President Stevo Pendarovski received today Todorce Tasevski, Director of the “Struga Poetry Evenings”, Vladan Kreckovic, winner of the “Bridges of Struga” International Award, and Lidija Dimkovska, winner of the “Miladinov Brothers” Award.
At the meeting, Director Tasevski informed President Pendarovski about the program and events within the jubilee 60th edition of the International Poetry Festival “Struga Poetry Evenings”. He pointed out that this year the Festival was attended by more than 30 domestic and foreign poets from the older and younger generation, and a memorial service was held for the doyens of Macedonian poetry Ante Popovski and Bogomil Gjuzel. The Director also informed about the promotion of the monographic edition “Selection of Poetry and Short Prose by Blaze Koneski” as part of the national program that marks 100 years since the birth of the great Macedonian culture figure.
The awarded poets Vladan Kreckovic and Lidija Dimkovska, thanking for the reception with the President, said that it is a great honor and privilege for them to receive recognition on this great jubilee of the “Struga Poetry Evenings”, as one of the oldest and most important world poetry festivals.
President Pendarovski, congratulating the huge success – the six-decade organization of the Struga Poetry Evenings, said that our country is proud to establish in these 60 years a top festival that exists on the world poetry scene, with a recognizable character and identity.
At the meeting, President Pendarovski congratulated Vladan Kreckovic, winner of the UNESCO-sponsored International Award – “Bridges of Struga” for the best debut poetry collection to a poet under the age of 35, and Lidija Dimkovska, winner of the “Miladinov Brothers” Award for best poetry collection between two festival editions.
This year’s laureate of the “Struga Poetry Evenings” is the British poet Carol Ann Duffy.