Poets

Nikolina Andova Shopova (b. 1978) is a Macedonian poet and novelist based in Skopje, North Macedonia. She is the author of three acclaimed poetry collections: The Entrance Is on the Other Side (2013), Connect the Dots (2014), and In the House (2026).

Her debut collection, The Entrance Is on the Other Side, published by Templum, was awarded the prestigious Bridges of Struga Award, presented by UNESCO and the Struga Poetry Evenings, recognizing the most outstanding debut poetry book by a young Macedonian author.

In 2018, she published her first novel, Someone Was Here, which received the Novel of the Year Award, presented by the Slavko Janevski Foundation for the Advancement and Promotion of Cultural Values. The novel has since been translated into Serbian and English. Her second novel, Estom, was published by Ili-Ili in 2022.

Andova Shopova is also a celebrated author of children’s literature. Her books include The Mole Zvezdan (2020) and The Smallest Giant, Dwarfy, and the Biggest Dwarf, Gianto (2024). The latter was awarded First Prize for Best Children’s Book Between Two Book Fairs by the Macedonian Association of Publishers in 2025.

Working across poetry, fiction, and children’s literature, Andova Shopova has established herself as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Macedonian literature. She has participated in numerous European poetry festivals, and her poetry has been translated into several languages and included in a number of poetry anthologies.