This week, our editors-at-large report on prizes in Macedonia, literary festivals in Hong Kong, and unexpected literary losses in Bulgaria. Read on to find out more!
Sofija Popovska, Editor-at-Large, reporting from North Macedonia
The Slavko Janevski Foundation, a Macedonian foundation dedicated to the advancement and promotion of cultural values, recently selected Edinstven Matičen Broj (which translates to Unique Master Citizen Number) by Lidija Dimkovska as the novel of the year for 2023.
Lidija Dimkovska was born in1971 in Skopje. She is a poet, novelist, and translator, whose literary interests and expertise extend beyond national borders and include early Macedonian poetry, contemporary Slovenian poetry, and contemporary minority and migrant writing in Slovenia. Currently based in Slovenia, Dimkovska works as a freelance translator of Romanian and Slovenian literature. Her work has been translated into 15 languages, including English, German, French, Romanian, Slovenian, Croatian, Polish, Serbian, and Albanian. English translations of her work include the poetry collection Do Not Awaken Them with Hammers—translated from the Macedonian by Ljubica Arsovska and Peggy Reid, and published in 2006 by Ugly Duckling Presse—and What Is It Like?—selected poetry translated by Ljubica Arsovska, Patricia Marsh and Peggy Reid and published in 2021 by Wrecking Ball Press—which made World Literature Today’s 75 Notable Translations of 2022 list. Her poetry has been described as “honest and uncompromising” by the writer Goce Smilevski; Edinstven Matičen Broj is no different. Named after an identification number assigned to every citizen of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, it offers an unflinching study of identity loss and dehumanization.
“The question that I ask in the novel and that each of us should ask is whether we really exist, even when we have a unique master citizen number, and that question everyone should answer separately, individually and, perhaps, only in silence of their heart,” said Dimkovska at a recent press conference. The jury at Slavko Janevski highlighted her “acute sensitivity to zeitgeist”, which has allowed Dimkovska to dramatize the abstraction of “rootlessness and displacement” in “concrete life scenarios”. Her prose devastates with its candor—she writes in a clipped and probing narrating voice, reminding readers of “[m]oments when you can no longer breathe in the cramped apartment, when you are so lonely and alienated from the people who should be close to you, that you simply have to go somewhere so as not to lose yourself.”
Charlie Ng, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Hong Kong
The 23rd edition of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival took place from 4-10 March, 2024. This year’s event showcased an array of engaging activities, including insightful book discussions, readings, workshops, interactive panel conversations featuring esteemed authors, literary luncheons and dinners, and an assortment of other stimulating events. The Festival commemorated two giants of Hong Kong literature—Jin Yong and Xi Xi—with special sessions of talks and panel discussions.
2024 marked the 100th birthday of Jin Yong, Hong Kong’s renowned martial arts novelist. Celebratory activities were organised by the Government and literary organisations. On 9 March, the Festival featured a talk by Jin Yong’s translator, Gigi Chang, titled “100th Birthday of Jin Yong,” discussing the writer’s legacy. Another event on the same day, “Creating Worlds of Sci-Fi and Fantasy,” consisted of a panel discussion with Gigi Chang, Ana Merino, and Jordan Rivet, which made for a dynamic cross-genre conversation.
After beloved Hong Kong writer Xi Xi passed away in 2022, the Xi Xi Foundation was established to commemorate her literary legacy. As part of its dedication to honouring her contributions, the foundation has announced the establishment of “the Xi Xi Space,” which will be located in Foo Tai Building, an iconic location deeply rooted in Hong Kong’s literary scene. In a talk on March 10, the founders of the Xi Xi Foundation, Louise Law Lok-man, Dr. Stuart Lau Wai-shing, and Wong Yi, introduced the concept of “the Xi Xi Space” to the audience. This upcoming literary hub, scheduled to open in the latter half of 2025, aims to recreate the essence of Xi Xi’s home, carefully arranging the furniture, displaying her cherished hand-made stuffed monkey toys, and showcasing rare copies of her manuscripts. The speakers also discussed the publication process for Xi Xi’s commemorative collection, From Hopscotch to Flying Carpet, which brought together speeches and essays that reflected on Xi Xi’s literary journey and her inspiring life.
Andriana Hamas, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Bulgaria
Last month Bulgaria said an unexpected goodbye to the renowned writer Alek Popov. He passed away at the age of 58. According to the official statement of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Popov was “one of the most original and talented contemporary Bulgarian fiction writers […] His works […] аroused in the reader a desire for reflection, for dialogue, and sometimes for polemics.” Several of his novels, among them Мисия Лондон (“Mission London,” 2001) and Черната кутия (“The Black Box,” 2007) were translated into multiple languages, with the first one even being turned into a movie starring Alan Ford (2010). Popov, called “the funniest serious Bulgarian author” and “master of satire,” will be remembered as a screenwriter and a playwright as well as a novelist.
In addition to his literary contributions, Alek Popov was an outspoken public figure who often bridged the gap between fiction and reality, noting humor’s key role in any society. What follows is a longer excerpt from a 2022 interview he gave for Литературен вестник (“Literary Newspaper,” a weekly publication devoted to all things literature). The quote embodies Popov’s position as both a humanitarian and a humorist:
“The pandemic shattered the illusion that we live in a protected environment, that a completely sterile environment is possible outside of laboratories. It reminded us that the desire to eliminate all risks hides others, just as dangerous. In a way, it even reminded me of the attempt to create a sterile linguistic environment in which no one feels affected or vulnerable. The result of this noble intention, alas, is self-censorship and denunciation, in the spirit of totalitarianism. Humor cannot be sterile, it is the opposite—provocative, often obscene, even hurtful. But it helps us preserve our critical attitude towards reality and towards ourselves, it immunizes us against the painful tenderness of our perceptions. Wars, including those within the family, arise when people lose their sense of self-irony and self-criticism.”
And this is exactly where writers can step in and help adjust our social compasses.
*****
Read more on the Asymptote blog: