Skopje, 23 September 2024 (MIA) — Five translators have made the shortlist for the recently established translation award named after Macedonian translator Dragi Mihajlovski, contest organizers said in a press release.

According to the BookStar European Literature Festival release, the five finalists are Anastasija Gjurchinova for her translation of "The Intimate Life" by Niccolò Amaniti (Antolog, 2024); Gjoko Zdraveski for "Three for Kartal" by Miljenko Jergovic (Begemot, 2024); Ekaterina Babamova for "Victory City" by Salman Rushdie (Artkonekt, 2023); Elisaveta Popovska for "A Girl's Story" by Annie Ernaux (Ilika, 2024); and Irena Jurcheva for "The Silmarillion" by J. R. R. Tolkien (Pablisher, 2023).

The shortlist was decided by a panel of judges consisting of Jana Mihajlovska, Zorica Nikolovska and Vladimir Jankovski.

The award will be presented at an event in Blazhe Koneski Faculty of Philology on Oct. 2, held as part of the 10th BookStar festival. It consists of a plaque, a statuette, and 30,000 denars.

The award ceremony is organized by Antolog in cooperation with the Blazhe Koneski Faculty of Philology and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Anastasija Gjurchinova (b. 1963) is an essayist, translator, and a professor of Italian literature at the state university.

Gjoko Zdraveski (b. 1985) has an MA in Macedonian Literature from the state university and teaches Macedonian at INALCO in Paris.

Ekaterina Babamova (b. 1948) has an MA in Applied Linguistics from USA's Southern Illinois University and a PhD from the state university, where she has been a tenured professor.

Elisaveta Popovska is a full professor of French and Francophone Literatures at the state university's Department of Romanian Languages ​​and Literatures.

Irena Jurcheva (b. 1982) has a BA in Translation and Interpretation from the state university. She has taught English and French in several Skopje schools.

According to organizers, 43 translations from 18 languages done by 40 translators published by 18 publishing houses were submitted to this year's contest.

The international Dragi award for a Macedonian work translated into a foreign language will be presented to Benjamin Langer for his translation into German of Petre M. Andreevski's classic novel "The Weeds." mr/