Front Matter

On the Road of no Return

A Novel

By Petre Nakovski petre.nakovski@gmail.com

(Translated from Macedonian to English and edited by Risto Stefov)

On the Road of no Return A Novel

Skopje – Dolno Dupeni – Skopje March 2017 – October 2020

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Published

October 28, 2020

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BOOK REVIEW – ON THE ROAD OF NO RETURN - BY PETRE NAKOVSKI

Tatiana Pelivanova, reviewer

The novel ON THE ROAD OF NO RETURN is a story about thousands of Macedonians who, after the end of the Greek Civil War, found themselves scattered and dispersed throughout the Eastern European countries - from the banks of the Oder River in Poland to the desert in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. There their drama of being uprooted, their doubt as to whether they did well in the war and acted well in entrusting their fate to others, will continue. They are troubled by many questions about the war, their losses, the false promises, their delusions, loneliness and great nostalgia for their birthplace.

The author’s attention, in this novel, is primarily focused on the Macedonian refugees in Poland, where they found a peaceful refuge in which they were healing the wounds inflicted on them by the bad times and where they remained nameless, but persistently and defiantly retained their name, affiliation to their roots, and their national dignity - they were what they were - Macedonians.

The novel ON THE ROAD OF NO RETURN is a novel about their defeat, a novel about their pain, resentment, lost homeland, faith in unfulfilled promises, bitterness, doubt, and about their defiance against all attempts at extermination and their persistence to defend and preserve their name and national identity. It is also about their sadness for their birthplace, their desires and urges to change their status. Their persistent efforts to study, master the professions and keep their lives from being empty and at the expense of others. It is about them striving to work hard and earn their living in their new environment which is very different from that in their home country.

None of them had ever lost the hope and desire that one day those who remained alive would gather around the family table, everyone

together at their place of birth. Even though they knew their homes were ruined and desolate they were very much attached to them, dreamt about them and wanted to see them at least one more time before they died. Unfortunately, for most time was against them. Over the years many lives were extinguished with dreams unfulfilled. For them the images of their past were conveyed only by words. At the same time their dreams and desires were buried with them in the cemeteries in foreign lands. Unfortunately, the bloody cross of martyrdom and eradication will continue to hang over them and over those who followed them, as long as their memories survive.

But, despite everything they experienced, a beacon of hope remained in their hearts and souls that nourished their spirits and eased their troubles.

Tatiana Pelivanova, Ма

To my mother, FIMKA, Who, in her heart and soul, to the end of her life, carried the bloody cross of martyrdom, extermination and separation and to all mothers who were left with an empty embrace

Mother Fimka had Older and younger children She gathered the older And sent them to battle She gathered the younger And sent them to foreign lands Mother Fimka was left With an empty embrace Mother Fimka waited For the older ones to return from battle And for the younger ones to return from the foreign lands Mother Fimka waited To fill her embrace With her older and younger children She waited and waited... and waited With pain, sighs and sadness Mother Fimka waited to fulfill her painful burning desire...

Oh, my dear mother...

Petre Nakovski