In contemporary Macedonian literature, many authors use pseudonyms, but few do so with such distinct function and meaning as Branko Prlja. For him, they are not masks but different faces of the same authorial identity—ways to explore the boundaries of genre, one’s own voice, and the relationship with the audience.
Bert Stein – the experiment of a new identity
The pseudonym Bert Stein appears during a period of Prlja’s intensive writing activity, when he was publishing several books a year. It was a time when, as he explains, he felt the need to “reset” and appear before the public without the weight of his own name. Under this signature, he published the book 3 Minutes and 53 Seconds, which would later become his most widely read and positively received work.
The name “Bert Stein” derives from the author’s childhood fascination with Albert Einstein. “Bert” and “Stein” represent a shortened, Anglicized form of the famous scientist’s name, chosen not out of arrogance, but out of respect for his curiosity and spirit of inquiry. For Prlja, this pseudonym becomes a symbol of the search for knowledge, for truth, and for the essence of reality. Under this name he has published 3 Minutes and 53 Seconds (2015), 1 Hour and 30 Minutes (2016), Which Film Was That?, the graphic novel 3 Minutes and 53 Seconds (2023), and the collection Walls That Speak, as well as more than 250 texts in Macedonian on the Arno.mk portal.
Isak Sima – science as inspiration
The pseudonym Isak Sima Prlja is chosen for texts and small projects based on facts. “Sima” was the surname of his grandfather, of Vlach origin, and the full pseudonym is a play on the name of writer and scientist Isaac Asimov—the author who erased the boundary between science and literature.
Asimov, known for his productivity, discipline, and intellectual curiosity, is the only writer to have published works in all categories of the library classification system of knowledge. For Prlja, he is a symbol of creativity without limits—something he himself strives toward. Therefore, the name “Isak Sima” carries the same spirit of rationality, imagination, and unyielding diligence. Several fact-based compilations and analytical texts have been published under this name.
Other personas: Zoran Zelenov, Eko Gorilov, Bunto Divjachki, and Viki Lee
In an eco-activist context, Prlja has used several transient pseudonyms. Zoran Zelenov is an obvious play on the word “green,” reflecting his struggle for a healthy life and environment, but the author quickly abandoned it due to the negative connotations the name “Zoran” acquired in Macedonian public discourse. A similar fate befell the pseudonym Eko Gorilov, which, as he admits, “simply didn’t click.”
Bunto Divjachki, on the other hand, is a personal and symbolic pseudonym derived from the childhood nickname “Bunto.” Through it, Prlja expresses his innate rebelliousness and refusal of compromise—especially in relation to environmental issues.
A special place is held by the pseudonym Viki Lee, under which the author wrote satirical, fictional news. The name originates from a character in a series of fictional newspapers (2005–2010), which later resulted in a book. It is also partly inspired by WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, as a symbol of the struggle for truth in a world full of lies. Thus, fictional news in Prlja’s work acquires a deeper function—transforming from satire into a tool for reflection on the nature of truth and media manipulation.
The name as a mirror
“A pseudonym is not a mask, but a mirror that reveals different angles of a personality,” says Prlja. In his case, these are Bert Stein—the idealist and explorer; Isak Sima—the rational analyst; Bunto Divjachki—the voice of rebellion and nature; and Viki Lee—the ironic chronicler of absurdity. Together, they form a broader authorial persona that constantly changes, explores, and challenges.
Note: This text was written at the request of Slavčo Kovilovski and on the occasion of his forthcoming book, which represents a pioneering study of the use of pseudonyms in contemporary Macedonian literature.
This article was originally published in Macedonian.