The prose works of Maleska are characterized by heterogeneity, focusing on a diversity of contemporary personal, social, political themes, often providing new reinterpretations of familiar perspectives. There is profound introspection of the characters, while her writing style is clear and concise.
Biography
Kalina Maleska is a Macedonian writer of fiction, drama and children’s literature. She teaches English literature at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
Her works include short story collections, novels, plays and books for children. One of her stories for children has been written for the stage and performed by the theatre for children Shadows and Clouds. Her short stories have been translated into several languages (English, German, Serbian, Croatian, Albanian, Bulgarian, Italian, etc.), and published in magazines in the country and abroad. She has also participated in several Macedonian and international literary festivals. Her short story “A Different Kind of Weapon” is represented in the anthology Best European Fiction 2018.
She has received the Novel of the Year Award for her 2024 novel “The World I Chose”, awarded by the “Slavko Janevski” Foundation for Promotion of Cultural Values.
Maleska is a co-editor of the international collection of stories entitled “Awake not Sleeping: Reimagining Fairy Tales for a New Generation” (2021), organized and published by UN Women (ECA), in which she is also represented with two short stories.
In terms of literary research, she has authored and edited several theoretical literary studies, and her articles have been published in international academic journals.
She also translates literary works from English into Macedonian and vice versa; including translations of “Tristram Shandy” by Laurence Sterne, “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, “Selected Stories” by Ambrose Bierce, “Remnants of a Sky” by Vlado Maleski, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan, “Free: Coming of Age at the End of History” by Lea Ypi.
Outstanding and latest title:
THE WORLD I CHOSE (2024)
The novel “The World I Chose” is a story about the transformation of Leona, whose sense of self and identity changes and develops through her encounter with various people and spaces. The internal monologues in which Leona analyzes herself and the people around her with psychological depth and precision, often recalling the past, are interwoven with the ongoing episodes taking place at the board meetings. The dominant characteristic of the novel is its heterogeneity: the presence of various generations, classes, gender tensions, children with atypical cognitive development, excellently conveyed characters, ethical dimensions, empathy towards people, but also criticism.
No. of pp: 122
Awards and honors:
- The Novel of the Year Award for 2024
English translation available HERE.
Rights:
Kalina Maleska
kalinamaleska@gmail.com