andrej nikolaidis

Andrej Nikolaidis
Authors

Andrej Nikolaidis

Nikolaidis was born in 1974 to a mixed Montenegrin-Greek family and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia/Herzegovina. In 1992, following the breakout of ethnic strife in Bosnia that soon erupted into an all-out war, Nikolaidis' family moved to Ulcinj, his father's hometown in Montenegro, where he now owns a summer home. An ardent supporter of Montenegrin independence, anti-war activist and promoter of human rights, especially minority rights, Nikolaidis initially became known for his political views and public feuds, appearing on local television and in newspapers with his razor-sharp political commentaries. His writings for Monitor and Slobodna Bosna aroused controversy and he received threats, including death threats, after publishing several articles about “facing the past.” During a talk show on Radio Antena M, one listener, while he was on air, said that he would kill Nikolaidis.

He wrote columns for pro-independence Montenegrin publications such as daily newspaper Vijesti and weekly news magazine Monitor (from 2002 until 2009), as well as weekly news magazine Slobodna Bosna. He is a columnist of Delo (Ljubljana) and E-novine (Belgrade), and presently resides in Ulcinj.

''The three most prominent young Montenegrin writers are Balsa Brkovic, Andrej Nikolaidis and Ognjen Spahic. Last week Mr Nikolaidis and Mr Spahic were in London to talk on various literary panels. Mr Nikolaidis was also speaker at the annual meeting of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and last year he was a winner of the European Union Prize for Literature.'' Tim Judah, The Economist

''In the Balkans, few other artists have raised the hackles of so many people as much as author Andrej Nikolaidis. As well as a rising star of central European fiction, Andrej Nikolaidis is seen as a figure who is unafraid of controversy, frequently speaking his mind on deep-rooted issues that can inflame strong sentiment in the Balkan region.'' Marcus Agar, W!ld Rooster

Selected bibliography: Mimesis (novel); The Son (novel); The Coming (novel); Homo Sucker: The Poetic of Apocalypse (cultural theory)

Since winning the European Prize for Literature 2011, his works have been/ will be published in 12 European countries:

UK: The Son and Till Kingdom Come
Italy: The Son
Germany: The Coming
Turkey: The Coming and The Son
Hungary: The Son and Mimesis
Slovakia: The Son and The Coming
Czech Republic: The Son
Bulgaria: The Son and The Coming
Albania: The Son
Kosovo: Till Kingdom Come
Slovenia: The Son
Macedonia: The Son, Mimesis