The evenings of poetry in Struga
“The Evenings of Poetry in Struga” ( Macedonian Струшки вечери на поезијата Struški večeri na poezijata , SVP for short ; Albanian Mbrëmjet Strugane të Poezisë ) are an annual international literary festival in the northern city of Strugaedon . The six-day “poetry evenings” are among the oldest and largest festivals of this kind in the world.
Around four dozen poets from all over the world meet, discuss, read, have the opportunity to get to know each other, to exchange ideas and to look outside the box of lyrical work in their own country. Symposia, exhibitions, tributes to important poets and various performances are held in this fertile atmosphere.
The highlight and conclusion of the festival is the poetry reading "Bridges", during which the invited poets perform their works from the bridge that leads over the Black Drin on Lake Ohrid - in front of an audience of many thousands. At the end of the reading evening, the winners will be given the “Struga Bridge Prize” and the “ Golden Wreath ”.
history
The Evenings of Poetry in Struga were launched in 1962. At that time, a number of Macedonian poets were reading in memory of the brothers Konstantin and Dimitar Miladinov - two writers of the early 19th century who were born in Struga and are seen in Macedonia as the founders of modern Macedonian poetry. Even today, the annual poetry festival in the Macedonian port city opens with a poem by the Miladinov brothers: "t'ga za jug" ("Mourning for the South"), which was written during their studies in Moscow .