Posts featuring Petre M. Andreevski

Weekly Dispatches From the Frontlines of World Literature

The latest from Mexico, North Macedonia, and the Philippines!

In this week’s round-up of literary news from around the world, our editors report on an exciting translation-centric colloquium in Mexico, a prestigious award going to a new translation of one of North Macedonia’s most canonical novels, and the Frankfurt Book Fair’s spotlighting of the Philippines in its 2025 edition—a choice that has met resistance from local publishers due to the fair’s Zionist sympathies.

René Esaú Sánchez, Editor-at-Large, reporting for Mexico

They say that no matter what you do, there is always a saint from which you can ask for help. In the case of translators, that is Saint Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin. Following the Council of Trent, his translation became the official Latin Bible in the western hemisphere.

With this in mind, the fourth Coloquio de Traducción Literaria San Jerónimo (Saint Jerome Literary Translation Colloquium) took place last week in Veracruz, Mexico. The event was dedicated to fully immersing participants in the art of translation and fostering discussions on what it truly means to translate. It was organized by the Culture Office of Veracruz and the independent publishing company Aquelarre Ediciones, which also sponsors a prize dedicated to literary translation.

Among the participants were notable figures such as Fabián Espejel, the recent winner of the Bellas Artes Margarita Michelena Literary Translation Award; Mario Murguía, who won the same prize last year; José Miguel Barajas, the translator of Mallarmé into Spanish; and José Luis Rivas, a poet who has translated works by Derek Walcott, John Donne, Ezra Pound, William Shakespeare, and T.S. Eliot. READ MORE…

Weekly Dispatches From the Frontlines of World Literature

The latest literary news from Palestine, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria!

This week, our Editors-at-Large bring us news of a crucial conference using collective artistic expression for justice, drama surrounding a literary prize, and an innovative effort to honor a beloved author. From activist poets to an experimental anthology, read on to find out more!

Carol Khoury, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Palestine

The International Coordinating Committee of the World Poetry Movement (WPM) has issued an urgent call to action concerning the escalating crisis in Palestine. In a recent statement, the committee emphasized, “The world and Palestine are in great danger. We must intervene, speak out, and act.” To address this, back in April, WPM issued an open letter by 1026 poets, artists, and intellectuals from hundred and forty countries to eighteen presidents and prime ministers of the world, on a an appeal to act for immediate ceasefire and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. More recently, WPM hosted a virtual World Conference for Palestine, which took place on the 15th and the 16th of June.

WPM, renowned for its steadfast support of Palestine through poetry and activism, seeks to leverage this conference to mobilize international solidarity and propose solutions. Reflecting the sentiment of poet Mahmoud Darwish, “Our poems have no melody, no color, no flavor, no voice if they do not hold the torch from home to home, from house to house,” the WPM aims to illuminate the path to justice through collective artistic expression.

The World Conference for Palestine, hosted virtually by Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented a critical effort to galvanize international support. The conference gathered poets, writers, artists, intellectuals, and political leaders to discuss protective measures for Palestinians. The two-day event featured expert analyses and discussions to push for an end to the war and the occupation. Prominent attendees included Miguel Diaz-Canel, Nicolas Maduro, Gustavo Petro, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Mahmoud Abbas, Michael D. Higgins, Cyril Ramaphosa, Fortune Charumbira, and Juan David Correa. Recordings of live streaming of poetry readings can be watched here. READ MORE…

Resurrecting the Dead: Translator Will Firth on Unearthing Balkan Classics

In a world dominated by a handful of powers, "minor" literatures help us think outside the box.

In our current globalized state, translated literatures are at the forefront of creating cross-cultural dialogues and paving the path for a richer and more diverse literary landscape. There remain, however, distinct inconsistencies in the publication, marketing, and distribution between national literatures that enjoy moderate international renown, and those that are sadly compartmentalized and neglected. In this impassioned and forceful essay by translator Will Firth, who specializes in Balkan literature, a much-needed spotlight is shone upon the overlooked classics of the Macedonian and Serbo-Croatian canon, additionally turning our attentions to the failures of a literature market that privileges predictable profits over unfamiliar brilliance.

Few regions are as fraught with historical rifts and discontinuities as the Balkans, and, given their degree of cultural and linguistic “otherness” compared to the English-speaking world, it is no wonder that the reception of literature from the Balkans is patchy. The francophone world performs somewhat better in this regard, and some countries (e.g. Poland, Hungary, and Turkey) have been remarkably consistent in accompanying Balkan literatures through translation. READ MORE…