Kole Čašule

Kole Čašule (; March 2, 1921 – September 22, 2009) was a Macedonian and Yugoslav essayist, dramatist, short story writer and ambassador. Čašule was one of the founders of the Macedonian Writers' Association and served as the organization's president. He completed his primary education in his hometown and his secondary education in Bitola. Until 1918, his father Ilija Kepev was the director of a Bulgarian high school. His maternal uncle Ilija Čašule adopted him in 1925 and he ended up taking his surname. After the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers during World War II, he returned to Prilep. He escaped from prison in 1944. In 1946, Čašule and Lazar Mojsov, as members of the judicial council, sentenced Metodija Andonov-Čento to 11 years in prison.

Čašule worked as the editor of three Macedonian magazines, Nov den, Razgledi and Sovremenost. Čašule was named an honorary member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was the recipient of several major Yugoslav awards, including the Marin Drzić for dramatic work, the July 4 award, the Sterijina nagrada, the October 11 award, the Stale Popov and the Misla, which he was awarded for his entire body of work.

Along with writer Vlado Maleski, he was sent to the United States on a mission to determine the condition of the Macedonian emigration there. Afterwards, Čašule became the general consul in Toronto, Canada. On February 28, 1963, he was appointed as a Yugoslav ambassador to Bolivia and served in that position until 1965. As an ambassador, he focused on strengthening relations between the two countries. He organized Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito's visit to Bolivia, which took place from September 28 to October 3, 1963, at the invitation of the Bolivian president, Víctor Paz Estenssoro. Apart from Tito, he also hosted various Yugoslav political and economic delegations that visited Bolivia and had meetings with the Bolivian authorities. During his term, a coup d'état took place in November 1964, which overthrew Estenssoro and established a military dictatorship. He secured foreign diplomats in the country and established relations with the new government. On November 17, 1970, Čašule became an ambassador to Peru, serving in the position until 1975. During that period, he established close ties with the country's leadership and contributed to the development of economic ties, especially in the reconstruction of the city of Chimbote following the May 1970 earthquake. During his stay in Peru, he befriended prominent cultural figures of the time, especially Mario Vargas Llosa. On September 26, 1978, Čašule was appointed as an ambassador to Brazil, remaining in that position until 1981. He ensured that good relations between Brazil and Yugoslavia were maintained, while also writing prose intensively. In Brazil, he collected handicrafts from painters, sculptors, and craftsmen to remind him of his stay when he returned home. For his work as ambassador in these three South American countries, he received recognitions. Čašule died in Skopje on September 22, 2009, at the age of 88.

Notable works 1948 – An Evening (Edna večer) 1950 – The Collective (Zadruga) 1957 – Twig in the Wind (Vejka na vetrot) 1958 – Furrow (Brazda) 1960 – Darkness (Crnila) 1962 – The Game (Igra)