Presenting the ZPF 2024 fellows

Dejan Trajkoski, North Macedonia (Prozart media)

Founder and director of the International Literature Festival “PRO-ZA Balkan” and of the Skopje Fellowship program. Owner and editor at the publishing house Prozart media (member of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers). Dejan is author of the novels “Truth. Love (Rashomon)“ and “Infidelity,” which won him recognition through several shortlists and the “Macedonian literature avant-garde” award. The novel has also found international success through publication in the US, Germany, Turkey, Serbia, Armenia, Albania, Bulgaria, and in Arabic in Egypt. In 2022 Trajkoski published his first poetry book – “Film poems”. The book was shortlisted for the most important national award for poetry, „Miladinov Brothers” award. In 2023 Trajkoski published his fourth book, “Sad and beautiful world: Film 2005-2015”, a collection of interviews and reviews that he published as a journalist and film critic. 

He worked as journalist, film festival selector, editor, publisher… He is a member of the Writers’ Association of Macedonia and the Macedonian PEN Center.

Hanna Győri, Hungary (Pagony Publishing)

I have been an editor at Pagony Kiadó since 2010. I graduated as MA in Hungarian-German philology and teaching from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Additionally, I spent a semester each at the University of Vienna and the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena on scholarships, and I participated in a few translator’s and publisher’s workshops in German- and Dutch-speaking regions.

At Pagony Kiadó, my primary role is as an editor, but I am also responsible for our Dutch program. I manage the selection of foreign books and maintain relationships with foreign publishers which is why I am looking forward to to get to know the children’s literature from neighboring countries of Hungary better.

I love creating creative children’s programs, especially for preschool and elementary school-aged children, and I coordinate Pagony Kiadó’s creative programs. I also participate in Pagony’s game publishing, occasionally designing games and engaging in edition and production. I enjoy interactive, playful education, but above all, I love reading, playing, visiting exhibitions, and sharing these experiences with the children.

Araya’s book recommendation: Frizzy Fran and the Giant Watermelon

Irene Kunst, The Netherlands (Rubenstein)

I currently work as publisher at the Dutch publishing house Rubinstein. We publish quality children’s books and art books for adults. As the child of two teachers, I grew up in a house full of books. While studying English at Utrecht University I discovered the world of publishing. After a master’s programme in publishing at the University of Amsterdam and two internships, I worked as a freelance translator and editor for various publishers and a newspaper. In 2015 I found a job as an editor at a small graphic novel publishing house. In 2019, I started working at Rubinstein, first as an editor and since 2023 as publisher. I have a love for illustrated books, both for children and adults. What I love about my job is that I get to work with incredibly creative people and help them shape their ideas and send those out into the world. When I’m not working, you can find me riding horses, sewing clothes, baking cakes, cycling through Amsterdam or, of course, reading books.

Irene’s book recommendation: Jonas and the Sea

Katja Kac, Slovenia (KUD Sodobnost International)

Katja obtained a degree in Cultural Studies from the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana. From 2012 she has worked in the organizing committee for different international events in Slovenia. In 2012 and 2013, she was a member of the Steering Committee and in 2014 she held the post of the Vice President, working on grants, public relations and promotion (taking care of marketing, advertising, PR, and planning). From 2012 she has been working as a project manager for international projects. Since June 2015, she has been working for Sodobnost International, taking care of PR and marketing for one of the oldest literary magazines Sodobnost and managing international translation and cooperation projects. She is also a successful foreign rights manager at Sodobnost, and she visits the major events around the world every year to represent Slovenian titles. She is fluent in English and has a good knowledge of Spanish.

Lawrence Schimel, US (NorthSouth)

Lawrence Schimel is Editorial Director for Ediciones NorteSur and Senior Acquiring Edition for NorthSouth Books, both imprints of Swiss children’s book publisher NordSüd Verlag.

He is also an author, writing in both Spanish and English, who has published over 130 books in a wide range of genres. His picture books have won a Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a White Raven from the International Youth Library in Munich, and have been chosen by IBBY for Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities (three times), among other honors. His writings have been translated into over sixty languages, including Croatian, Dutch, Hungarian, Finnish, Italian, Slovakian, and Slovenian.

In addition to his own writing, he is a prolific literary translator, primarily into English and into Spanish, who has published over 160 books. His translations into English have won a Batchelder Honor from the American Library Association, a PEN Translates Award from English PEN (three times), and a National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship (with Layla Benitez-James), among other honors.

Lawrence’s book recommendation: Genius Noses

Lina Krnic, Croatia (Ibis grafika)

In addition to being a part of the team behind the Zagreb Fellowship, I will also participate in the programme as a representative of Ibis’ books and activities. I have been employed at Ibis grafika since 2020 as the international project manager. In this role I have developed several major projects within the Creative Europe programme and brought dozens of high quality titles of children’s literature to Croatia from all around Europe, developed and helped implement two literary festivals, as well as the Zagreb publishing fellowship.

Professionally, my goal is to bring new and diverse books onto the Croatian market not only through publication, but also a comprehensive promotion strategy which often involves author visits, organising different events and bringing them to readers. I also represent Ibis’ books abroad while participating at literary events in Europe and beyond.

Lina’s book recommendation: Dear Past Me

Mireia Trius, Spain (Zahori books)

Mireia Trius owed an art gallery before founding, together with partner Marta Lorés, a publishing house, Zahorí Books, in 2007. Her passion for art and illustration, along with her interest in knowledge books, have made Zahorí Books a benchmark on the children’s non-fiction album.