals a skeleton with a bullet lodged in its skull. Inspector Nevzat must discover the identity of a victim murdered seven years ago. After a brief investigation, it is determined that the bullet was fired from his own gun. What is unusual is that he neither knows the man nor remembers killing him. As he confronts corrupt police chiefs and clashes with mafia groups from across the Balkans, he is haunted by one question: “Am I the killer, or is someone setting me up?”
Блаже Миневски
Блаже Миневски (1961) е прозаист и драмски автор. Автор е на десет романи. За романот „Нишан“ ги доби наградите „Стале Попов“ и „Роман на годината“, и наградата на Град Скопје – „13-ти Ноември“, а за романот „Свирци“ – наградата „Прозни мајстори“ на фондацијата Македонија презент. Миневски ја има добиено и наградата „Најчитан автор“, признание што го доделува Националната библиотека „Свети Климент Охридски“ од Скопје. За романот „Ако се родат некакви чувства“, посветен на љубовта на Гоце Делчев и Јанка Каневче, Миневски ги доби наградите
е многукратен добитник на
„Студентски
„Нова Македонија“, и „Живко Чинго“. Неговите драмски текстови со години беа на репертоарите на македонските професионални театри. Романот „Нишан“ е преведен и објавен на англиски, италијански, ерменски, бугарски, словенечки, арапски, кинески
јазик. Застапен е во сите антологии на македонската кратка проза објавени последните триесетина
Blaže Minevski
Blaže Minevski (1961) is a prose writer and playwright. He is the author of ten novels. For the novel „The mark” he received the “Stale Popov” and “Novel of the Year” awards, as well as the award from the City of Skopje - “13th November”, and for the novel “Whistles” - the “Prose Masters” award of the Macedonia Present Foundation. Minevski has also received the “Most Read Author” award, an award given by the National Library “St. Kliment Ohridski” in Skopje. For his short stories, translated into more than twenty languages around the world, he is a multiple winner of the “Studentski zbor”, “Nova Makedonija”, and “Živko Chingo” awards. His drama texts were in the repertoires of Macedonian professional theaters for years. The novel “The mark” has been translated and published in English, Italian, Armenian, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Arabic, Chinese and Polish. Blaže Minevski is represented in all anthologies of the Macedonian short prose published in the last thirty years in Macedonia and abroad.
A Tail in the Mouth
Antolog, Skopje, 2025
BOOKSTAR AWARD 2025
“Minevski’s stories, as a kind of distillation of the centuries-old oral Macedonian folk storytelling tradition, pass through a specific humor, but also through the bitterness of life. […] In Minevski’s prose, nothing is like reality, although everything is taken from it.” OliveraKjorveziroska
The mark
Antolog, Skopje, 2025 NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD
“UTRINSKI VESNIK”, 2008
“STALE POPOV” AWARD, 2008 “13TH NOVEMBER” AWARD, 2009
On both banks of a river, two young snipers – a man and a woman, a Christian and a Muslim, stalk each other, but also fall in love. Their love is both unusual and incredible, because it happens through the optical sights of their weapons and lasts as long as the bullets are fired, from one bank of the river to the other.
A powerful and exciting novel about life and death, about war and peace, about love and hate, about art and the meaning of existence.
Владимир Мартиновски
Владимир Мартиновски (1974) е македонски поет, есеист, прозаист, книжевен преведувач и антологичар. Дипломирал на Филолошкиот факултет „Блаже Конески“ во Скопје, каде што и магистрирал во 2001 г. на тема „Интерференции меѓу македонската современа поезија и ликовните уметности“. Докторирал на Универзитетот Париз III – Sorbonne Nouvelle, на тема „Аспекти на екфразиската поезија: Ш. Бодлер, В. К. Вилијамс, С. Јаневски, В. Урошевиќ, Џ. Ешбери и И. Бонфоа“. Работи како редовен професор по предметите „Компаративни поетики“ на Катедрата за општа и компаративна
Vladimir Martinovski
Vladimir Martinovski (1974) is a Macedonian poet, essayist, prose writer, literary translator and anthologist. He graduated from the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” in Skopje, where he also received his master’s degree in 2001 on the topic “Interferences between Macedonian contemporary poetry and the fine arts”. He received his doctorate from the University of Paris III - Sorbonne Nouvelle, on the topic “Aspects of ekphrasis poetry: S. Baudelaire, W. K. Williams, S. Janevski, V. Urošević, J. Ashbery and I. Bonfoy”.
He works as resident professor of the subjects “Comparative Poetics” at the Department of General and Comparative Literature at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” at the University “Sts. Cyril and Methodius”. Since September 2023, he has held the position of Dean of that faculty.
He is a member of the Executive Board of the International Association for Semiotics, the International Association for Comparative Literature, was a member of the Executive Committee of the European Network for Comparative Studies, the Board of Directors of the “Struga Poetry Evenings”, the Presidency of the Writers’ Association of Macedonia, was President of the Society for Comparative Literature of Macedonia, as well as Vice President of the Macedonian PEN.
His poetry has been published in about twenty languages, and is represented in a large number of anthologies and thematic selections. Martinovski is also involved in music, participating in musical projects and releases of: The Orchestra of Original Folk Instruments “Pece Atanasovski”, “Kaldrma” and “Baklava”.
Zoostories
“Begemot”, Skopje, 2019
“Before us is a prose book consisting of a total of 77 stories, divided into 11 cycles, each built of 7 prose stories. Zoostories in this work by Martinovski is the designation of a poetic affiliation to a universal, rather than a completely spiritual observation and registration of the entire living world, that of insects, animals, beasts, plants, nature, landscapes, phenomena, behind which stands a, so to speak, Spinozian (pan)naturalism, at the center of which, of course, stands man....His discourse is diverse: haiku and haibun are mixed in it in the middle or as points in his prose discourse. Sometimes it is narrative, proselytically extensive, other times anecdotal, thirdly aphoristic, often inclined to rhyme (rhyme) in prose, as the feeling draws.” TomislavOsmanli
© Radmila Vankoska
Дијана Петрова е родена на 8 април 1992 година во Делчево. Професорка е по македонски јазик и литература. Дипломирала на Катедрата за македонска книжевност и јужнословенски книжевности, при Филолошкиот факултет „Блаже Конески“, Скопје, каде и го продолжува
книги: „Бдеењето над себе“ (роман; 2018), „Не
им сенка на гробовите“ (збирка раскази; 2020), „Излегувањето од сенка – Тајното женско училиште“ (роман; 2023). Авторка е на многу есеи и раскази кои се објавувани во неколку книжевни списанија (Современост, Литературен збор, Репер, Блесок, Окно, Медуза, Млади македонисти, Премин). Во 2023 година за нејзинот расказ
Dijana Petrova
Dijana Petrova was born on April 8, 1992 in Delčevo. She is a professor of Macedonian language and literature. She graduated from the Department of Macedonian Literature and South Slavic Literatures, at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski”, Skopje, where she is continuing her studies in the second cycle of studies. She is the author of three published books: “Watching over Yourself” (novel; 2018), “Don’t Cast a Shadow on the Graves” (collection of short stories; 2020), “Coming Out of the Shadow - The Secret Women’s School” (novel; 2023).
She is the author of many essays and short stories that have been published in several literary magazines (“Sovremenost”, “Literary Word”, “Reper”, “Blesok”, “Okno”, “Meduza”, “Mladi Makedonisti”, “Premin”). In 2023, for her short story “Rosh Hashana” she won the first prize in the competition announced by the Holocaust Fund in Macedonia. She is a two-time winner of the prestigious “Živko Chingo” award for best short story (2024, 2025).
Coming Out of the Shadow
“Antolog”, Skopje, 2023
19th century in Struga, Mitra Miladinova and Sultana Miladinova, encouraged by the support offered by the Russian Slavist Viktor Ivanovich Grigorovich, begin working on something that, as it develops, becomes deeper and more serious.
Severalwasherwomen who meet on the river for the first time begin to talk about what the world would be like if women were given a voice. Against the injustice that has surrounded everyone for several centuries, they begin to speak and fight with a work that defies time and oblivion. Living and acting in the shadows comes to light when they learn about the Secret Women’s School -” Ученољубие. “
Don’t Cast a Shadow on the Graves “Antolog”, Skopje, 2020
“The world into which the author leads us is both ordinary and extraordinary, mysterious and banal, close and distant, inhabited by characters with a wide range of different characteristics, in whose bizarreness, nevertheless, lies the human. This book leaves a mark, not on the body but on the soul of the reader, who wants to embark on such a strong and exciting adventure, and because of that, as well as because of the maturity, skill, and wisdom of these stories, that is, of their author.”
FrosinaParmakovska
Ермис Лафазановски
Ермис Лафазановски (1961) e современ македонски раскажувач, романописец, историчар и теоретичар
фолклорист и преведувач. Има објавено повеќе трудови од областа на фолклористиката, книжевноста и
Исто така, дал значаен
книжевни признанија, како што се: наградата „Стале Попов“на ДПМ, наградата „Прозни мајстори“, која ја доделува фондацијата „Македонија презент“, како и прв добитник на
Ermis Lafazanovski
Ermis Lafazanovski (1961) is a contemporary Macedonian short story writer, novelist, historian and literary theorist, folklorist and translator. He has published several works in the field of folklore, literature and cultural anthropology. He has also made a significant contribution to contemporary Macedonian prose. Due to his innovative approach to storytelling, he has received several literary awards, such as: the “Stale Popov” award of the Macedonian Writers’ Association and the “Prose Masters” award, awarded by the “Macedonia Present” foundation. His literary opus consists of several novels, collections of short stories and scientific studies. He is also actively involved in the translation of contemporary Romanian prose into Macedonian. So far, he has translated about twenty novels by famous Romanian authors. He is a member of the Macedonian Writers’ Association and the Macedonian PEN Center.
Hrapeško
“Antolog”, Skopje, 2025
1In a remote place by the Vardar River lives Hrapeško – a gardener and winegrower with a legendary skill: with one movement of his scissors he can trim your beard without you feeling anything. A ray of light in the church will open the door for him to the world of colors, glass and art – a world he has never felt before. His fascination will lead him to the secret workshop of the master glazier, where fire and human hands create miracles. But while he discovers new beauties, the people around him look at him with distrust and condemnation.
The novel “Hrapeško” is the most translated novel by Ermis Lafazanovski, so far present in Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Albanian, Polish, Russian and Arabic!
Descriptor
“Antolog”, Skopje, 2025
“STALE POPOV” Award, 2001
A man who calls himself “The Descriptor” lives modestly and without ambition – but with a passion for describing everything: from natural landscapes and wall graffiti, to moments of love and the fates of others. His mission is to record the world as he sees it, to seize the moment before it disappears, to translate into words what images cannot say. With irony and subtle melancholy, the story leads us through the confession of a character who seeks the truth – and it, like light in water, constantly eludes him.
“Descriptor” is the winner of the “Stale Popov” award of the Writers’ Association of Macedonia for the best prose book in 2001.
Жарко Кујунџиски
Жарко Кујунџиски (Скопје, 1980) е македонски романсиер, есеист, драмски автор, раскажувач, поет, филмски и книжевен критичар, преведувач и издавач. Магистрирал на Катедрата за општа и компаративна книжевност на Филолошкиот факултет „Блаже Конески“. Бил
копирајтер во маркетинг-агенција, прес-координатор на Филмскиот фестивал „Браќа Манаки“ од Битола. Се пројавува како основач и иницијатор, самостојно или партнерски, на повеќе релеватни проекти во македонската културна. Автор е на 14 книги, како и на водичот „Скопје“ (2015. Превел и адаптирал на македонски јазик
на македонски јазик. Негови
српски, хрватски, словенечки, полски, германски, турски, бугарски, италијански, украински, арапски и на албански јазик. Застапен е во огромен број антологии на македонската проза и
„The Best European Fiction 2013“. Добитник
„DeBuren“, „13 Ноември“, „11
Zharko Kujundjiski
Žarko Kujundjiski (Skopje, 1980) is a Macedonian essayist, playwright, short story writer, poet, film and literary critic, translator and publisher. He received his master’s degree from the Department of General and Comparative Literature at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski”. He was a columnist in the daily newspapers “Utrinski Vesnik” and “Dnevnik”, a copywriter in a marketing agency, and a press coordinator at the “Manaki Brothers” Film Festival from Bitola. He is the founder and initiator, independently or in partnership, of several relevant projects in the in the Macedonian cultural environment.
He is the author of 14 books, as well as the guide “Skopje” (2015) as part of the project “Discovering Europe anew” by Little Global Cities. He has translated and adapted several works from English to Macedonian. His works have been translated into English, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Polish, German, Turkish, Bulgarian, Italian, Ukrainian, Arabic and Albanian. He is represented in a large number of anthologies of Macedonian prose and poetry. Among other things, his short story “When the Glasses Are Lost” is part of the renowned anthology “The Best European Fiction 2013”. He is the winner of the “Stale Popov”, “DeBuren”, “13 November”, “11 March 1943”, “White Dawns”, “Studentski Zbor”, “Blaže Koneski” awards for essay, as well as awards for screenplay and acting at the “Faces Without Masks” Festival. He was a Macedonian candidate for the “Balkanika” award 2021. He has been a member of the Writers’ Association of Macedonia since 2012 and the Macedonian PEN Center since 2013. The novel “Spectator” is the first debut novel in contemporary Macedonian literature with eight editions and has been translated into Polish and English so far. The novel “America” has been translated into Italian, while “Sphinx of Wrath” has been translated into Albanian and Bulgarian. The book “Storyteller” is being translated into Czech.
Storyaddict
“Antolog”, Skopje, 2024
“STALE POPOV” Award, 2024
“The short story is an underestimated form, but at the same time a form with incredible potential. Every author would like to identify themselves with this flashy and frivolous definition, and that is why I thought that such a collection would be the most appropriate to mark the anniversary of “twenty-five years of storytelling”. And when I say a form with incredible potential, I also mean this: the shortest of these prose pieces has ten words, and the longest has almost four thousand words.” ŽarkoKujundjiski
“Kujundjiski is a master of the short story, a master of reason whose root is in the heart. In one place, in one story, he writes about himself, about the fact that he writes the stories first in his head. But after reading it, it is quite clear that for him reason is not opposed to the heart. As in prayer: he thinks with his heart. That is why he happens to write something so warm, sincere and wonderful, which, I am sure, will change the physiognomy of the contemporary Macedonian short story.” VenkoAndonovski
Ivan Antonovski
Ivan Antonovski (1990) - poet, short story writer, essayist, literary researcher and translator, assistant professor at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” (Department of Macedonian Literature and Culture) at the University “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje. He is the author of several poetry books, children’s books, books with research and essays on contemporary Macedonian literature and literary translations. He is a co-editor of four anthologies and several other monographic publications relating to contemporary Macedonian literature. He was an editor and contributor to several magazines on literature and culture. He is the recipient of several literary awards (including: “Vančo Nikoleski” for the best children’s book in 2024 and “Živko Čingo” for the best short story in 2023) and awards high social recognition (including the state award “Mito Hadživasilev - Jasmin” for 2024, for achievements in journalism of interest to Macedonia). The best young scientist in the humanities for 2021, awarded by the President of the country with the “Successful Youth” award. Member of: The Writers’ Association of Macedonia, the Macedonian Slavic Committee, and the Association of Literary Translators of Macedonia.
“Kisses in the Sky” “Svetulka nova”, Skopje, 2024 “VANČO NIKOLESKI” Award, 2024
A gentle story about the onset of winter and the warm bond between brother and sister, little sister Ilina and little Jakov. On a snowy night, as they prepare for bed, Ilina tells Jakov a fairy tale she had heard from their grandmother, which begins the magic. The rich illustrations with a nostalgic overtone complement the atmosphere. Although it is a picture book, the text is extensive and carries a multi-layered message – from the fairy tale of snow, to the contemporary theme of the love between brother and sister. The author turns the simple situation into a deep metaphor for family closeness, but also for transferring responsibility to older children in today’s dynamic times. With the motto “Everything beautiful that exists in this world is created from love”, Antonovski offers a piece that equally addresses both children and parents, creating a rounded whole of text, illustrations and design.
Иван Шопов
Иван
чевли на градот“ (2020) и збирката кратки раскази „Зентрифуга“ (2024). Пишува и поезија и хаику. Расказите и песните
Ivan Šopov
Ivan Šopov was born in 1987 in Skopje. He graduated in General and Comparative Literature from the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” in his hometown. He has published the collection of short stories “Alphabet and the Stray Notes” (2010), for which he received the “Novite!” award for best debut prose manuscript, the collection of prose poems “Belly of the year” (2012), the book of collected satirical texts “Chronicles of Arslan Novinarski” (2018), the collection of short stories “Skopje: the Lost Shoes of the City” (2020) and the collection of short stories “Zentrifuga” (2024). He also writes poetry and haiku. His stories and poems have been translated into a dozen languages. He translated books into Macedonian by Miroslav Krleža, Marta Nusbaum, Zvonko Karanović, Madeleine Thien, Bojan Babić, Asja Bakić, Mihail Vešim, Ambrose Beers, Dragoslav Mihailović... Together with Vladimir Lukaš, he founded the Cultural Center 750.
“Zentrifuge” “Begemot”, Skopje, 2024
The title itself, with its play on words between “zen” and “centrifuge”, indicates playfulness, parody, as well as an excellent knowledge of the stories that are the subject of reinterpretation, which is a necessary prerequisite for a successful parody. The stories are seemingly simple, written in an easy, understandable style. But, in fact, they contain a deeper theme because, through unexpected, witty twists, they reveal and shake up the firmly built, consistent ethical views of Zen stories, often with shocking results.
© Lilika Strezoska
Калина Малеска
Калина Малеска е писателка, професорка, книжевна преведувачка. Авторка е на: романите Бруно и боите (2006), Призраци со срмени нишки (2014) и Светот што го избрав (2024), збирките раскази: Недоразбирања (1998), Именување на инсектот (2008), Мојот непријател Итар Пејо (2016) и Скопје во високата зона (2021), драмата Случка меѓу настани: Хипатија од Александрија (2010); книгите за деца: Арно ама (2018) и Вонземјанинот Лу-Ру-Су (2021).
За романот Светот што го избрав
Kalina Maleska
Kalina Maleska is a Macedonian writer and professor of English literature at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. Her works include: the novels Bruno and the Colors (2006), Apparitions with Silver Threads (2014), and The World I Chose (2024); the short story collections: Misunderstandings (1998), The Naming the Insect (2008), Itar Peyo, My Enemy (2016) and Skopje in the High Zone (2021); the play An Event among Many: Hypatia of Alexandria (2010); the children’s books Arno ama (2018) and The Alien Lu-RuSu (2021).
Her novel The World I Chose received the Novel of the Year Award for 2024, awarded by the Foundation for the Promotion of Cultural Values “Slavko Janevski”.
Her short stories have been translated into several languages and published in magazines and anthologies in the country and abroad. Her short story “A Different Kind of Weapon” is represented in the anthology Best European Fiction 2018. Two of her stories for children have been adapted for the stage and performed by the theatre for children Shadows and Clouds. Maleska also works in the area of literary theory and criticism, and has published the literary studies Forms of Power in Contemporary Literature (2020), and Vision, Transformation: Utopias, Dystopias and Other Imaginary Worlds (2023). Her articles related to literary research have been published in domestic and international academic journals. In the area of literary translation, some of the authors she has translated from English into Macedonian are: Laurence Sterne, Ambrose Bierce, Claire Keegan, Lea Ypi, etc.
The World I Chose „Ili-ili“, Skopje, 2024 “NOVEL OF THE YEAR” award, 2024
The novel The World I Chose is a story about the transformation of Leona, whose sense of self and identity changes and develops through her encounter with various people and spaces: the basement in which she moves after a her divorce, the residents of the basement and the house above, the members of the education board, the office in which their meetings take place. The internal monologues in which Leona analyzes herself and the people around her with psychological depth and precision, often recalling the past, are interwoven with the ongoing episodes taking place at the board meetings. The dominant characteristic of the novel is its heterogeneity: the presence of various generations, classes, gender tensions, children with atypical cognitive development, excellently conveyed characters, ethical dimensions, empathy towards people, but also criticism.
Мајнхард Раухенштајнер
Мајнхард Раухенштајнер,
филозофија,
Универзитетот за применета уметност. Пишувал за „Франкфуртер Хефте“,
издание 2020 година), „Двонасочен сообраќај“ (2021), „Разни смртни случаи“ (2023) и „Кога сум сам, третиот ми пречи“ (двојазично издание на германски и на македонски, 2024). Од филмската продукција, познат е по кратките филмови Есен (UA Diagonale 2016), Папа Рома (UA Diagonale 2020) и Антифашистичка зоолошка градина (UA Diagonale 2022). Кога сум сам, третиот ми пречи / Wenn ich alleine bin, stört jeder dritte nur
Meinhard Rauchensteiner
Meinhard Rauchensteiner, born in 1970 in Vienna, studied philosophy, fine arts, applied arts, theology, and political science at the University of Vienna, the Academy of Fine Arts, and the University of Applied Arts. He wrote for ‘Frankfurter Hefte,’ ‘Morgen,’ and ‘Lichtungen,’ and published in various daily newspapers and periodicals. He also taught for seven years at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Department of Photography. For over twenty-five years, he has worked in the Austrian Presidential Office as a Speechwriter and as Head of the Department for Science, Art, and Culture. Rauchensteiner has published five short story collections, including: A Little Alphabet of the State Visit (2011, with an expanded edition in 2020), Two-Way Traffic (2021), Various Deaths (2023), and When I’m Alone, the Third One Bothers Me (bilingual GermanMacedonian, trans. Marija Girevska, 2024). In film, he is known for the short films Autumn (UA Diagonale 2016), Papa Roma (UA Diagonale 2020), and Antifascist Zoo (UA Diagonale 2022).
When I am alone, I am bothered by the third / Wenn ich alleine bin, stört jeder dritte nur
Self-published, Skopje 2024
Translation to Macedonian: Marija Girevska
“The book is a selection of Rauschensteiner’s latest, previously unpublished, short stories and short prose and aphorisms published in German in Austria. The entire concept for the book was conceived in collaboration between the translator and the author. This is the first translation into Macedonian of the short stories of this contemporary Austrian writer. Short prose is the genre in which his lucidity, insight, irony, and often sarcasm and humor are most evident. Those who know Rauschensteiner better know that books are his passion and obsession, both reading and buying. In his office in the Hofburg, right above the presidential office, behind the glass doors of the dark brown wooden bookcase, two hundred years old, lies one of the richest collections of translations of Joyce’s Ulysses. Here, somewhere on the middle shelf, stand upright the three editions of the Macedonian Ulysses. As a lover of contemporary Austrian art and the rich treasury of Viennese composers, on his shelves “You can also find ‘holy books’, which are kept separately, in a special place in his home library. We don’t have to enter his home, we can just read his stories. Kafka, Handke, Heidegger, Roth, Goethe, Joyce, Bulgakov, Musil, Doderer... are just some of what is “a must” reading for Rauchensteiner. Rauchensteiner, who belongs to the long Austrian literary tradition, writes here with a completely new voice, full of the magic of astonishment and surprise.” MajaKatarova
© Czernin Verlag / Ingo Pertramer
Михајло Свидерски (1991) е
„Бело
дебитантски
(2019) – номиниран за
(EUPL)
(2014)
Mihajlo Sviderski
Mihajlo Sviderski (1991) is a Macedonian prose writer and а poet. He is the author of the novels “White and Red” (2014) - winner of the “Novite” award for best debut prose manuscript, “The Last Days of Hans” (2019) - nominated for the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) in 2020 and finalist for the “Novel of the Year” award for 2020, “The Sons of Adam” (2022)winner of the “Literary Circle” award for best prose achievement, and “Aragon” (2025) - nominated for the “Racin’s Recognition” award. He is the author of several poetry books. His works have been translated into several languages.
Aragon
“Antolog”, Skopje, 2025
The Sephardic Jews live a peaceful life until they are confronted with the cruelty of war. Allegra, trapped in a loveless marriage, dares to run away with her lover Yeshua, but their forbidden love ends tragically when her husband, Rahamim, kills Yeshua. Young Eliezer, who accidentally escapes deportation, finds love in the arms of the Christian Maria. The story is intertwined with the courage of Nesima, a Muslim woman who risks everything in those difficult times to save Allegra and Eliezer. Sometimes, even in the most difficult moments, there are moments of happiness. Some members of the organization “Hashomer Hatzair” leave for the promised land shortly before deportation, through illegal channels, and thus they will be saved. This extraordinary novel with a mosaic of stories is a moving testimony to the strength of the human spirit, to the tragedy of war and to the hope that is born in the darkest times.
“The novel has a lavish, dynamic, playful style; a language that corresponds to the world it depicts, creating it faithfully and thoroughly down to the smallest detail; but what is especially important, this novel possesses aesthetic, literary, philosophical values that express the eternal dilemmas and questions about the relationship between darkness, fear, death, destruction, on the one hand, and the triumph of light, the glory of faith, hope, life, on the other.” FrosinaParmakovska
„Стале
Рациновото
на Ќорвезироска
француски, унгарски, албански, чешки, српски, бугарски, словенечки, полски, руски, германски и на грчки јазик. Нејзината збирка „(С)плетени раскази“
Olivera Kjorveziroska
Olivera Kjorveziroska was born in 1965 in Kumanovo. She completed her primary and secondary education in her hometown, and graduated from the Faculty of Philology in Skopje, where she lives and works as a literary editor. She is the author of two books of poetry, three books for children, three books of critique and essays, three novels and eight books of short stories for adults. She is a multiple winner of significant short story awards in Macedonia. For “(S)pleteni raskazi” she received the award for best prose book of the Writers’ Association of Macedonia - “Stale Popov” in 2003, and for the novel “Three Marys” - the “Racin’s Recognition” Award for 2025. The novel “The Locked Body of Lou” entered the final for the Novel of the Year in 2005. Kjorveziroska’s short stories have been translated into English, French, Hungarian, Albanian, Czech, Serbian, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Polish, Russian, German and Greek. Her collection “(S)pleteni raskazi” has been translated into Croatian, and the novels “My Brother from the Thirteenth Floor” and “Ab’t” into Albanian and Bulgarian. The novel “The Breadbun Mirna” is listed as optional reading in the curriculum for third graders in elementary schools. Kjorveziroska is represented in about twenty anthologies published at home, in Macedonian, and abroad - in other languages. She is a member of the Writers’ Association of Macedonia and the Macedonian PEN Center.
“Three Marys”
“Ars Lamina”, Skopje, 2025 “RACIN’S RECOGNITION” Award, 2025
The author poetically wants to build on her predecessors, hence the playful variation of the title of Janevski’s novel “Two Marys” from 1956, and the naming of one of the male characters only as Slavko, as well as the presence of the novel “Two Marys” on the shelves in the apartment... ”Three Marys” contains three independent stories about three different women who bear the same name - Marija and who want to leave their current lives because of sinful love. Their own or someone else’s. What unites them in a novelistic structure is precisely the apartment that is for rent and that all three want to rent, seeking salvation in it…
“Tail of a thread”
“Begemot”, Skopje, 2025
A thematic, modular selection of Kjorveziroska’s stories curated by Vladimir Jankovski, who, by changing the natural environment, the “neighborhood” of the stories, builds an almost new collection of old stories. The sliding through time of individual motifs, characters and situations, as well as the conscious and deliberate grouping and approximation of the stories to each other, reactualizes and recontextualizes the old stories in a new book.
Онджеј Штиндл (1966)
сценарист
Штиндл бил познат како водител на музичката емисија „Замок на духови“ (Strašidelný zámek) и како ди-џеј. Кариерата во новинарството ја започнал на почетокот на 1990-тите, со текстови за списанието „Revolver Revue“. Работел и за весникот „LIdových novinách“, потоа за чешкото дописништво на Би-би-си, за списанието „Týden“, како и за весникот „Deník N“, каде што во 2022 година се вработил во новата културна рубрика. Штиндл е автор на повеќе романи, меѓу кои: „Мондшајн“ (Mondschein, 2012), „Кон границата“ (K hranici, 2016), „Сè дури не ти се сврти во главата“ (Až se ti zatočí hlava, 2020), „Толку многу пепел“ (Tolik popela, 2022).
Напишал сценарија за филмот „Поута“ (Pouta, 2010) и за ТВ-серијата „Свет под главата“ (Svět pod hlavou, 2017), за кои
чешки
„Лав“ за најдобро сценарио. По убедување е монархист. Во 1999 г. бил еден од потписниците
Ondřej Štindl
Ondřej Štindl (born 1966) is a Czech writer, journalist, film and music critic, screenwriter and а DJ, known for his contributions to contemporary Czech literature and media. He studied at the Faculty of Education at Charles University in Prague. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, he co-founded Radio 1, which was initially called Radio Stalin and began broadcasting in 1990. The radio was initially unauthorized, but was later legalized. Štindl was known as the host of the music show “Haunted Castle” (Strašidelný zámek) and as a DJ.
He began his career in journalism in the early 1990s, with articles for the magazine “Revolver Revue”. He also worked for the newspaper “LIdových novinách”, then for the BBC Czech correspondent, for the magazine “Týden”, as well as for the newspaper “Deník N”, where in 2022 he took a job in the new cultural section.
Štindl is the author of several novels, including: “Mondschein” (2012), “To the Border” (2016), “Until Your Head Turns” (2020), “So Much Ash” (2022). He wrote the screenplays for the film “Pouta” (2010) and the TV series “World Under the Head” (2017), for which he received the Czech Lion Award for Best Screenplay.
He is a monarchist by conviction. In 1999 he was one of the signatories of the monarchist declaration ”On the Threshold of the New Millennium” by writer Petr Placák . In 2020, he received the prestigious “Ferdinand Peroutka” award for his journalistic work, which recognizes his great role in the Czech media and culture.
So Much Ash (Tolik popela)
Translation to Macedonian: Margareta Karajanova
“Antolog”, Skopje, 2025
Prague in the first half of 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kristof Mraz is overwhelmed by a new feeling. He is forced to ask himself difficult questions that until then, he had brushed under the rug: to reexamine the meaning of life, and perhaps the existence of God, to face his life and the losses he has suffered, to open up to the possibility of love, to stop living in a “lukewarm” way. Suddenly he finds himself at a crossroads in life, meeting a young leftist intellectual Kristina, and then Kamil – a guru with a strange connection to his deceased sister. The looming pandemic changes his life, making the possibility of the end of the world more real than ever before. Kristof moves towards his own “personal apocalypse”, haunted by melancholy, grotesque, memories and dark premonitions. He becomes a hesitant actor in a story that could be a great revelation – or a cruel cosmic joke. And maybe it’s a love story.
This book was the Czech representative for the European Union Prize for Literature in 2023.
© Jan Křikava
Петра Клабоухова (1980) е чешка писателка
на 20 август 1980 година. Работела како
рок-артисти во Европа и САД, каде што
во живо. Потекнува од Јужна Бохемија,
шумавските
Универзитетот „Масарик“ во Брно.
Како новинарка, започнала како уредничка во регионалните весници на издавачката куќа „Vltava Labe Press“,
Калифорнија (САД) – соработувала како надворешна
„Host“.
Feltrinelli“.
Petra Klabouchová
Petra Klabouchová (born August 20 , 1980 , Prachatice) is a Czech writer and journalist. She also works as a music manager for independent rock artists in Europe and the USA, where she organizes live concerts and music production.
Petra Klabouchová comes from Husinec in South Bohemia , and spent her childhood in the Šumava Mountains , in Vimperk . After graduating from high school there, she studied journalism, psychology and international relations at Masaryk University in Brno. As a journalist, she started as an editor in regional newspapers of the “Vltava Labe Press” publishing house , later, after her long-term work stays abroad, in Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and California, she also contributed as an external editor to the magazine “Glanc”. Currently, her reports are published in the literary magazine Host. Petra Klabouchová also writes and publishes in Italian with the “La Feltrinelli” publishing house.
In addition to literary publications, she has been working in the music field since 2004. She represented the rock bands Hollywood Vampires, SEX Department and Rock N Roll Army on their concert tours in Europe, the USA and Japan, and participated in the production of their music albums at Perris Records (USA, Texas) and in the Czech Republic at Popron Music.
© David Konecny
Петра Клабоухова
Petra Klabouchová
At
the North Wall (U severní zdi)
Translation to Macedonian: Margareta Karajanova
“Antolog”, Skopje, 2024
A story based on true testimonies about the fates of female political prisoners who passed through women’s prisons in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. The events are connected to the present through two characters in the book – The Man with a Hole in His Heart and The Carer of the Dying. A new patient, Ludmila, arrives at the hospital for people with terminal illnesses with a diagnosis that the local medical team does not understand. In addition to the cruelty of people and general injustice, this is also a story about the strength of women, motherhood, and old age. The title comes from the geographical location of the mass graves of victims of the communist regime, which are located “at the northern wall” of the Devil’s Cemetery in Prague. The novel reveals previously unknown details about the regime that some considered good, and whose perpetrators declare: I was just doing my job.
Sources of the Vltava River (Prameny Vltavy)
Translation to Macedonian: Sonja Stojmenska - Elzeser
Antolog, Skopje, 2024
Behind the story of the discovery of the dead girl Tereza Velkova one cold night in Šumava and the investigation into her death, long-hidden truths about war crimes in the Czech-German border region are revealed. The murdered girl is found wearing a striped prison uniform with a Jewish emblem. Stories emerge of underground tunnels, about a secret Nazi aircraft parts factory, and a camp that was never recorded anywhere and whose victims have no trace. Old stories influence the lives of new generations living in the area. The spirit of inherited intolerance intensifies the division of the community and allows for a dive into the deep layers of the psychological profiles of the main characters of the story. The novel was awarded the honorary “Jirí Marko” award, which is awarded for the best detective novel in the Czech Republic.
Сања Михајловиќ-Костадиновска (1982), поради сплет на околности, работи на Филолошкиот факултет како професор по шпанска книжевност. Случајно станува писателка на следниве книги: „517“, „(Бес) конечни модели на расказот“, „Во кратки црви“, „Сонувалко“ и „Атолото“. Во моментов не пишува ништо
Sanja MihajlovićKostadinovska
Sanja Mihajlović-Kostadinovska (1982), due to a mix of circumstances, works at the Faculty of Philology as a professor of Spanish literature. She has accidentally become the author of the following books: “517”, “(Infinite) Models of the Short Story”, “In Short Worms”, “Sonuwalko” and “Atollo”. She is currently not writing anything due to lack of time or inspiration, she does not know exactly, but she always experiences creative writing as opposed to boring academic writing as a liberating act.
“In short” “Begemot”, Skopje, 2021
“The stories are written in third and more often in first person pov, by a credible narrator, who nevertheless occasionally revels in unreliability, using it to seductively lead the reader through the story. […] Almost all the stories are set in abstract temporal-spatial coordinates, which are nevertheless somewhere in modernity and in urban environments, and this leaves the impression of the stories being autobiographical. However, this approach (the often confessional tone and measured lyricism, which do not even for a moment give off nuances of pathos) can be seen as a small, imperceptible and successfully arranged trap, and that gentle, spontaneous questioning between the possibility of autobiography and the certainty of fiction is just another appealing feature of this collection.” ŽivkoGrozdanoski
Seray Şahiner
Seray Şahiner is a Turkish writer born in 1984 in Bursa and raised in the Aksaray neighborhood of Istanbul. In 2007, she graduated from the Department of Journalism at the Faculty of Communication at Istanbul University. She began writing at a young age, with the support of her family. In high school, she published magazines and fanzines where she published her stories. From her first year of college, she worked as a journalist in a student magazine. In 2011, she received her master’s degree from the Department of Cinematography at the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Marmara University, with a thesis on “The Wealth of Themes in Orhan Kemal’s Screenplays in 1960s Turkish Film”. She worked as a culture and arts journalist for several newspapers. This journalistic experience allowed her to master the language that people use in everyday life. She took guitar and painting classes for a long time, and was also a scout and a mountaineer. For a while she worked as a waitress, manual laborer, and machine operator in her mother’s sewing workshop. She writes prose and engages in journalism. She has won several awards for her short stories and novels, and some of them have been staged as theater plays. Şahiner’s works focus on class issues and are written in a humorous style, with women in the spotlight.
Antabuse (Antabus)
Translation to Macedonian: Julija Petrovska
“Antolog”, Skopje, 2024
“Antabuse” tells the story of violence against women through the worldview of fifteen-yearold Leyla.
She is the only daughter in a working-class family that emigrated from Anatolia to Istanbul. And instead of school, she is sent to work in a garment factory to bring money home. Leyla begins to live her own tragic fate and in these pages she tells it directly, without embellishment or hiding anything. The harsh reality of Leyla, who lives to find a way to escape the situation she is in, will not leave you indifferent. The author uses such words that their power makes you feel the hurt of someone else’s pain.
The “Tatbikat Sahnesi Theater” performs the drama adapted from this novel and in 2016, the work received the “Cevat Fehmi Başkut” special award.
Нејзиниот
Sholeh Rezazadeh
Sholeh Rezazadeh (b. 1989) came to the Netherlands from Iran in 2015. Three years after her arrival, she signed a contract for her literary debut novel “De hemel is altijd paars” (The sky is always purple), which was awarded the Debutantenprijs of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde and the Bronzen Uil Publieksprijs. It was also on the longlist of the Libris Literatuurpijs and Hebban Debuutprijs. More than 50,000 copies of this book were sold in the Netherlands and Belgium. Her second novel, “Ik ken een berg die op me wachten”, received a Special Mention from The European Union Prize for the Literature and was nominated for the Amarte Literature Prize and the Nature Book Prize. Measure her poetry debut, “Neem ruim zei de zee”, reached several reprints in a short time. For Book Week 2025, she wrote the Book Week poem. She is also a sought-after elocutionist.
I know a mountain that is waiting for me (Ik ken een berg die op me wacht)
Translation to Macedonian: Eli Pujovska “Antolog”, Skopje, 2025
A wonderful novel about the power of nature and the yearning for peace and space. Fortyyear-old Alma lives on a houseboat on the quietly flowing Amstel River and is constantly busy with work. But one day she makes a radical decision and travels alone to Iran. There lives Saraj, who keeps sheep and milks goats and is in love with a boy from another nomadic family with whom she has secret meetings on the banks of the Aras, the fast-flowing river that roars through the rugged mountain landscape. The nomads live from day to day and eat what the seasons offer them. Instead of constantly staring at their phones, they are connected to each other. But their survival is threatened. In a beautiful poetic style, Sholeh Razazadeh has woven this perfectly allegorical novel in which she tells the story of Alma and Saraj, as well as of Aras and Amstel.
© Frank Ruiter
објавува рецензии на книжевни дела
странски и од македонски автори. Пишува поезија, хаику и кратки раскази. Во периодиката, негови дела се објавувани во списанијата „Стремеж“ и „Мравка“ како и во електронска форма на „Окно“ и „Разноликост“. Има учествувано на хаику-читања на „Ноќи без интерпункции“ во склоп на Струшките вечери на поезијата..
Aleksandar Madjarovski (1978) has a master’s in philosophy. He is a poet, translator, lover of literature and a Macedonian YouTuber known as “The Reader”. He publishes reviews of literary works by foreign and Macedonian authors on his YouTube channel. He writes haiku poetry and short stories.In periodicals, his works have been published in the magazines “Stremež “ and “Mravka”, as well as in electronic form in “Okno” and “Raznolikost”. He has participated in haiku readings of “Nights without punctuation” as part of the Struga evenings of poetry.
Aleksandra Jurukovska is a literary critic, journalist and culture promotor. She is the author of the books: “Weaving the Text” (newspaper criticism; Silsons, 2014), “The Media Exile of Literature” (intermedia study; Avant Press, 2018) and “2 Minutes and 40 Lines” (radio and news criticism; PNV Publications, 2020). She is also the author of numerous essays and studies in the field of literary criticism, essay writing and theory. She publishes in the most important domestic and regional journals for literature, culture and cultural research, as well as on several specialized portals. She has been a member of the Macedonian Writers’ Association since 2019. “Weavers” is her first poetic manuscript, for which she received the “Danica Ručigaj” award in 2025. Александра Јуруковска е книжевен кртичар, новинар и промотор на културата. Автор е на книгите: „Ткаење на текстот“ (новинска критика; Силсонс, 2014), „Медиумскиот егзил на книжевноста“ (интермедијалната студија; Авант прес, 2018) и „2 минути и 40 реда“ (радио и новинска критика; ПНВ публикации, 2020). Автор е и на бројни есеи и студии и од сферата на книжевната критика, есеистика и теорија. Објавува во најзначајните домашни и регионални списанија за литература, култура и културолошки истражувања, како и на неколку специјализирани портали. Член е на Друштвото на писателите на Македонија од 2019 година. „Ткажалки“ е нејзин прв поетски ракопис, за кој ја доби наградата „Даница Ручигај“ 2025.
маркетинг. Сопруга
Александар и мајка на Сара. Во својата кариера има соработувано со многу компании и со гордост секогаш ги споделува, а тоа се Мерцедес, Хјунади, АД Осигурителна полиса, Нула ОТПАД. Дел е од основачите на организацијата MASWA чиј основен темел е екологијата. Денес е вработена во „Канал 5“ и веќе четири години е дел од тимот на „Здраво Македонијо“. Учествува во разговори на различни теми – култура, здравје, екологија, образование допирајќи повеќе општествени сегменти со цел и идеја да промениме кон подобро утре.
Aleksandra Panovska Ilievska (1985) has graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy - Social Policy. She is a student at BRAINSTER, digital marketing. Wife of Aleksandar and mother of Sara. In her career, she has collaborated with many companies and always shares them with pride, such as Mercedes, Hyundai, AD Osigurtelna Polisa, Zero Waste. She is one of the founders of the MASWA organization, whose main foundation is ecology. Today, she is employed by “Kanal 5” and has been part of the “Zdravo Makedonija” team for four years. She participates in conversations on various topics - culture, health, ecology, and education, touching on multiple social segments with the goal and the idea of changing for a better tomorrow.
Анастасија Ѓурчинова (1963) e eсеистка и преведувачка, a работи и како професорка по италијанска книжевност на Катедрата за италијански јазик и книжевност на Филолошкиот факултет „Блаже Конески“. Нејзини полиња на интерес се италијанистиката, компаратистиката, македонистиката, преведувачките студии и транскултурните студии. Се пројавува како автор на седум критичкоесеистички книги и монографии, но и како приредувач на многубројни книжевни дела, антологии, научни изданија и зборници. За својата преведувачка дејност двапати ја добила наградата „Златно перо“, доделена од Друштвото на книжевни преведувачи на Македонија, како и Националната награда за преведувачки опус и афирмација на италијанската литература во странство, доделена од Министерството за култура на Република Италија во 2015 година.
Anastasija Gjurčinova (1963) is an essayist, translator, and university professor. She works as a professor of Italian literature at the Department of Italian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” in Skopje. Her fields of interest include Italian studies, comparative literature, Macedonian studies, translation studies, and transcultural studies. She has published several monographs, edited several collections, and compiled two anthologies. She translates from Italian to Macedonian. For her translation work, she has twice received the “Golden Pen” award. She is a recipient of two orders from the President of the Republic of Italy.
Биљана Стојановска (1984) има дипломирано на Филолошкиот факултет „Блаже Конески“ во Скопје,
Во 2015 година ја објави нејзината прва збирка поезија „Зборовите
„Антолог“. Добитник е на книжевната награда „Тодор Чаловски“ за 2017 година за книгата „Стан што се распаѓа“ (2018, „Галикул“). Нејзината трета книга „Додека спиеш“ излезе во 2025 година во издание на „Чудна шума“. Нејзината поезија е преведена на англиски, германски, кинески, српски, полски, словенечки јазик, а застапена е и во повеќе македонски списанија за литература и антологии.
Biljana Stojanovska (1984) graduated from the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” in Skopje, at the department of Macedonian literature and South Slavic literature.
In 2015, she published her first collection of poetry “Words have no meaning” published by Antolog. She is the winner of the 2017 “Todor Chalovski” literary award for the book “A flat that is falling apart” (2018, Gallikul). Her third book, “While You Sleep”, was published in 2025 by “Čudna šuma”.
Her poetry has been translated into English, German, Chinese, Serbian, Polish, Slovenian, and has been featured in several Macedonian literature magazines and anthologies.
Владимир Јанковски (1977) е писател и преведувач. Дипломирал на Катедрата за општа и компаративна книжевност на Филолошкиот факултет „Блаже Конески“ во Скопје. Работел како уредник во неколку издавачки куќи. Има објавено седум книги. За романот „Скриени желби, немирни патувања“ ја добил наградата „Роман на годината“ и бил македонски кандидат за Наградата за литература на Европската Унија, а за „Невидливи љубови“ ја добил наградата „Рациново признание“. Активно се занимава со книжевен превод. На македонски јазик превел книги од Дубравка Угрешиќ, Миљенко Јерговиќ, Маргарет Етвуд, Филип К. Дик, Милош Црњански, Јанис Јоневс, Слободан Шнајдер, Дамир Каракаш, Мухарем Баздуљ, Горан Трибусон, Роберт Перишиќ, Светлана Слапшак, Чарлс Буковски и други.
Vladimir Jankovski (1977) is a writer and a translator. He is a graduate on the Department of General and Comparative Literature at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski in Skopje. He worked as an editor in several publishing houses. For the novel “Hidden Desires, Restless Journeys” he won the “Novel of the Year” Award and was the Macedonian candidate for the European Prize for Literature, and for “Invisible Loves” he won the “Racinovo Priznanie” Award. He actively works on literary translations. In Macedonian he translated books from Dubravka Ugrešić, Miljenko Jergović, Margaret Atwood, Philip K. Dick, Miloš Crnjanski, Yanis Yonevs, Slobodan Šnajder, Damir Karakaš, Muharem Bazdulj, Goran Tribuson, Robert Perišić, Svetlana Slapšak, Charles Bukowski and others.
Весна Мојсова-Чепишевска (1967, Скопје).
(1996) и докторирала (2002) на
(1989),
областа на книжевноста за деца, како и
култура. Од 2012 година е редовен професор
факултет „Блаже Конески“ при УКИМ на којшто ја извршува и функцијата продекан за настава (2004 – 2008). Во моментот е кораководител на Трет циклус студии по македонистика на Докторската школа при УКИМ. Од 2002 година работи и како лектор по македонска литература и јазик на Меѓународниот семинар за македонски јазик, литература и култура во Охрид (МСМЈЛК при УКИМ). Од 2019 до 2023 таа е директор на МСМЈЛК при УКИМ. Авторка е на десет монографски публикации (научни книги), од кои девет се за современата македонска книжевност, додека една е за книжевноста за деца. Приредувачка е на единаесет антологии, од кои пет се објавени надвор од Македонија, а авторка е и на учебникот по македонска литература за странци „Везилка“ (издание на УКИМ, 2019 – прво издание и 2022 – второ изменето и дополнето издание). Таа е и еден од авторите на колективната монографија „Македонска поетика и стилистика“ на Комисијата за стилистика при Меѓународниот славистички комитет. Добитничка е на неколку признанија
наградите „Димитар Митрев“
Vesna Mojsova - Čepiševska (1967, Skopje). She graduated (1989), received her master’s degree (1996) and her doctorate (2002) from the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” at the University “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje. Immediately after graduating, in 1990, she was employed at the Faculty, where she has spent her entire working life to date, from assistant to resident professor. She teaches multiple subjects in the field of contemporary Macedonian literature, subjects in the field of children’s literature, as well as subjects in the field of Macedonian culture. Since 2012, she has been a resident professor at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” at UKIM, where she has also held the position of Vice-Dean for Teaching (2004 – 2008). She is currently co-director of the Third Cycle of Studies in Macedonian Studies at the Doctoral School at UKIM. Since 2002, she has also worked as a lecturer in Macedonian literature and language at the International Seminar for Macedonian Language, Literature and Culture in Ohrid. From 2019 to 2023, she is the director there. She is the author of ten monographic publications (scientific books), nine of which cover the topic of contemporary Macedonian literature, while one is on children’s literature. She is the editor of eleven anthologies, five of which have been published outside Macedonia, and she is also the author of the textbook on Macedonian literature for foreigners “Embroidery” (published by UKIM, 2019 - first edition and 2022 - second revised and supplemented edition). She is also one of the authors of the collective monograph “Macedonian Poetics and Stylistics” of the Commission on Stylistics at the International Slavic Committee. She is the recipient of several awards, including the “Dimitar Mitrev” awards for best book reviews and essays (for 2015) from the Writers’ Association of Macedonia and the “13 November” award from the City of Skopje (in 2022).
Литературата, филмот, музиката и уметноста се ресурси кои ги користи во психотерапевтската работа со семејства, партнери и индивидуи. Свои психолошки осврти на значајни филмски и уметнички дела објавува на сајтот https://dpsihoterapija.mk/.
Dragica Stamenkovikj is a psychologist, a M. A. in clinical and advisory psychology and a psychotherapist. She has her private practice in which she works both with families and individually. Her expertise consists of more psychotherapeutic modalities which allows her to create a working access which is integrative and creative. Literature, film, music and art are resources which she uses in her psychotherapeutic work with families, partners and individuals. She publishes her psychological reflections on significant films and works of art on the website https:// dpsihoterapija.mk/.
книжевност и јужнословенски книжевности
факултет „Блаже Конески“ при Универзитет „Св. Кирил и Методиј“, Скопје, каде што моментално е магистранд по македонска литература. Застапуван е во неколку антологии на македонската млада поезија. Преведува од бугарски јазик, како за домашната културна сцена така и во рамките на интернационалниот проект „Across Europe“. Моментално работи како професор по македонски јазик и литература во Меѓународните училишта НОВА во Скопје. Автор е на книгата „Алхемија на 21 век“ и на голем број есеи објавени во периодиката.
Duško Krstevski (1981) is a poet, translator and literary reviewer. He graduated from the Department of Macedonian Literature and South Slavic Literatures at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski”, where he is currently a master’s student in Macedonian literature. He is represented in several anthologies of Macedonian young poetry. He translates from Bulgarian, both for the domestic cultural scene and within the international project “Across Europe”. He currently works as a professor of Macedonian language and literature at International Schools NOVA in Skopje. He is the author of the book “Alchemy of the 21st century” and numerous essays published in periodicals. Душко Крстевски (1981)
јазици. Во 2017 година ја
докторската дисертација. Неколку години работи во градинките и во приватните училишта за странски јазици во Скопје како професор по англиски јазик. Од 2012 до 2014 година работи во Министерството за култура на Република Македонија, а од 2014 година е редовно вработена во НУБ „Св. Климент Охридски“ – Скопје. Покрај преводите на романи од англиски јазик, има учествувано и во бројни проекти на Владата на Република Северна Македонија. Сè уште соработува со повеќе издавачки куќи од Македонија,
но соработува и со странски организации во земјата и странство.
Jana Mihajlovska (1981) is a librarian and president of the Association of Macedonia. In 2004, she graduated from the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” in Skopje at the Department of Macedonian Language and South Slavic Languages. In 2017, she defended her doctoral dissertation. For several years she worked in kindergartens and in private foreign language schools as an English teacher. From 2012 to 2014, she worked at the Ministry of Culture, and since 2014 she has been a regular employee at the National and University Library “St. Clement of Ohrid” – Skopje. In addition to translations of novels from English, he has also participated in numerous projects at the governmental level. He still cooperates with several publishing houses from Macedonia, but also with foreign organizations in the country and abroad.
Јасминка Марковска е преведувачка и писателка од Скопје.
Дипломирала на Катедрата за oпшта и компаративна литература на Филолошкиот факултет „Блаже Конески“ во Скопје, како и на Универзитетот „Ратгерс“ во Њу Џерси, САД. Магистрирала на Универзитетот во Осло, Норвешка. Авторка е на неколку драми, поезија и книжевни есеи. Превела повеќе прозни и поетски дела на и од англиски, норвешки и од македонски јазик. Во моментов живее во Норвешка.
Jasminka Markovska is a translator and writer from Skopje. She graduated from the Department of General and Comparative Literature at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” in Skopje, as well as from Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA. She obtained her Master’s degree at the University of Oslo, Norway. She is the author of several plays, poetry, and literary essays. She has translated numerous prose and poetry works to and from English, Norwegian, and Macedonian. She currently lives in Norway.
ги објавува своите романи, објавил неколку стрипови и голем број раскази. Неговите романи: „Тегли“, „Заследи ме“, „Наследство: Прозорецот“, „Зборови“, „Тајни“ и „Наследство: Кошмари“ е меѓу најчитаните дела од македонски автори. Живее во Охрид, работејќи како туристички водич и уредник на електронското списание за литература и друга уметност „(е)Лит“.
Jordan Kocevski (1983) began his career in academia and in 2014 he received his PhD in Tourism and Hospitality Management. He has written more than thirty scientific and professional papers before he got bored and decided to follow his passion to become a writer. Before starting to publish his novels, he published several comics and a large number of short stories. His novels: “Jars”, “Follow Me”, “Heritage: The Window”, “Words”, “Secrets” and “Heritage: Nightmares” are among the most widely read works by Macedonian authors. He lives in Ohrid, working as a tour guide and editor of the electronic magazine for literature and other arts “(e)Lit”.
Lidija Tanuševska (1969) is a Full Professor at the Department of Slavic Studies at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” in Skopje. She earned her Master’s degree in 2003 and her PhD in 2010 at the same faculty. She has worked as a lecturer in Macedonian language at Polish universities in Katowice and Kraków, as well as a lecturer and head of the translation workshop at the International Seminar on Macedonian Language, Literature and Culture in Ohrid. Since 2010, she has been teaching Polish literature and courses in Translation Theory and Practice (Polish–Macedonian–Polish). She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and of the monograph A Contribution to the Contrastive Grammar of the Macedonian and Polish Languages. She is also active as a literary translator from Polish into Macedonian and has twice received the “Golden Pen” award. In 2015, she was awarded the Polish “Ryszard Kapuściński Award for Translation into a New Language.”
книжевност и конференциско толкување, при што ги предава предметите Англиска книжевност, Теорија на преведување и толкување, Конференциско толкување. Во 2015 ја одбранил докторска дисертација „Гласот и идентитетот во книжевните дела на Роберт Браунинг, Блаже Конески, Џејмс Џојс и Славко Јаневски“. Со свои трудови учествувал на повеќе домашни и меѓународни стручни конференции. Oбјавил свои трудови во повеќе реномирани домашни и меѓународни стручни списанија и зборници. Бил член на уредувачкиот одбор на меѓународното списание „Блесок“, а во моментов е претседател на организацискиот одбор на Наградата за млад преведувач „Вавилон ЗПРМ“ на Здружението на преведувачи и толкувачи на РС Македонија.
Milan Damjanoski (1977) works at the Department of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski,” where he currently serves as a Full Professor of English Literature and Conference Interpreting, teaching courses in English Literature, Translation and Interpreting Theory, and Conference Interpreting. In 2015, he defended his doctoral dissertation “Voice and Identity in the Literary Works of Robert Browning, Blaže Koneski, James Joyce, and Slavko Janevski.” He has presented papers at numerous national and international conferences, symposia, and workshops, and has published in several renowned scholarly journals and edited volumes, both in Macedonia and abroad. He was a member of the editorial board of the international journal Blesok and is currently the Chair of the Organizing Committee of the “Babylon ZPRM” Young Translator Award of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of North Macedonia.
Нермин Молаоглу е родена во 1975 година во Бугарија. Дипломирала на Универзитетот Тракија во 2000 година. По нејзиниот прв мастер на Универзитетот во Конектикат, запишала втор на Универзитетот Билги во Истанбул за
правните дупки во авторските и преведувачките права. Во 2005 година ја основала
Nermin Mollaoğlu was born in 1975 in Bulgaria. She graduated from Trakya University, Department of English Language Teaching, in 2000. After completing her first master’s degree at Connecticut State University, she wrote her second master’s thesis on legal gaps in author and translator rights at Istanbul Bilgi University. In 2005, she founded Kalem Literary Agency. In addition to managing the sale of translation rights from foreign languages into Turkish, she represents Turkish literature abroad and has successfully introduced Turkish writers to readers in more than 50 different languages. She continues to work actively on promoting Turkish literature internationally. Since 2009, she has organized the Istanbul International Literature Festival (ITEF). In the same year, she received the International Young Publishing Entrepreneur Award from the British Council. In 2017, she was honored with the International Literary Agent Excellence Award, presented annually at the London Book Fair. Having traveled to 85 countries, mostly for international book fairs and literary festivals, Nermin Mollaoğlu comes to Skopje as a professional participant – the agent of the renowned Ahmet Ümit.
Јованоска (1985) е македонска писателка. Во 2015 година ја објавила својата
B2B списанието „InBar“. Во 2021 година го објавила романот „Денот на црвот“, кој ја добил наградата „Роман на годината“ за 2021 год. Во 2022 г. го освојува првото место на конкурсот за краток расказ
Simona Jovanoska (1985) is a Macedonian writer. In 2015, she published her first book, the short story collection “I Found Them in the Deep”. In the meantime, she wrote columns for the B2B magazine “InBar”. In 2021, she published the novel “The Day of the Worm”, which won the “Novel of the Year” award for 2021. In 2022 wins the first place in the short story contest published by the newspaper “Nova Makedonija”. In the same year, she launched her third book, and simultaneously her first book for children, “The City of Wabu and Navi’s Quest”. In 2024, she publishes the novel “Leska Brezoska”.Her short stories are represented in anthologies of the Macedonian short story.
од 2019 активно се занимава со организација на настани поврзани со филмот, музиката, спортот и литературата. Пишува проза. Авторка е на делата „Животот во моја кожа“ (2011) – „Дата Песнопој“ , „Само љубов“ (2014) – Дата Песнопој, „И во овој град се случуваат чуда“ (2022) – ПНВ Публикации. Нејзини раскази се дел од двојазичната збирка „Гласови – Φωνές “ (2011) издадена на македонски и на грчки јазик наменета за библиотеките во училиштата во Лерин, Грција. Неуморно работи за зајакнување на културната сфера.
Tijana Milikj (1997) is a cultural worker with a great love for writing. She has a degree in Tourismology at the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Skopje. She worked as a tourist guide, and since 2019 she has been actively involved in the organization of film, music, sports and literature events. She writes prose. She is the author of the works “The life in my skin” (2011) – Data Pesnopoj, “Just love” (2014) – Data Pesnopoj, “And in this town miracles happen” (2022) – PNV Publishing. Her short stories are part of the bilingual collection “Voices – Φωνές” (2011) published in Macedonian and Greek intended for school libraries in Lerin, Greece. She works tirelessly to strengthen the cultural sphere.
„Писателот
фестивалите
„Славко Јаневски“ туку неретко се вклучува во јавни дебати
тангираат сите.
ДОДЕЛУВАЊЕ НА НАГРАДАТА „BOOKSTAR“ 2025 Блаже Миневски
Претставување на наградената книга: Весна Мојсова-Чепишевска Обраќање
раскажувачко мајсторство. Во книгата како
магионичарски перформанс се преплетуваат традицијата и современоста, хуморот и горчината, реалното и фантастичното, историското и личното. Расказите функционираат
September 29, 19.30 – Imperial 2 Hall- KIC
“BOOKSTAR” 2025 FESTIVAL OPENING
“The Writer Is Speaking” - Kalina Maleska: “Literature in the Context of Changе”
Since 2022, the beginning of the festival has been marked by the powerful thoughts and words of renowned Macedonian writers. For that purpose, each of them prepares a short, appropriate text that sheds a different light on their own work, but also sets a vertical of the literary and social context in the times we live in, and in collusion with the festival theme. Because these festivals exist to make the voices of writers heard. The author who will address the Skopje audience this year is Kalina Maleska, who is not only the current winner of the “Novel of the Year” award of the “Slavko Janevski” Foundation, but also often engages in public debates on topics that concern us all.
AWARD CEREMONY: BOOKSTAR 2025 AWARD
Blaže Minevski – “A Tail in the Mouth”
Presentation of the book: Vesna Mojsova-Čepiševska
Address by the laureate: Blaže Minevski
The award for the most topical book between the two festival editions is awarded to Blaže Minevski for the collection of short stories “A Tail in the Mouth” (“Antolog”, 2025). In the book, as in a magic performance, tradition and modernity, humor and bitterness, reality and fantasy, history and personal-intertwine. The stories function as a distillation of the centuries-old oral Macedonian narrative tradition, representing a wealth of styles and approaches - from reportage and feuilleton to fascinating and imaginary fiction. Some of the stories have already been published as winners of the highest possible short story awards and have gained outstanding critical reactions from the domestic and international public. Minevski’s virtuoso play with narration, originality in the treatment of historical themes, chameleonlike changes in style and focalizer beyond recognition, as well as the ability to revive different layers of the visible and invisible, are particularly noticeable. With the book “A Tail in the Mouth” Minevski not only confirms his narrative voice as a leading one in Macedonian literature but also enriches contemporary prose, creating a work that can be transferred beyond the local context, opening domestic literature to broader cultural horizons.
Клабоухова
хероини,
и социјалната
September 29, 20:00 -Imperial 2 Hall- KIC
THE WOMAN BEFORE THE HIGHEST WALLS: RESISTANCE, TRAUMA, HOPE
Panel with authors: Petra Klabouchová (Czech Republic) and Seray Şahiner (Türkiye)
Moderators: Aleksandar Madjarovski and Dragica Stamenkovikj
Two powerful literary voices from different parts of Europe — Czech writer Petra Klabouchová and Turkish author Seray Şahiner— meet in a joint literary eve to address the most sensitive, but also the most important, issues of today: the position of women in societies marked by political repression, silence, class injustices and violence.
Petra Klabouchová combines the documentary and the fictional, bringing to life testimonies of political prisoners in the former Czechoslovakia and revealing silent war crimes in border regions. Her prose is an exploration of historical memory and its impact on the present. Seray Şahiner incorporates the stories of Turkish working-class women into powerful, humorously-ironic, but also deeply moving narratives. Her heroines, like the young Leyla, struggle with poverty, violence and social stigma, while preserving their humanity and dignity. The event will take place as a conversation about how literature illuminates the dark side of history and everyday life, how personal and collective traumas are transformed into art, and how women’s voices — from both East and West — become chronicles of resistance and hope.
значи
навистина
September 29, 21:00 -Imperial 2 Hall- KIC
A FEW WORDS ON MACEDONIAN CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS
Conversation with authors Blaže Minevski, Aleksandar Prokopiev, Ermis Lafazanovski, Olivera Kjorveziroska
Moderators: Vladimir Martinovski and Aleksandra Jurukovska
What does it mean to be a “classic” in the Macedonian literature? Do such names really exist, who are they and according to what criteria do we recognize them? The panel will open a discussion on what we mean by the term “contemporary classic” and how a canon is created in national literature. The discussion will focus on the treatment of writers who are already considered classics, but also on those who could become part of that category in the future: are their works sufficiently present in the public, how represented are they in educational programs and what does this mean for future generations of readers.
Particular attention will be paid to the questions of the critical approach: are we allowed to question and criticize the classics, or do they remain untouchable authorities? How does the perception of a writer change over time, and what does his work mean for cultural memory?
The panel will also address the role of publishers: what they do to keep classic works alive – through new releases, editions, critical skills and promotions – and how much these activities affect the relevance of classics in the contemporary cultural space. The authors, each from their own perspective – novelist, critic, essayist or academic – will reexamine the boundaries between tradition and modernity, and offer ideas on what the relationship towards Macedonian contemporary classics should look like today.
сфати како
за пишување? Во какви (не)прилики вегетира домашната литература? На кои обврски и права подлежи македонскиот писател? Што со наградите? Овој панел ќе ја отвори темата за
до неговиот пат кон читателот. Посебно внимание ќе
финансиската неизвесност, ограничениот пазар, недоволната поддршка за промоција и преводи, како и соработката со издавачите. Панелот ќе отвори и прашања за хонорарите – како
September 30, 18:00 -Imperial 2 Hall- KIC
WHAT HAVE WE DONE AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO NEXT?
Conversation with authors
Kalina Maleska, Žarko Kujundziski, Mihajlo Sviderski, Dijana Petrova, Ivan Antonovski Moderator: Simona Jovanoska
What does it mean to be a writer today? Can literary work be understood as a profession, or does it remain in the field of enthusiasm and passion for writing? In what circumstances does domestic literature vegetate? What obligations and rights are the Macedonian writers subjected to? What about awards?
This panel will open the topic of writing matters in the broadest sense – from the creation of the work to its path to the reader.
With special attention to the challenges that authors face: financial uncertainty, a limited market, insufficient support for promotion and translations, as well as cooperation with publishers. The panel will also open questions about royalties –how is writing work valued, what constitutes fair compensation, how is a percentage of sales calculated, and how is a system created in which writing can become a profession.
There will also be a discussion about literary awards: are they a real incentive and recognition for authors or, on the other hand, just a symbolic act that rarely changes the real position of the writer.
The conversation will also highlight the advantages: freedom of creation, creative autonomy, the opportunity to reach new readers and cultural spaces.The participants whose works marked the last literary year will also look to the future: what can be done to improve conditions, what models would be useful for the literary community, and how authors can jointly advocate for greater visibility and better status.
(Чешка)
меѓу
30 September, 20:30 – Imperial Hall 2 – KIC
STORIES ON THE BORDER BETWEEN DIFFERENT WORLDS
Conversation with authors Sholeh Rezazadeh (Netherlands/Iran) and Ondřej Štindl (Czech Republic)
Moderator: Aleksandar Madjarovski
Two contemporary European literary voices create works that move between the personal and the collective, the intimate and the global.
Sholeh Rezazadeh, an Iranian-Dutch writer and poet, with her novel I Know a Mountain That’s Waiting for Me, creates a lyrical allegory about nature, the escape from urban speed, and the search for a space for the soul. Her stories are often a bridge between two worlds — Western Europe and the Middle East — and carry warmth, tenderness, and ecological awareness.
Ondřej Štindl, Czech novelist and screenwriter, offers a psychological and philosophical analysis of life in the shadow of a global crisis, where the pandemic becomes a catalyst for rethinking the meaning of existence, love, and loss.
дело на својот мајчин јазик, доловувајќи ја суштината, како на нивните уметнички дела, така и на културата од каде што доаѓаат.
Странски учесници: Шоле Резазаде (Холандија/Иран), Серај Шахинер (Турција), Онджеј Штиндл (Чешка), Ахмет Умит (Турција), Мајнхард Раухенштајнер (Австрија). Домашни учесници: Блаже Миневски, Александар Прокопиев, Калина Малеска, Ермис Лафазановски, Михајло Свидерски, Иван Антоновски, Дијана Петрова. Настанот ќе го води Тијана Милиќ
со Градската библиотека „Браќа Миладиновци“
1 October, 12:00 – City Library “Brothers Miladinovci”
LITERARY READING “ON WRITING MATTERS”
Conceived as a blend of local and international energy in synergy, this year’s reading by ten authors once again highlights the diversity of voices and styles at BookStar. Each author reads an excerpt from their work in their mother tongue, conveying the essence not only of their artistic creations but also of the culture they come from.
Guest writers: Sholeh Rezazadeh (Netherlands/Iran), Şeray Şahiner (Turkey), Ondřej Štindl (Czech Republic), Ahmet Ümit (Turkey), Meinhard Rauchensteiner (Austria)
Host writers: Blaže Minevski, Aleksandar Prokopiev, Kalina Maleska, Ermis Lafazanovski, Mihajlo Sviderski, Ivan Antonovski, Dijana Petrova
The event will be moderated by Tijana Milikj and is organized in collaboration with the City Library “Brothers Miladinovci” – Skopje.
1 October, 19:19 – Salon 19.19 – KIC
THE MASTER IS HERE!
Таlk with the author Ahmet Ümit (Türkiye)
Moderator: Jordan Kocevski
In this exclusive encounter with world-renowned Turkish writer Ahmet Ümit, master of the modern crime novel, he will speak about his rich body of work, the inspirations behind his books, and the role of literature in society. From poetry and short stories to novels that have achieved cult status and been adapted into films and TV series, Ümit has left a profound mark on contemporary literature. The discussion will also touch upon the interplay of history, culture, and urban myths in his works, as well as the global resonance of his prose, translated into more than thirty languages.
Admission is free, but seating is limited!!
MEET. SNAP. CELEBRATE.
се преведени на огромен број јазици
низ светот. Настанот е единствена можност одблиску да
October 2, 12:00 – Ramstore Mall
MEET. SNAP. CELEBRATE. AHMET ÜMIT IRL – MEETING WITH THE AUTHOR AND BOOK SIGNING
Host: Aleksandra Ilievska EXCLUSIVE EVENT
On 2 October 2025, literature lovers will have a rare chance to meet one of the most renowned contemporary Turkish writers — Ahmet Ümit. This exclusive event will celebrate his 65th birthday, bringing readers together for a book signing, relaxed conversations, and photo opportunities with the “Turkish master of crime thrillers.”
Ümit is the author of numerous bestsellers and ranks among the most widely read writers in Turkey and beyond. His novels — masterfully weaving together detective plots, history, social issues, and psychology — have been translated into many languages, bringing contemporary Turkish fiction closer to millions of readers around the world.
This is a unique opportunity to meet the author in person, have your book signed, take part in the biggest literary celebration, and capture a memory with him. Plus, for every Ahmet Ümit book purchased in Antolog’s edition on this day only, Antolog will gift you the brand-new festival release A Voice Splits the Night!
концентрација, јазична прецизност,
2 October, 18:00 – “Bukva Café” – Skopje
JUSTICE FOR THE SHORT FICTION!
Conversation with authors: Meinhard Rauchensteiner (Austria), Vladimir Martinovski, Sanja Mihajlovikj-Kostadinovska, Ivan Šopov
Moderator: Vladimir Jankovski
The short story has always posed a challenge for writers — a form that demands concentration, linguistic precision, explosive impact, and the power of suggestion. In this discussion, authors from different generations and literary contexts will share their thoughts and experiences on the possibilities that short prose offers: its potential for experimentation, the authenticity of expression, its advantages over other genres, as well as its limits and challenges. The event is an open invitation to reflect on how the short story can shape contemporary literature and reading habits — not only in the Macedonian context but also within the wider European literary landscape.
на Ацо Шопов (The Long Coming of the Fire), објавен во 2023 година од американската издавачка куќа “Deep Vellum Press”, по повод одбележување на стогодишнината од раѓањето на авторот и претставува културен
афирмацијата на македонската
Со
космичките визии на душата
(UNESCO, INALCO), во
Торонто
затоа, преводот
македонистика.
11 September, 11:30 – UKIM Congress Center – Ohrid
PRESENTATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL “DRAGI” AWARD 2025 for the outstanding book translation from Macedonian lanugage
For the translation of “The Long Coming of the Fire” (selected poems) by Aco Šopov in English language from Christina E. Kramer and Rawley Grau
The recipients of the International “Dragi” Award 2025 for the most significant translation of a literary work by a Macedonian author are Christina E. Kramer and Rawley Grau, for their translation of a representative selection of poetry by Aco Šopov (The Long Coming of the Fire), published in 2023 by the American publishing house Deep Vellum Press on the occasion of the centenary of the poet’s birth. This publication represents a major cultural and literary event in the affirmation of Macedonian literature beyond its national borders.
Through this translation, the work of one of the greatest Macedonian poets has finally gained an equal place in the Anglophone world, where it had previously remained almost unknown. Grau and Kramer created a translation that masterfully combines poetic inspiration with philological precision. Critics have praised their ability to convey the full range of Šopov’s poetic expression — from cosmic visions of the soul to intimate eroticism, from documentary sharpness in observing nature to the warmth of paternal care.
The translation has enjoyed an impressive reception, with public presentations in Paris (UNESCO, INALCO), Macedonia (Struga Poetry Evenings), Tokyo, Toronto, and other centers, along with numerous reviews and critical responses in the USA, Canada, and Europe. Beyond literature, it even inspired contemporary musical compositions by Canadian composer Michael Spiroff — a rare and significant form of cultural reception.
For these reasons, the translation by Grau and Kramer is a worthy recipient of the International “Dragi” Award for the most significant translation of a book by a Macedonian author into a foreign language. The “Dragi” Award will be presented for the first time in Ohrid, within the framework of the XII Macedonian–North American Conference on Macedonian Studies.
Кристина Е. Крамер
Кристина Е. Крамер е почесна професорка по словенски јазици и лингвистика на Универзитетот во Торонто, Канада. Докторската титула по словенска лингвистика ја стекнала на Универзитетот во Северна Каролина, Чапел Хил (САД), под менторство на Виктор Фридман. Во 1986 година се приклучила на Катедрата за словенски јазици и книжевности на Универзитетот во Торонто. Во текот на својата академска кариера
спроведувала истражувања за македонскиот и за други балкански јазици. На Катедрата, покрај руски и словенска лингвистика, повеќе од
три децении предавала и македонски јазик, при што делумна поддршка добивала од македонската дијаспора. Заедно со Лилјана Митковска
ја напишала граматиката на македонскиот јазик, која досега има три изданија и ја доби наградата на AATSEEL (Американска асоцијација на наставници по словенски и источноевропски јазици) за придонес во филолошката настава. Нејзината работа на полето на македонистиката е призната со повеќе значајни македонски награди и одликувања. Во 2007 година ѝ беше доделен медалот „Блаже Конески“, а во 2009 година беше избрана за надворешен член на Македонската академија на науките и уметностите (МАНУ). Во 2017 година ѝ беше доделен почесен
Филолошкиот факултет при Универзитетот
во
Во
Лидија Димковска, Гоце Смилевски и Луан Старова. Во моментов
покуси дела од широк круг македонски
печатени
на Зигмунд Фројд“ од Гоце Смилевски доби пофалница од Lois Roth Prize (САД). Преводите на романите од Лидија Димковска, исто така, добија меѓународно признание: „Резервен живот“ беше во поширокиот избор за Best Translated Book Award 2016 (онлајн-списанието Three Percent на Open Letter Books), а „Нон-Уи“ беше во поширокиот избор за Националната награда за превод во проза 2025 (Американска асоцијација на книжевни преведувачи). Преводот на романот „Лето во кое те нема“ од Петар Андоновски беше закитен со наградата UK Pen Translates Award.
Christina E. Kramer USA / CAN
Christina E. Kramer is a professor emerita of Slavic languages and linguistics at the University of Toronto, Canada. She received her doctorate in Slavic linguistics, under the mentorship of Victor Friedman, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA) She joined the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto in 1986. Throughout her career she conducted research on Macedonian and other Balkan languages. In the Slavic Department, in addition to teaching Russian and Slavic linguistics, she taught Macedonian for more than thirty years, supported in part by the Macedonian diaspora community. She wrote, together with Liljana Mitkovska, a grammar of Macedonian, which, now in its third edition, received the AATSEEL (American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages) book prize for the Best Contribution to Language Pedagogy. Kramer’s work on Macedonian has been recognized by several significant Macedonian honours and awards. In 2007 she was awarded the Blaže Koneski medal, and in 2009 she was elected an external member of the Macedonian Academy of Arts and Sciences (MANU). In 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Philology, University of SS Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, and in 2019 she received a medal for service to Macedonia. For the past dozen years, Kramer has focused increasingly on literary translation from Macedonian and has published ten book-length translations, including novels by Petar Andonovski, Lidija Dimkovska, Goce Smilevski, and Luan Starova. She is currently working on two translations of works by Vlada Uroševikj. In addition to these longer works, she has published excerpts and shorter works by a wide variety of Macedonian authors in various international print and on-line journals. Her translation of Goce Smilevski’s Freud’s Sister received an Honorable Mention for the Lois Roth Prize (USA). Her translations of Lidija Dimkovska’s novels have also received acclaim: A Spare Life, longlisted for the 2016 Best Translated Book Award (Three Percent, the online literary magazine of Open Letter Books), and Grandma Non-Oui, longlisted for the 2025 National Translation Award in Prose (American Literary Translators’ Association). The Summer Without You by Petar Andonovski, was supported by a UK Pen Translates Award. The collaborative translation with Rawley Grau and Jasmina Šopova of The Long Coming of the Fire, a selection of poems by Aco Šopov, has been a richly rewarding experience and she is thrilled to receive the Dragi Award.
Роли Грaу I Rawley Grau
„Оксфорд-Вајденфелд“. Исто така, превел и
број словенечки поети, меѓу кои Миљана Цунта, Бране Мозетич, Миклавж Комељ и Јанез Рамовеш, а моментално работи превод на
за достигнувања во преводот
книжевни преведувачи. Од руски јазик
од XIX век Евгениј Баратински („Наука несоодветна за земјата“, Ugly Duckling Presse, 2015), за што ја добил наградата на AATSEEL (Американска
на наставници
2023
Vellum/ Phoneme Media, 2023),
Rawley Grau is best known as a translator from Slovenian. His translations from that language include novels by Ana Schnabl, Dušan Šarotar, Mojca Kumerdej, and Sebastijan Pregelj, among others. Six of his translations have been longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, and his translations of Šarotar’s Panorama and Billiards at the Hotel Dobray were shortlisted for the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize. He has also translated a number of Slovenian poets, including Miljana Cunta, Brane Mozetič, Miklavž Komelj, and Janez Ramoveš, and is currently working on a translation of an early collection of poems by Aleš Debeljak. In 2021, he received the Lavrin Diploma for excellence in translation from the Association of Slovenian Literary Translators. From Russian he translated the poems and letters of the 19th-century poet Yevgeny Baratynsky (A Science Not for the Earth, Ugly Duckling Presse, 2015), for which he was awarded the AATSEEL prize for Best Scholarly Translation. In 2023, working for the first time in Macedonian, he co-translated with Christina E. Kramer The Long Coming of the Fire (Deep Vellum/Phoneme Media, 2023), a large and representative selection of poems by the seminal Macedonian modernist Aco Šopov, which marked the centennial of the poet’s birth. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, he has lived in Ljubljana since the early 2000s.
@nagradadragi nagradadragi
беше доделено на проф. д-р Драги Михајловски, писател, преведувач, есеист и професор чие име ја носи наградата. Во 2024 година пристигнаа рекордни 43 дела во превод на македонски јазик на 40 преведувачи и издадени од 18 издавачки куќи или поединци. Опфатени беа странски автори од сите жанровски категории – романи, раскази, поезија, книги за деца, драми. Со цел порамноправен мериторен систем и соодветно вреднување на различните предизвици што секој книжевен вид го поседува, од 2025 се воведе приоритетна категорија која ќе се менува секоја година. Приоритетна книжевна категорија
(фикцијата)
опфати: романи, збирки раскази, есеистика, дневници и сл.
Тричлената комисија за доделувањето на наградата ја сочинуваат
„Блаже Конески“), д-р Јана
Петте финалисти
1. Ермис Лафазановски
2. Јасминка Марковска за преводот од норвешки јазик на „Утро
Фосе, издание на Артконект, 2024 година
3. Калина Малеска за преводот од англиски јазик на „Слобода: созревање на крајот на историјата“ од Леа Ипи, издание на Или-или, 2024 година
4. Лидија Танушевска за преводот од полски јазик на „Емпусион“ од Олга Токарчук, издание на Антолог, 2025 година
5. Милан Дамјаноски за преводот од англиски јазик на „Десет раскази“ од О. Хенри, издание на Светла комора, 2024 година
2 October, 10:30 – Faculty of Philology “Blazhe Koneski” – Skopje
ANNOUNCEMENT AND PRESENTATION OF THE “DRAGI” AWARD 2025 for the best translation of a literary work to Macedonian language
@nagradadragi nagradadragi
In 2022, the publishing house Antolog established the “Dragi” Award for the best literary translation into Macedonian. The first honorary edition was presented to Prof. Dr. Dragi Mihajlovski — writer, translator, essayist, and professor — whose name the award carries.
In 2024, a record 43 works translated into Macedonian by 40 translators and published by 18 publishing houses or individuals were submitted. The entries covered foreign authors across all literary genres — novels, short stories, poetry, children’s books, and drama.
To ensure a fairer evaluation system and proper recognition of the different challenges posed by each literary genre, starting in 2025 the award introduced a priority category, which will change every year. The priority category for this year is prose (fiction), including novels, short story collections, essays, diaries, and similar works. A total of 35 prose works translated by 33 translators were submitted. The three-member jury for the 2025 award consists of:
• Dr. Anastasija Gjurčinova (representative proposed by the Faculty of Philology “Blazhe Koneski”),
• Dr. Jana Mihajlovska (representative of the family of Dragi Mihajlovski),
• Ivan Šopov (representative proposed by Antolog Publishing House).
This year’s edition of the “Dragi” Award is organized by Antolog with the support of the Ministry of Culture and turism in cooperation with the Faculty of Philology “Blaže Koneski” – Skopje. The award consists of a plaque, a “Dragi” statuette, and a monetary prize of 40,000 MKD.
The five finalists for 2025 are:
1. Ermis Lafazanovski for the translation from Romanian of “The Summer My Mother Had Green Eyes” („Vara în care mama a avut ochii verzi“) by Tatiana ȚÎbuleac, published by Tri, 2024;
2. Jasminka Markovska for the translation from Norwegian of “Morning and Night” („Morgon og kveld“ ) by Jon Fosse, published by Artkonekt, 2024;
3. Kalina Maleska for the translation from English of “Free: Coming of Age at the End of History” by Lea Ypi, published by Ili-Ili, 2024
4. Lidija Tanuševska or the translation from Polish of “The Empusium” („Empuzjon“) by Olga Tokarczuk, published by “Antolog”, 2025;
5. Milan Damjanoski for the translation from English of “Ten short stories” by O. Henry, published by “Svetla komora”, 2024.
кај нас. Првата епизода на „Гол ручек“ е снимена на 8 август 2019 г.
Шоле Резазаде (Холандија / Иран) – 29 септември, 18.00
Блаже Миневски (Македонија) – 30 септември, 19.00
Онджеј Штиндл (Чешка) – 1 октомври, 18.00
Претходните
на „Антолог“: https.//www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMeZZYy8_NAAGJ4bUR3OeA)
LITERARY PODCAST “NAKED LUNCH”
Host: Duško Krstevski
What do authors have to say when they speak beyond their books? Under the questions of Duško Krstevski, some of the participants of BookStar will take the floor. Covering topics from literature to socially relevant issues, this is a unique opportunity to attend the live recording of new episodes of the first literary podcast in Macedonia. The first episode of Gol Ruchek was recorded on 8 August 2019. Upcoming live recordings:
• Sholeh Rezazadeh (Netherlands / Iran) – 29 September, 18:00
• Blaže Minevski (Macedonia) – 30 September, 19:00
• Ondřej Štindl (Czech Republic) – 1 October, 18:00
Previous episodes can be listened to on Antolog’s YouTube channel: https.//www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMeZZYy8_NAAGJ4bUR3OeA)
#11. FAIR OF EUROPEAN LITERATURE
During the “BookStar” festival, we are organizing a special Fair of European Literature for our readers. Among other things, you will be able to find books that have won the prestigious European Union Prize for Literature, new editions of Macedonian classics and contemporary voices, books by award-winning authors from 2024 and 2025, editions from several publishing houses, as well as other current titles from the finest European and Macedonian literary production. Special discount prices will be available exclusively at the Cultural Information Centre (KIC) for the duration of the Festival and at the “Antolog” – Center bookstore.
NINE FESTIVAL NOVELTIES
ON MACEDONIAN MATTERS
Krste Misirkov
New edition and foreword by: Žarko Kujundziski
Afterword: Blaže Koneski
On Macedonian Matters (1903) by Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) is one of the most important books ever written on the Macedonian question and the first to be published in the Macedonian language. Misirkov wrote this book at the age of twenty-eight, publishing it in a year of profound symbolic significance: the year of the Thessaloniki assassinations, the Ilinden Uprising, the loss of Goce Delčev, Pitu Guli, and Lazar Pop Trajkov, the founding of the Kruševo Republic, and the proclamation of the Kruševo Manifesto. Through Misirkov’s work, we can rightfully call it “The Year of Macedonian Matters.”
In this context, Krste Misirkov is not only a key figure in the Macedonian struggle for independence but also a transhistorical and supranational phenomenon. With this book, he boldly and irrevocably issued a declaration for cultural struggle through an intellectual program, in a manner both evolutionary and unequivocal.
дизајнирана од Игор Делов.
Досегашни добитници: 2025 – Блаже Миневски (Македонија), „Опаш во устата“
2024 – Јон Калман Стефансон (Исланд), трилогија „Помеѓу рајот и пеколот“
2023 – Наџат ел Хачми (Шпанија), „Во понеделник ќе нè сакаат“
2022 – Светлана Алексиевич (Белорусија), „Војната нема женско лице“
2021 – Миодраг Мајиќ (Србија), „Островот на пеликаните“
2020 – Николо Аманити (Италија), „Ана“
2019 – Евгениј Водолазкин (Русија), „Авијатичарот“
2018 – Славенка Дракулиќ (Хрватска), „Невидлива жена и други раскази“
2017 – Јуси Адлер-Олсен (Данска), „Жената во кафезот“
2016 – Есмахан Ајкол (Турција/Германија), „Убиство во хотел Босфор“
Oд 2024 година се доделува специјалната децениска награда „BookStar“ X10 за целокупно творештво на светска книжевна ѕвезда. Првиот добитник е: 2024 – Aлесандро Барико (Италија)
НАГРАДИ ЗА „BOOKSTAR“
• Финалист во категоријата Најдобар фестивал/манифестација за 2022 и 2024 година на BEAM – Best Event Awards Macedonia
• Специјално признание за промотор на читачката култура за 2022 година на Македонската асоцијација на издавачи.
•Награда за специјален придонес во издаваштвото од Reader’s Choice Book Awards 2021.
“BOOKSTAR” AWARD
This award has been awarded since 2016. In the first two years, the most successful book in terms of sales between the two festivals received it, but since then it has been awarded to the most significant book in the course of the previous year. It consists of a plaque and a statuette designed by Igor Delov.
Winners so far:
2025 – Blaže Minevski (Macedonia), “A Tail in the Mouth” 2024 – Jón Kalman Stefánsson (Iceland), Trilogy “Heaven and Hell” 2023 – Najat el Hachmi (Spain), “In Monday They Will Love Us” 2022 – Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus), “War’s Unwomanly Face” 2021 – Miodrag Majić (Serbia), “Pelican Island” 2020 – Niccolò Ammaniti (Italy), “Anna” 2019 – Eugene Vodolazkin (Russia), “The Aviator” 2018 – Slavenka Drakulić (Croatia), “Invisible Woman and Other Stories” 2017 – Jussi Adler-Olsen (Denmark), “The Woman in the Cage” 2016 – Esmahan Aykol (Türkiye/Germany), “Murder in Hotel Bosphorus”
From 2024, every ten years, the special, decennial award ‘’BookStar’’ X10 will be awarded for the overall body of work of a global literary star. The first recipient is: 2024 – Alessandro Baricco (Italy).
AWARDS FOR „BOOKSTAR“
• Finalist in the category of The best Festival for 2022 and 2024 within the BEAM – Best Event Awards Macedonia
• Special recognition for a promoter of reading culture 2022 of the Macedonian Association of Publishers.
• Reader’s Choice Book Awards 2021 Award for Special Contribution in Publishing Sector.
