Aco Šopov: Putting the Macedonian Modernist Poet Aco Šopov into English

The Canadian Macedonian Heritage Society and the Literaturno Drushtvo Brakja Miladinovci were proud to present and host the above evening. Both organizations would like to thank all those who attended the event, St. Clement Church for providing the venue and Pope Sasho and Pope Alexander, and their families, for their attendance.

“Aco Šopov gives us the fire smoldering in the roots of trees, in the black sun, in the silence before the poem is composed. These poems burn with old fires, medieval battle cries, primordial limestone. This is a book for spelunkers and myth-makers. Grau and Kramer translate with the strength of blacksmiths working iron. The fire in these poems has been coming for a long time, indeed. I’m glad it’s here.”
—Sean Cotter, translator of Solenoid and FEM

The above quote describes perfectly the ambiance felt by the audience at the above event. Professor Emerita Christina Kramer and award-winning Translator Rawley Grau captured the essence of the master Macedonian poet, Aco Šopov, and his powerful work. The Long Coming of the Fire, by Aco Šopov, was translated beautifully into English by Christina Kramer and Rawley Grau.
During their presentation, they discussed their three-year process of translating this work into a bilingual publication, read in both Macedonian and English, some of the poems that touched them personally and deeply, and answered questions from the audience that brought an understanding of Aco Šopov’s work to another level.

Thank you to Christina Kramer and Rawley Grau for their time, but more importantly, for their dedication and love for what they do. Their commitment to capture the heart and mind of Aco Šopov is evident in the book they have produced.
This significant project, published by Deep Vellum Press (Dallas, Texas), was supported, in part, by Nova Generation, United Macedonian Diaspora, and The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto.
If you are interested in purchasing a book, please contact the publisher, your local bookstore or Amazon.