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The Last Villagers

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North Macedonia

Petre M. Andreevski

And people are cheering and bawling, they are staggering, hardly keeping pace. They are wobbling and hopping breathlessly. Their eyes are hopping as well, their cheeks are coming off and their nostrils are spreading like the gills of a fish thrown out of water. Their joints are creaking and the mist is coming from their clothes like from burnt manure.

Andreevski’s novel The Last Villagers is one of the most read books of contemporary Macedonian literature. It is a chronicle of the disintegration of the Macedonian village in the technological era – the village is dehumanized, emptied from its warmth, its life and its meaning, it is left behind at the mercy of the barren winds of time and absurdity. Only a few lonely old men and women are left to extinguish in this emptied scenery and their last days of existence are bittered even more by the drama and the tragedy happening to the very few younger inhabitants in the village. This is a novel of passion, cruelty and strong emotional drives, a narrative of the distressing destinies which seem to be filling the last pages of the life of our village – the same village which remembers days filled with life and complete, deep purpose. Same as in his other books, Andreevski narrates spontaneously, lively and with a rare freshness of the folklore lexis.

Petre M. Andreevski (1934-2006), poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright. Member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts since May 2000. He published the following books of poetry: Knots (1960), Both on Heaven and Earth (1962), Denicija (1968), Dalni nakovalni (1971), Praises and Complaints (1975), Eternal House (1987); Lachrymatory (1999). His books of short stories include: The Seventh Day (1994), Years of Treason (1974), All Faces of Death (1994). Published novels: Weed (1980), Locusts (1983), Nebeska Timjanovna (1988) and Last Villagers (1987). The book Plays (1987) includes Time for Singing and Bogunemili. He also wrote two books for children: Scribble Riddle, Eat and Grow. Several selections of his literary opus were published. In 1984 his selected works were published in four volumes. He has been included in all anthologies of Macedonian poetry both at home and abroad. His works, in separate books, have been presented in many languages outside Macedonia.
Awards include: 11 October, Miladinov Brothers (twice), Kočo Racin and Stale Popov (twice).