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Blaže Koneski

ブラジェ・コネスキ

Buraje Konesuki

Pen Names:

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1921-12-19 （Nebregovo (near Prilep)）
Died
1993-12-07 （Skopje） age 71
Nationality
Macedonian, Yugoslav, Bulgarian (variously reported)
Languages
Macedonian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Russian, German
Residence History
Nebregovo (birthplace) → Prilep (childhood / schooling) → Skopje (later life / academic posts) → Sofia (university studies)

Career

Occupations
poet, writer, translator, linguistic scholar, university professor, editor
Active Years
1944-1993
Affiliations
Macedonian National Theater (lector), University of Skopje (lecturer, dean, rector), Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (member; first president), Macedonian Writers' Association (founder; first president), Macedonian PEN Center (member)
Memberships
Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU), Austrian Academy of Sciences (corresponding member), Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (corresponding member), Serbian Academy of Sciences (corresponding member), Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (corresponding member), Polish Academy of Sciences (corresponding member), Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (corresponding member), Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (corresponding member), Vojvodina Academy of Sciences and Arts (corresponding member)
Influenced By
Aleksandar Belić, Radovan Košutić, Vasil Iljoski
Influenced
Modern Macedonian literature (through codification and standardization), Researchers in Macedonian linguistics and Slavic studies, Younger poets and writers in Macedonia

Education

Kragujevac gymnasium (high school)
Period: 1930年代
Year of Graduation: 1939
Country: Serbia (then: Kingdom)
Completed secondary education; edited school magazine.
University of Belgrade (attended)
Faculty of Medicine (switched to Slavic philology) / Slavic philology
Period: 1939–1941
Country: Serbia (then: Kingdom)
Began medicine then switched to Slavic philology; did not complete degree here.
Sofia University (Faculty of Slavic Studies)
Faculty of Slavic Studies / Slavic philology
Degree: 学士相当
Period: 1941–1944
Year of Graduation: 1944
Country: Bulgaria
Studied during wartime and graduated in 1944.

Awards

AVNOJ Prize
Organization: Yugoslavia (state award)
Result: 受賞
Njegoš Prize
Organization: organization unspecified
Result: 受賞
Struga Poetry Evenings — Golden Wreath (Zlaten Venec)
1981
Organization: Struga Poetry Evenings
Result: 受賞
Herder Prize
1971
Organization: Herder Foundation
Result: 受賞
Award of the Writers' Union of the USSR
Organization: Writers' Union of the USSR
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A History of the Macedonian Language

1965 linguistics / historical

Major scholarly work discussing the historical development and codification of Macedonian; includes corpus-based analysis and controversial interpretations.

language standardizationnational historycomparative Slavic studies

Grammar of Literary Macedonian

1952 linguistics / grammar

Foundational grammar describing phonology, morphology and syntax of standard Macedonian; influential for education and lexicography.

standardization normseducationlexicography

Land and Love

1948 poetry

Postwar poetry collection focusing on homeland, human emotions, and community.

homelandlovehistory

The Vineyard

1955 short stories

Collection of short stories depicting rural life and human relations.

local culturehuman drama

Bibliography

  • Land and Love (poetry, 1948)
  • Poems (1953)
  • The Embroideress (poetry, 1955)
  • The Vineyard (short stories, 1955)
  • A History of the Macedonian Language (1965)
  • Macedonian Dictionary (editor, 1961–1966)
  • Numerous other poetry, prose, translations and academic works

Translations by Author

  • Translation of Shakespeare's Othello
  • Translations of German poetry (Goethe, Heine, Hölderlin)
  • Translations of Russian poetry (Blok, Mayakovsky)

Translations of Works

  • Selected poems and essays translated into English, Serbian, Bulgarian and other languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and symbolic poetic voicelinguistically precise and normative approachelements of modernism
Recurring Motifs
homeland and landlanguage and national identityhistory and memorylove and loss

Legacy

Koneski made major contributions to the codification of standard Macedonian and earned the reputation as the 'father' of Macedonian literary language. His work, however, provoked controversies over alleged Serbianizing or other political influences. He left a lasting impact on Macedonian academia, literature and cultural institutions.

Museums

  • Blazhe Koneski Memorial House (birthplace) Nebregovo, North Macedonia
  • Faculty of Philology, University of Skopje (named after Koneski) Skopje, North Macedonia Opened in 1997

Academic Societies

  • Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU)
  • Macedonian Writers' Association
  • Macedonian PEN Center

Archives

  • Archives of MANU (Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
  • Collections at the Blazhe Koneski Memorial House

In Popular Culture

  • The poem 'Teškoto' is taught in Macedonian elementary schools.

Quotes

  • I consider myself a Macedonian.
    Source: Interview / Remarks (Andreevski, 1991) (1991)

Trivia

  • 'Teškoto' (1948) is taught in Macedonian elementary schools.
  • His birthplace has been converted into a memorial and educational center.