Julijana Velichkovska
- North Macedonia -
Julijana Velichkovska (1982, Skopje) is a writer, editor, translator, and poetry festival organizer.
She graduated from the Department of Macedonian Literature and South Slavic Literatures at the "Blaze Koneski" Faculty of Philology, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
She is the founder of the publishing house PNV Publikacii in Skopje, a co-founder and director of the Skopje Poetry Festival, and the program director of the Velestovo Poetry Night Festival in Ohrid. She is a member of the Macedonian Writers’ Association.
She is the author of three poetry books: Рајсфершлус (Reißverschluss, 2024), Комарци (Mosquitoes, 2010) and Отворена книга (Open Book, 2017); a novel, Годишни времиња (Seasons, 2014); and a children’s book, Ведра (Vedra, 2022,, for which she won the Best Text in a Picture Book Award at the International Children’s Literature and Illustration Festival Litera in 2023. She has also authored a monograph, XX Години Поетска ноќ во Велестово (XX Years of Velestovo Poetry Night, 2009), and she has translated the work of writers from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Norway, Iceland, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Serbia, Croatia, Denmark, Azerbaijan, Malta, the Faroe Islands, and Montenegro into Macedonian.
Her poetry has been translated into twenty languages. A selection of her poems entitled Expecting Lions has been translated into English and published by “Three Spire Press” in Cork, Ireland, 2025. A selection of her poems entitled Box of Fear has been translated into Azerbaijani and published by “Zardabi” in Baku, in 2024. Her novel Seasons was translated into Bulgarian and published in 2017 by “Ergo”, Sofia.
Her poetry has also been included in many anthologies of contemporary Macedonian poetry published in N. Macedonia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, and Colombia, as well as in a world contemporary poetry anthology published in China, and a poetry collection of seven European poets published in Albania. Her short stories have been published in three anthologies in Macedonia. She has been invited to perform her work at many international literary festivals across Europe and Asia.
On the Poetry of Julijana Velichkovska
Julijana Velichkovska is the author of three poetry collections: Комарци (Mosquitoes, 2010), Отворена книга (Open Book, 2017), and Рајсфершлус (Reißverschluss, 2024). She has also written a children's book, Ведра (Vedra, 2022), and a novel, Годишни времиња (Seasons, 2014).
Her works have been the subject of numerous reviews by literary critics from both N. Macedonia and abroad. Below are excerpts from some of the reviews of her poetry.
Regarding Velichkovska’s most recent poetry collection, Reißverschluss, the Macedonian poet and literary critic Sande Stojchevski states:
“From her very first appearance on the contemporary Macedonian poetry scene, she distinguished herself with a bold and curious approach that challenged and redefined the established norms of lyrical composition. It was therefore expected that she would soon offer readers a collection of prose poems, but also that she would deepen this endeavour by delving into the diachronic layers of history and literary tradition, celebrating the destinies of mythical heroines while subtly alluding to the fundamental values, qualities, and fates of femininity as part of humanity’s shared experience.
These poems captivate and thrill through their masterful use of euphonic and visual resonances and similarities as inherent properties of carefully chosen lexical units. The poet's skilful manipulation of closely related sounds and imagery infuses the semantic content with an inner dynamism. Thus, their semantic charge is infused with an inner dynamism of the lyrical flow, making the poem seem to emanate from the text, continuing in a prolonged echo beyond its fixed form.
These prose poems seem to represent a subtle treatment of the striking cycle of prose poems ‘Migrations’ from Radovan Pavlovski’s debut book Drought, Weddings, and Migrations, published back in 1961, thereby emphasizing the creative continuity between two significant generations in the upward trajectory of Macedonian poetry.”
The poet Vesna Acevska remarks:
“Reißverschluss by Julijana Velichkovska is a bold and transparent autopoietic book in which seemingly chaotic words and word constructs grow into personal and condensed expressions. Brimming with emotions, doubts, and hopes, these works masterfully evolve into captivating lyrical poems.
What previously coexisted in (meta)language – whether through sound, meaning, or opposition – what lay hidden and voiceless, becomes visible and expressive in her prose poems. It assumes a distinctly shaped poetic identity, absorbing Velichkovska’s vibrant temperament, her charm, and her dynamic energy, thus captivating readers.
At the same time, Reißverschluss is a book with a strong contemporary sensibility, where both the author and readers dwell simultaneously in the real and digital worlds, constantly exposed to rapid and profound changes. Thus, it becomes a significant work that, through mythology, metaphorically ‘comments’ on the vulnerability of culture and vividly portrays Velichkovska’s poetics.”
The young writer and activist Kalia Dimitrova, editor of Meduza, reflects:
“Is it possible for a (female) body to exist here and now, freely? Is there a boundary between the child and the mother, between my fear and yours, between home and the farthest place from home? Is there a difference between inhaling and exhaling? Do I even know how to breathe?
While yoga trains one to narrow the gap between inhalation and exhalation, poetry explores the essence of that space – and this is exactly what Julijana skillfully and courageously does in her latest poetry collection Reißverschluss. (Don’t be afraid if you struggled to read the title – that’s part of the game!)
From Ariel to Gisèle Pelicot, it becomes clear why this story contains not a single period, but countless ellipses.”
Regarding the selection of poems under the title Expecting Lions, recently published in English translation by Daniela Spiroska and released by Three Spire Press in Cork, Ireland, the poet James O’Leary states:
“Expecting Lions is an earthy, mindful collection suffused with the absurd. Through Velichkovska’s singular lens, the edges of the everyday are crowded with blood and fear, delight and tenderness. These are insistent, lonesome, spiky poems where surreality reveals the raw underbelly of existence and the romantic in the mundane.”
The young poet and founder of the youth association Kultura Beta, Andrej Medikj Lazarevski, in his review of Velichkovska’s work, writes:
“In 2010, Velichkovska made her debut with the poetry collection Mosquitoes introducing new poetics to the contemporary Macedonian literary discourse – one that was atypical for the generations before her. She moved away from the traditional themes of 'God, bread, and wine,' venturing instead into poetry that explores everyday life.
This poetics of everyday life, characteristic of both Velichkovska’s poetry collections and her novel, has become one of the defining thematic threads woven throughout her poetry and prose alike, influencing an entire generation of writers that follow.”
Julijana Velichkovska's poetry can be experienced on multiple levels. It has a clear expression, with enough imagery and narrativity to be understood even by less experienced readers, yet it is so skillfully and masterfully written that for seasoned readers and literary critics, it offers a wealth of meanings, wordplay, and linguistic constructions that border between poetic language and the science of language, between prose and poetry. Her poetry is like syrup—characterized by an economy of expression, which, after reading, slowly and lingeringly "dissolves" in the reader's mind, much like fine wine, allowing one to savor all its hidden aromas and meanings.
Her poetry is deeply influenced by music, containing rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration. The author, recognized as one of the finest poetry performers in the country, reads her work on stage with exceptional skill, making her performances always well-attended and highly popular.
Translated from Macedonian into English by Julijana Velichkovska
Poetry
-
water / вода
-
Africa / Африка
-
(Who will ask …) / (Кој ќе ги праша…)
-
(whenever I looked at that spot ...) / (кога и да погледнев на тоа место...)
-
(enheduanna) / (енхедуана)
-
(echo) / (ехо)
-
(the little mermaid) / (малата сирена)
-
(little red riding hood) / (црвенкапа)
-
(suddenly the sky split from the earth brutally …) / (наеднаш небото од земјата се расцепи брутално…)
-
(into your midday landscape ...) / (во твојот пладневен пејзаж...)
-
(sandbag walls ...) / (ѕидовите од вреќи песок...)
-
(gisèle pelicot ...) / (жизел пелико... )
