Photo: AI generated
Branko Prlja’s literary work is sharp, inventive, and socially engaged, navigating the blurred lines between reality and fiction through satire, dystopia, and experimental forms that challenge dominant narratives and cultural norms.
Biography
Branko Prlja (b. 1977) is a Macedonian writer, graphic designer, and cultural activist whose work defies categories and conventions. A finalist for Macedonia’s prestigious Novel of the Year award on two occasions (Three Minutes and Fifty-Three Seconds, 2015; Apocalypse.mk, 2017), Prlja is the author of over 40 published titles, spanning genres such as autofiction, dystopia, flash fiction, literary satire, educational prose, and graphic novels.
With a literary voice both bold and subversive, Prlja explores the blurred boundaries between reality and fiction, frequently employing irony and speculative constructs to critique media manipulation, consumer culture, and socio-political inertia. He is often recognized for introducing or developing several literary forms in Macedonia, including dystopian novels, satirical news, educational prose, and visually-assisted literature created in collaboration with artificial intelligence.
Prlja’s creative practice transcends literature. As the founder of multiple influential platforms—including Kapka, a creative collective for critical media, Arno.mk, a cultural-scientific portal, Science.mk and Creative.mk, Macedonia’s first aggregators for science and culture, and Grrft, the first Macedonian graffiti magazine—he has built bridges between literature, technology, and activism.
Equally engaged in grassroots initiatives, he leads some of Macedonia’s largest environmental and civic communities, including Daј, ne frlaј! (over 70,000 members), and has created innovative educational and linguistic tools that promote literacy and critical thinking.
Branko Prlja’s multidisciplinary work positions him as one of the most versatile and forward-thinking cultural figures in contemporary Macedonian literature, merging narrative innovation with visual art, social commentary, and a deep commitment to public good.
Outstanding title:
THREE MINUTES AND FIFTY-THREE SECONDS (2015)
Prlja’s novel Three Minutes and Fifty-Three Seconds (published under the pseudonym Bert Stein) is among his most acclaimed works, earning him a spot in the final round for the “Novel of the Year” award in 2015. This recognition further solidified his reputation as a leading voice in Macedonian literature. The novel has also been released as an audiobook in Macedonian by “Samoglas”, and adapted into graphic novel, as the first Macedonian graphic novel (comic) created with the help of artificial intelligence in Macedonian and in English.
No. of pp: 159
Awards and honors:
- Finalist for Novel of the Year Award for 2015
Rights sold to:
English language worldwide (Dalkey Archive Press, until 2026); Ukrainian (Tverdynia Publishing House, until 2023); Polish (Toczka Publishing House, 2017)
Latest title:
WALLS THAT SPEAK: GRAFFITI STORIES FROM THE STREETS OF SKOPJE (2025)
A unique blend of photography, memoir, and urban archaeology. With over 300 photographs, this book captures the voices, colors, and emotions of a city that speaks through its walls. Neither a formal study nor a history, it is a personal and collective journey through graffiti culture in North Macedonia’s capital. Written in fragments, reflections, and street sounds, it documents what was once visible and now vanishes beneath layers of paint. A tribute to ephemeral art and urban resistance, this book preserves what the city tries to forget.
No. of pp: 160
Rights:
Branko Prlja
brankoprlja@gmail.com