MACEDONIA
Rumena Bužarovska (1981) is a Macedonian writer, professor, translator and activist for women's rights. She lives and works in Skopje, where she works on literary translation from English to Macedonian (John M. Coetzee, Lewis Carroll, Truman Capote, Ian Reed, Flannery O'Connor) and teaches American literature and translation at the "Blaže Koneski" Faculty of Philology.
She is the author of four short-stories collections: “Scribbles” (207), “Wisdom Tooth” (2010), “My husband” (2014), “I’m not going anywhere” (2018), a collection of documentary prose “God, then America”, a book of short fictions "Sleep" (2017), the children's book "What the Ladybug Saw?" (2021), as well as a study of humor in literature: “On the funny: theories of humor through the lens of the short story". She joined a group of authors from the countries of the former Yugoslavia to create the book "Diary 2020". Her book "My husband" gained a striking international success, receiving a number of international recognitions.
Bužarovska’s books have been translated and published in fifteen languages, and the literary works "My husband" and "I'm not going anywhere" have been staged on six theater stages in the country and abroad. The book "My Husband" is performed on four theater stages in the country and the region: "Drama Theater" in Skopje, "Yugoslav Drama Theater" in Belgrade, "Slovenian National Theater" in Ljubljana and House of Contemporary Art "Trafo", Budapest.
In 2016 she was named one of the New Voices from Europe, a program within the platform Literary Europe Live. She has also been awarded with the Croatian regional award “Edo Budiša”. She is the co-founder of the women's storytelling initiative PeachPritch and the podcast Radio Mileva.
„Расказот го доживувам како подемократска форма на изразување, зашто им дава простор на повеќе гласови и феномени. За жал, реалните состојби на постојан апсурд многу инспирираат, но кога ќе ги ставите фактички на хартија, тие не се ништо посебно. Фикцијата е обично поефективна, зашто овозможува дистанцирање и одново критичко согледување на реалноста.“
"God, then America"
"Tri", Skopje, 2024
Memories, smells, freedom. Alienation, fear, stereotypes, guns. America is a synthesis. A boiling point. From her earliest childhood in Arizona and American schools, to life-changing encounters like the one with Phyllis Rose, and all the other acquaintances, even those that didn't get to deepen.In this world where it is impossible to make long-lasting friendships, which in turn creates another pain – loneliness, it is difficult for a person to remember. Let alone write deep essays, which are not only criticism or personal observation but also a timeless diary that requires the baring of the soul. And to merciless reality, just as America itself has never had mercy.