MQ Writer-in-Residence Marija Dejanović

Originally commissioned by the Haus für Poesie, this work explores how being perceived, named, and discussed affects the bodies of women and animals.

In conversation with the Slovenian author and human rights activist Uroš Prah, Dejanović explores key aspects of the work and the context in which it was written. She also offers insights into her forthcoming novel “Hair Salon”, which she is working on during her residency at the MuseumsQuartier.

Marija Andrijašević is a poet and publisher who lives and works between Croatia and Greece. She studied Comparative Literature and Education at the University of Zagreb. She is the author of three collections of poetry, which have been published in Croatia, Greece, the USA, North Macedonia, Lithuania and Serbia. She has received the ‘Goran’, ‘Kvirin’ and ‘Zdravko Pucak’ awards for her work; she was also shortlisted for the Tin Ujević Prize. Trilingual selections of her poems have also been published in Germany, Turkey and Greece.

The English translation of her latest poetry collection, “Kindness Separates Night from Day“, was featured by the Poetry Foundation and included in “World Literature Today“’s selection of notable translations. Her poems have been translated into more than twenty languages and published in journals and online magazines such as “LitHub,” “Five Points,” “Barricade,” “Sprache im technischen Zeitalter,” “Lichtungen,” and “Lyrikline,” among others. Her work has also been presented at numerous international festivals throughout Europe.

Dejanović is the recipient of several fellowships and has participated in multiple international residencies. She is a member of the Croatian Writers’ Society and the Croatian PEN Centre. She collaborates with the publishing house Thraka and serves as creative director of the international Thessalian Poetry Festival together with Thanos Gogos.

The event is being held in cooperation with the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA).