The educator, former teacher and director in primary and secondary education, Trajche Donev, decided to devote his retirement days to leaving literary traces behind and for himself. Last year, he published a collection of poetry entitled "The Hollow Past", which contains 30 poems inspired by his life.

This year, the collection of short stories titled "The Lantern of Zletovka" appeared in the "Alma Graphics" edition. The book is dedicated to his father Kole the railroad worker, and the stories describe his barefoot childhood and his life as a teacher until his retirement.

The ten short stories in the book bring memories of the long past, but also contain traces of a life filled with diligence, honesty and dignity in the face of an uncertain fate.

The author Trajche Donev (1944) was born in the village of Sokolarci, Kochansko. He graduated from the Teacher's School in Shtip and the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje. Throughout his life, he worked as a teacher and professor of Macedonian language and literature in the high schools "Brača Miladinovci", "Orce Nikolov" and "Kocho Racin". He was the director of the primary school "Gjorce Petrov" in Skopje.

He was engaged in literature even in his school years, writing prose, poetry and other compositions. He uses his retirement days to leave a literary mark behind him.

(The text was published in "Cultural Press" number 181, in the printed edition of the newspaper "Sloboden Pechat" on 2-4.6.2023)