CMHS: Lecture Series 2023 - Macedonian Immigration & Refugees

MACEDONIAN IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES – Two Authors, Three Novels

Have you ever read a novel which featured a Macedonian protagonist? We have read dozens of Fiction novels set in various countries describing events in WWI and WWII, the Holocaust, the French Revolution, and so forth. But seldom is a Macedonian character featured in English fiction such as Michael Ondaatje’s when he chose a Macedonian for his novel In the Skin of the Lion.
When we came across these three books written by Australian novelists, we wanted to share them with you. We will be speaking with both authors, in an online presentation as they discuss their books - A PERFECT STONE by Sylvia Karakaltsas, and FITZROY RAW and its sequel FOG by Tom Petsinis.
Why did they select this particular era of Macedonian history to write about, and why a Macedonian child as the main character in their stories? How did their research impact their story-telling? Were they able to draw on any personal anecdotes? Where did they do their research, why did they decide on these particular subjects?
Find out what it was like to be a young refugee, fleeing for your life? Or what it felt like to be a young immigrant in a new country, new rules, new language, new surroundings. So many of our grandparents, or parents had these experiences as well.
All three books are available on Amazon as well as Thrift books. You may want to read them before – or after - you have heard the Conversation.