Slavko Janevski

Slavko Janevski (January 11, 1920 – January 20, 2000) was a Macedonian poet, prose and script writer. He was also active as a comic artist. From 1945 onwards he was the editor of the first teenage magazine called "Pioner" (Pioneer). Janevski is the author of the first novel to be written in Macedonian, (A Village Behind the Seven Ash-trees). As a script writer, he adapted the historical drama Macedonian Blood Wedding in 1967. Janevski is considered as a founder of Macedonian poetry.

Biography Janevski was born in Skopje on January 11, 1920. From an early age, he had been interested in literature and art. He completed technical school in Skopje. During World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia, he was a member of the Macedonian Partisans. He began writing poetry during World War II and published his first poetry collection Krvava niza (A Bloody Garland) in 1945. Since 1945 he had been the editor of the first Macedonian children's newspaper "Pioner" (Pioneer), and then he was the editor-in-chief of several literary magazines, such as: the children's magazine "Titovce", the magazines for literature and art "Nov den" (New day) and "Sovremenost" (Contemporaneity), the literary newspaper "Horizont" (Horizon) and the humorous-satirical newspaper "Osten". In the meantime he worked as an editor in the publishing houses "Kočo Racin", "Naša kniga" (Our book) and "Makedonska kniga" (Macedonian book). in 1952 in Macedonian. He was also a founder and member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1967. Janevski received the awards, "AVNOJ"; "Miladinov brothers" award, the award of the City of Skopje "13 November", "Kočo Racin", "Macedonian Word" and others. He also won two Golden Arenas for Best Screenplay at the Pula Film Festival, for the films Wolf's Night (1955) and Macedonian Part of Hell (1974). He was awarded the Order of Brotherhood and Unity with a golden star and the Order of" Merits to the People with a golden star. He died on January 20, 2000.

In 2013, the Lustration Commission of Republic of Macedonia announced that it had concluded that Slavko Janevski was a collaborator of the Yugoslav communist secret services, spying on artists and writers, and claiming that some wrote "bad literature", under the pseudonym "Slavjan." His file was not published. This resulted in condemnations of the decision by the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Writers' Association of Macedonia, and the Macedonian PEN Center, as well as some academics. The commission rejected the complains as "unfounded", but a member of the commission called the decision "wrong", claiming that he was not a collaborator for ideological reasons.

In 2017, journalists and editors of the defunct newspaper Utrinski vesnik established the foundation "Slavko Janevski", with Janevski's daughter serving as the president of the board of directors. The Council of the City of Skopje declared 2020 the year of Slavko Janevski, in honor of the centenary of his birth.

Selected bibliography

Novels Село зад седумте јасени (1952). A Village Behind the Seven Ash Trees Две Марии (1956). The Two Marys Месечар (1958). The Sleepwalker И бол и бес (1964). Both Pain and Rage тебла (1965). Tree Trunks The "Kukulino" Cycle: Тврдоглави (1969). The Stubborn Ones Легионите на Свети Адофонис (1984). The Legions of Saint Adofonis Кучешко распетие (1984). Dog's Crucifix Чекајќи чума (1984). Waiting for the Plague Девет Керубинови векови (1986). The Nine Centuries of Kerubin, trans. Snežana Nikolovska-Nečovska (Detska Radost, 1997) Чудотворци (1988). Miracle Workers, trans. Zoran Ančevski and David Bowen (Detska Radost, 1994) Рулет со седум бројки (1989). Roulette with Seven Numbers Континент Кукулино (1996). The Kukulino Continent Миракули на грозомората (1987). The "Miracles of Horror" trilogy. Compiles: The Legions of Saint Adofonis, Dog's Crucifix, and Waiting for the Plague

Novellas and short stories

Улица (1950). Street Кловнови и луѓе (1954). Clowns and People Ковчег (1976). Ark Зад тајната врата (1993). Beyond the Secret Door

Poetry Крвава низа: лирски фрагменти (1945). A Bloody Garland Пионери, пионерки, бубачки и шумски ѕверки (1946). Boys, Girls, Beetles and Forest Beasts Скаменетиот Орфеј (1990). Petrified Orpheus The Bandit Wind: Poems, trans. Charles Simic (Dryad Press, 1991). Bilingual edition of selected poems. The Palette of Damnation (1995). Bilingual edition of selected poems.

Children's literature

Шеќерна приказна (1952). Sugar Story Сенката на Карамба Барамба (1959). The Shadow of Karamba Baramba Марсовци и глувци (1959). Martians and Mice Црни и жолти (1967). Black and Yellow Каинавелија (1968). Cainavelia Децата од светот (1987). The Children of the World Пупи Паф (1992). Poopy Puff