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LITERATURE

Robert Alagjozovski

The author is a literary critic
and a PhD candidate(ABD)

in Cultural Management

When the pink
turns red by dusk

In regard to the book the Velvet cover (Kadifenata pokriva) – novelettes about the women-

killers by Olivera Nikolova, an edition of “Matica Makedonska”, Skopje 2015

It seems to me that Olivera Nikolova modern or modern authors, as authors
is one of the least justified authors of historical novels or authors of short
in the Macedonian literary scene. experimental prose, members of the fifth
When I say this, I refer to her popu- circle or the prose of the ones who are
larity as a writer for adults because born after the seventies, etc. This brand-
we primarily know her as a writer for chil- ing provided them easier recognition and
dren, and her glory results from that cre- circulation in the literary public. It seems
ative field, which maybe overshadows her to me that it is too late to rebrand Olivera
excellence as a modern author. Being the Nikolova in terms of some poetic or genre
author of about twenty prose books for affiliation due to her diversity, however
children, her name became famous and also unwillingness to self-define. However,
recognizable. Books such as “Zoki Poki”, on the other hand, it is a literary value by
“The Friends Bon and Bona” or “Marko’s itself. And in this regard I consider that
Girlfriends” marked the entry into the the Macedonian literary public, the read-
world of fiction and television creation of ership and the literary institutions should
several generations. However, it seems to give it the due diligence and honor, that it
me that her glory as a writer ends here, deserves to be a topic of a scientific sympo-
although she, in an incredibly long time sium or a program of a specific literary or
period, also wrote proses and drama texts cultural event.
for which she received all most important
literary awards (“Narrow Door”, “Home- This thought is the reason why I return
works”, “Adam’s Rib”, “Variations for Ibn to her book from 2015. It seems to me that
Pajko”, “Rositsa’s Dolls”, “White Smoke”, throughout our entire support and atten-
“Small House”). From 1980 to present day tion that we dedicated to the young writ-
she was the laureate of the Zmaj award, of ers, none of them wrote a prose with qual-
Racin’s Award, of Stale Popov, Novel of the ities at a micro level as Olivera Nikolova
Year, candidate for Balkanika. If we are did in the book “The Velvet Cover” with a
looking for a self-poetic reason why this is subtitle: novelettes for women-murders.
so, of course, not crucially, I think that Ol- Although Nikolova’s public image was nev-
ivera Nikolova did not invest in herself as a er a feminist author or a write of so called
brand (except for children’s literature). Her women’s writing, this book is feministic
books are excellent as individual achieve- from different points of view. It comprises
ments, however all these years she didn’t of six longer proses dedicated to seven real
“label” herself, or no one else did this. women from the world and the national
Many of the Macedonian authors were history, etched in the collective memory
successful in the self-promotion as post- as murders: Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite
d‘Aubray, Marquise de Brinvilliers, Martha

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