Alphabet of the Insubordinate

Azbuka za neposlušne

Venko Andonovski

And don’t be afraid when you write, let the soul get into your fingers; then you shall see the true form of things; because the letters are pictures and this is how it has always been.

The novel Azbuka za neposlušne – Alphabet of the Insubordinate is characterised by an unusual organization and structure: the action takes place in an alphabetical order and following the deeper layers of the transformation of letters, starting from their source in the similarity between the object and the notion to which they refer and leading to their ultimate simplification and abstract nature. Alphabet Of The Insubordinate is triggered by the complete compatibility between the notion and the content it expresses in actual life and reality on one hand, and by its reflection in the alphabet and in writing on the other. It is an exciting fairy tale of the desire for purity and perfection, as well as a drama of a person overcome by all-encompassing vanity. Being conveyed entirely by hunches, riddles and paraboles, this novel is actually a great parabole and a praise to firmness and to resistance to the temptations of the evil by which man is constantly surrounded.

Venko Andonovski, short story writer, novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, literary critic and theoretician. Born in Kumanovo on 30 May 1964. Graduated from the Faculty of Philology in Skopje. PhD in Philology. Professor at the Blaže Koneski Faculty of Philology in Skopje. He is the author of the following books: The Barbarian’s Tender Heart (poetry 1986), The Lyric Poets’ Quarter (Short stories, 1989), Frescoes and Grotesques (short stories 1993), Alphabet of the Insubordinate (novel, 1993), Text Processes (essays, 1996) Matosh’s Bells (study, 1996), Structure of the Macedonian Realistic Novel (study, 1997), Three Plays – Slavic Chest , Mutiny in the Old People’s Home, Hades Machine (1998), Decodings (2000), Navel of the World (2001), Kitsch Mythologies (collection of newspaper articles, 2001), Dark Dolls (play, 2002)
Awards include: ”Racinovo priznanie”, first prize for best novel by the Zumpres Publishing House, an award for best drama text at the “Vojdan Černodrinski” Festival in Prilep, “Novel of the Year award”, and “Balkanika”.