A poet's resistance

On a sunny afternoon in early September, poet Lidija Dimkovska sat down with translator Ema Stefanovska, in the Renaissance church of San Sebastiano to explore Condizione di confine (Border conditions), Dimkovska’s latest collection of poems. The edition is presented in a bilingual format, with the original Macedonian text on the left page and Stefanovska’s Italian translation on the right.

Born in Skopje, North Macedonia, Lidija Dimkovska now lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She is the author of numerous novels and poetry collections which have been translated into over twenty languages. Her work is celebrated for its lyrical intensity, philosophical depth and themes of identity, borders, and belonging.

The event began with the reading of three poems from Condizione di confine. Како е (What would it be like), Ехо (Echo), and Земјата што се распаѓа (The decaying earth). Each poem resonated with the audience, showing Dimkovska’s ability to create powerful verses from personal and collective experiences.

The poet’s unique voice is deeply tied to the language she writes in. For Dimkovska, Macedonian is not a “minority language”; it is the language that has shaped her identity and her art. She rejects the notion of linguistic or cultural marginalisation, insisting that Macedonian is for her “the biggest language in the world.” Writing in her mother tongue is both inevitable and deliberate. It is also a political and cultural decision, a proof of her identity and integrity.

North Macedonia’s complex history, marked by political challenges with neighbouring countries and within the European Union, has deepened the significance of the Macedonian language. Dimkovska points out that its recognition remains contested, even among Bulgaria’s citizens, underscoring the ongoing struggles tied to language and identity.

Stefanovska and Dimkovska also discussed the collection’s title, Condizione di confine, which speaks to the centrality of borders in the poet’s life and work. She mentions philosopher Karl Jaspers’ boundary situations (Grenzsituationen), extreme life experiences that force humans to confront the limits of our existence. Borders as a physical concept are very present in Dimkovska's life, growing up in a region marked by shifting borders, first as part of Yugoslavia and later as an independent Macedonia. Her books, she explains, emerged from “the condition of the world,” filled with its problems and, at times, its solutions.

Following this conversation, Dimkovska read another poem: Наследство (Inheritance), followed by the Italian translation.

The conversation took a personal turn as Dimkovska shared her admiration for female writers like Marina Tsvetaeva, whom Dimkovska describes as her “poetical soul”. It is a vulnerable experience to be a woman, an immigrant, poet, writer, mother and wife. She referenced Olja Savičević's You Don’t Read Women as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for women writers to be heard.

The reading of Il cuore di Chopin (Chopin’s heart) finalised the event, earning warm applause from the audience. The poem’s emotional depth and lyrical beauty left a lasting impression on everyone present.