Ethnic Macedonian literature
Encyclopedia
Macedonian literature (Macedonian
: македонска книжевност) is a term that refers to the literary written works in Macedonian. The first written works in the dialects of the Macedonian recension, are from the period of the Ohrid Literary School
and that medieval literature was religious. It was established by St. Clement of Ohrid in the First Bulgarian Empire
. The Macedonian recension at that time was part of the Old Church Slavonic
and it didn't represent one regional dialect but a generalized form of early eastern South Slavic. The standardization of the Macedonian language in the 20 c. provided good ground for further development of the modern Macedonian literature and this period is the richest one in the history of the literature itself.
in his Za Makedonskite raboti (1903; “In Favour of Macedonian Literary Works”) and in the literary periodical Vardar (established 1905) helped to create the foundations of ethnic Macedonian language and literature. These efforts were continued after World War I by Kosta Racin, who wrote mainly poetry in Macedonian and propagated its use through the literary journals of the 1930s. Racin's poems in Beli mugri (1939; White Dawns), which include many elements of oral folk poetry, were prohibited by the government of pre-World War II Yugoslavia because of their realistic and powerful portrayal of the exploited and impoverished Macedonian people. Some writers, such as Kole Nedelkovski
, worked and published abroad because of political pressure.
divides Macedonian literature into three large periods, which are subdivided into additional ones. The periods of the Macedonian literature are:
and others were charged with the task of standardizing Macedonian as the official literary language. With this new freedom to write and publish in its own language, Macedonia produced many literary figures in the postwar period. Poetry was represented in the work of Aco Šopov, Slavko Janevski
, Blaze Koneski, and Gane Todorovski. Janevski was also a distinguished prose writer and the author of the first Macedonian novel, Selo zad sedumte jaseni (1952; “The Village Beyond the Seven Ash Trees”). His most ambitious work was a cycle of six novels that deals with Macedonian history and includes Tvrdoglavi (1965; “The Stubborn Ones”), a novel articulating the Macedonian people's myths and legends of remembering and interpreting their history. Prewar playwrights, such as Vasil Iljoski, continued to write, and the theatre was invigorated by new dramatists, such as Kole Cašule
, Tome Arsovski, and Goran Stefanovski
. Cašule also wrote several novels. A main theme of his work is the defeat of idealists and idealism. His play Crnila (1960; “Black Things”) deals with the early 20th-century murder of a Macedonian national leader by other Macedonians and with the characters of both executioners and victim.
Among the best-known writers of prose is Zivko Cingo
, whose collections of stories Paskvelija (1962) and Nova Paskvelija (1965; “New Paskvelija”) are about an imaginary land where clashes and interactions between old traditions and revolutionary consciousness are enacted. His novel Golemata voda (1971; “The Great Water”), set in an orphanage, shows the grandness and sadness of childhood. Other notable writers include Vlada Uroševic (Sonuvacot i prazninata (1979; “The Dreamer and the Emptiness”)) and Jovan Pavlovski (Sok od prostata (1991; “Prostate Gland Juice”)).
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
: македонска книжевност) is a term that refers to the literary written works in Macedonian. The first written works in the dialects of the Macedonian recension, are from the period of the Ohrid Literary School
Ohrid Literary School
The Ohrid Literary School was one of the two major medieval Bulgarian cultural centres, along with the Preslav Literary School . The school was established in Ohrid in 886 by Saint Clement of Ohrid on orders of Boris I of Bulgaria simultaneously or shortly after the establishment of the Preslav...
and that medieval literature was religious. It was established by St. Clement of Ohrid in the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
. The Macedonian recension at that time was part of the Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
and it didn't represent one regional dialect but a generalized form of early eastern South Slavic. The standardization of the Macedonian language in the 20 c. provided good ground for further development of the modern Macedonian literature and this period is the richest one in the history of the literature itself.
History
The Macedonian language was not officially recognized until the establishment of Macedonia as a constituent republic of communist Yugoslavia in 1946. Krste Petkov MisirkovKrste Misirkov
Krste Petkov Misirkov was a philologist, slavist, historian, ethnographer, publicist author of the first book and scientific magazine in Macedonian, where he for the first time outlined the principles of the literary Macedonian language...
in his Za Makedonskite raboti (1903; “In Favour of Macedonian Literary Works”) and in the literary periodical Vardar (established 1905) helped to create the foundations of ethnic Macedonian language and literature. These efforts were continued after World War I by Kosta Racin, who wrote mainly poetry in Macedonian and propagated its use through the literary journals of the 1930s. Racin's poems in Beli mugri (1939; White Dawns), which include many elements of oral folk poetry, were prohibited by the government of pre-World War II Yugoslavia because of their realistic and powerful portrayal of the exploited and impoverished Macedonian people. Some writers, such as Kole Nedelkovski
Kole Nedelkovski
Kole Nedelkovski was a Bulgarian communist and Macedonian revolutionary and poet. He was born in Vojnica, near Veles, Ottoman Empire in 1912 and died in 1941 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Hunted from the Serbian police he emigrated to Bulgaria in 1933...
, worked and published abroad because of political pressure.
Periods
The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and ArtsMacedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most eminent academic institution in the Republic of Macedonia.-History:The Academy of Sciences and Arts was established by the Macedonian Assembly on 22 February 1967 as the highest scientific, scholarly and artistic institution in the country...
divides Macedonian literature into three large periods, which are subdivided into additional ones. The periods of the Macedonian literature are:
- Old Macedonian literature - 9 to 18 c.
- From introduction of the Christianity till the Turkish invasion - 9 to 14 c.
- From Turkish invasion till the beginning of the 18 century
- New Macedonian literature - 1802 to 1944
- period of national awakening
- revolutionary period
- inter-war literary period
- Modern Macedonian literature - 1944 - today
Modern Literature
After World War II, under the new republic of Macedonia, the scholar Blaze KoneskiBlaže Koneski
Blaže Koneski was one of the most distinguished Macedonian poets, writers, literary translators, and linguistic scholars...
and others were charged with the task of standardizing Macedonian as the official literary language. With this new freedom to write and publish in its own language, Macedonia produced many literary figures in the postwar period. Poetry was represented in the work of Aco Šopov, Slavko Janevski
Slavko Janevski
Slavko Janevski was a renowned Macedonian poet and prose writer. He was the author of the first Macedonian novel, "Selo zad sedumte jaseni"...
, Blaze Koneski, and Gane Todorovski. Janevski was also a distinguished prose writer and the author of the first Macedonian novel, Selo zad sedumte jaseni (1952; “The Village Beyond the Seven Ash Trees”). His most ambitious work was a cycle of six novels that deals with Macedonian history and includes Tvrdoglavi (1965; “The Stubborn Ones”), a novel articulating the Macedonian people's myths and legends of remembering and interpreting their history. Prewar playwrights, such as Vasil Iljoski, continued to write, and the theatre was invigorated by new dramatists, such as Kole Cašule
Kole Casule
Kole Čašule was a Macedonian essayist, dramatist, short story writer and ambassador. Casule was one of the founders of the Macedonian Writers' Association and served as the organization's president....
, Tome Arsovski, and Goran Stefanovski
Goran Stefanovski
Goran Stefanovski is a leading Macedonian dramatist and scriptwriter, now based in Canterbury, Kent in the UK...
. Cašule also wrote several novels. A main theme of his work is the defeat of idealists and idealism. His play Crnila (1960; “Black Things”) deals with the early 20th-century murder of a Macedonian national leader by other Macedonians and with the characters of both executioners and victim.
Among the best-known writers of prose is Zivko Cingo
Zivko Cingo
Živko Čingo Macedonian writer, born in Velgosti, near Ohrid. He studied literature at the University of Sts Cyril and Methodius , Skopje. He worked as a journalist and as Director of the Macedonian National Theatre...
, whose collections of stories Paskvelija (1962) and Nova Paskvelija (1965; “New Paskvelija”) are about an imaginary land where clashes and interactions between old traditions and revolutionary consciousness are enacted. His novel Golemata voda (1971; “The Great Water”), set in an orphanage, shows the grandness and sadness of childhood. Other notable writers include Vlada Uroševic (Sonuvacot i prazninata (1979; “The Dreamer and the Emptiness”)) and Jovan Pavlovski (Sok od prostata (1991; “Prostate Gland Juice”)).
Authors
Some of the well known Macedonian authors that contributed in the development of the Macedonian literature are:- Krste MisirkovKrste MisirkovKrste Petkov Misirkov was a philologist, slavist, historian, ethnographer, publicist author of the first book and scientific magazine in Macedonian, where he for the first time outlined the principles of the literary Macedonian language...
- writer, Slavist and philologist - Aco Šopov - poet and writer
- Gjorgjija Pulevski - writer and political activist
- Gane Todorovski - writer, poet and academic
- Kočo RacinKoco RacinKosta Apostolov Solev primarily known as Kočo Racin was a Macedonian revolutionary and poet who is considered a founder of modern Macedonian literature. His poem collection White Dawns is one of the most important masterpieces in the Macedonian modern literature...
- writer and poet - Kole NedelkovskiKole NedelkovskiKole Nedelkovski was a Bulgarian communist and Macedonian revolutionary and poet. He was born in Vojnica, near Veles, Ottoman Empire in 1912 and died in 1941 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Hunted from the Serbian police he emigrated to Bulgaria in 1933...
- poet - Vojdan ČernodrinskiVojdan ChernodrinskiVoydan Pop Georgiev – Chernodrinski – January 8, 1951, Sofia, Bulgaria) was a Bulgarian playwrighter and dramatist from the region of Macedonia. His pseudonym is derived from Black Drin , a river flowing through his home town...
- writer - Vasil IljoskiVasil IljoskiVasil Iljoski was a Macedonian writer, dramatist, professor and an important figure in the Macedonian literature, especially in Macedonian drama between the two World Wars. He was born in Kruševo in 1902. His play Begalka, or known as "Lenče Kumanovče", performed in 1928 in the Skopje theatre is...
- writer - Blaže KoneskiBlaže KoneskiBlaže Koneski was one of the most distinguished Macedonian poets, writers, literary translators, and linguistic scholars...
- writer - Kiril Pejčinoviḱ - writer
- Joakim Krčovski - writer
- Slavko JanevskiSlavko JanevskiSlavko Janevski was a renowned Macedonian poet and prose writer. He was the author of the first Macedonian novel, "Selo zad sedumte jaseni"...
- writer - Živko ČingoZivko CingoŽivko Čingo Macedonian writer, born in Velgosti, near Ohrid. He studied literature at the University of Sts Cyril and Methodius , Skopje. He worked as a journalist and as Director of the Macedonian National Theatre...
- writer - Miladinov brothersMiladinov BrothersThe Miladinov Brothers , Dimitar Miladinov and Konstantin Miladinov , were Bulgarian poets and folklorists from Macedonia, authors of an important collection of folk songs, Bulgarian Folk Songs...
- Grigor PrličevGrigor ParlichevGrigor Stavrev Parlichev was a Bulgarian writer and translator. He was born January 18, 1830 in Ohrid, Ottoman Empire and died in the same town January 25, 1893...