Skopje, 2 October 2025 (MIA) - The 2025 Bookstar European Literature Festival's Dragi Award for best literary translation into Macedonian was awarded Thursday to Lidija Tanushevska for her translation of Polish author Olga Tokarczuk's historical novel "The Empusium" (Antolog, 2025).

The panel of judges consisted of Anastasija Gjurchinova, Jana Mihajlovska and Ivan Shopov. 

The other translators who made the 2025 Dragi Award shortlist were Ermis Lafazanovski, Jasminka Markovska, Kalina Maleska and Milan Damjanovski.

"In translating the novel 'The Emousium,' Lidija Tanushevska successfully rose to the complex and serious challenge of conveying the stylistic features, linguistic structures and cultural layers of the Polish original," the judges said, praising "the attention the translator has paid to the author's style, rhythm and vocabulary as well as to the tones, nuances and contexts" of "Tokarczuk's complex narrative material, permeated with numerous reflections from philosophy, psychoanalysis, socio-historical processes and feminism."

"Tanushevska translates wisely and carefully, taking into account both the unusualness of the original text as well as the sensitivity of the Macedonian reader's ear," the judges said.

They added that all five finalists had produced successful and innovative translations, making the judges' decision difficult.

According to organizers, 35 translations from 17 languages done by 33 translators published by 18 publishing houses or individuals were submitted to this year's contest.

The translation award was established in 2022 and named after Macedonian translator, writer and university professor Dragi Mihajlovski (1951-2022). Mihajlovski's legacy, in addition to his own writing, includes his translations of works by Shakespeare, Milton, Shelley, Keats, Blake, Eliot and others. mr/