Writing
Narrative non-fiction, poetry and the occasional short story.
You can read my fiction and non-fiction work on my free substack, Aphrodisia. I write about popular culture, the weird world of womanhood, politics, what I’m reading/writing and sex within literature. I also have a series called The Berlin Files, chronicling my move to Berlin and all my subsequent adventures. If you would like to support my writing other than buying my books, subscribing to Aphrodisia is a great place to start!
“I always get excited when Aphrodisia drops in my inbox because the newsletter is unpredictable, but always delivers.”
- Jennifer Hakim, editor in chief of The Spill
3 March 2025: Strangerland
London, 1990. Zivoin is newly arrived in a strange country. The dependable oldest son, he works all hours of the day and night, sending every penny he can save back to his family. On the news, he watches his homeland, Yugoslavia, slowly fracturing.
Thousands of miles away, in the tropical heat of Uberlândia, Brazil, Alegria prepares to leave behind the country – and the family – she loves dearly. Bright and ambitious, she strives to give her parents the life they deserve, even if it takes her far from them.
A chance meeting throws Alegria and Zivoin together – and for a brief moment, they feel at home. But their journey is just beginning, and what follows will draw them irresistibly across countries and continents, leaving them both forever changed.
The powerful, exhilarating debut novel from an award-winning new voice in fiction, Strangerland is a heartfelt testament to the endurance that has come to define a generation of immigrants. Above all, it is a soaring, emotionally rich story about the power of love to transcend languages, borders and time.
A Beautiful Lack of Consequence
Out now
A woman walks into a bar, and nobody notices.
A newly married couple are punished for their childlessness with a nocturnal invasion.
A door-to-door salesperson offers the antidote to women’s fear – but it comes at an unexpected price.
In this dazzling and inventive collection, #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize-winner Monika Radojevic delves into the experiences of contemporary womanhood with ferocity, humour and compassion. From women in danger, to falling in love for the first time, to discovering anger, finding or losing their voices: A Beautiful Lack of Consequence explores the different ways in which the world bends and breaks women with the intolerable pressure it puts on them – and what happens when those women snap back.
Also available in paperback!
teeth in the back of my neck
May 2021
An arresting debut collection about identity, ancestry and history, from a young poet selected as an inaugural winner of the #Merky Books New Writers' Prize, dedicated to discovering the best writers of a new generation.
Written with profound depth and insight, the poems in Teeth in the Back of My Neck explore the joys, the confusions and the moments of sadness behind having one's history scattered around the globe - and the way in which your identity is always worn on your skin, whether you like it or not.
Bristling with tension and beautifully realised, Monika Radojevic's impressive debut collection is an introduction to one of the most exciting and impressive poets of her generation.
Some reviews of my work:
“Radojevic writes with an uncompromising fierceness, provocation and dedication to the physical body which acts as her most authentic, intuitive medium of expression. She offers with this collection a vital contribution to literature at a time when women's voices urgently need to be heard.”
- Huck Magazine
“This collection of poems felt so valid, feminist, organic, pulsing, provocative and reflective.”
- Nightfall Mysteries
“It's safe to say I devoured this thought provoking read by Monika Radojevic. A series of short stories looking at the every day struggles, truths, and ups and downs of being a woman I found myself completely hooked throughout. The intense, easy writing style of Radojevic made this a for sure page turner with each story captivating me just as much as the last.”
- Advanced Reader Copy review
“Visceral, wild, and so beautifully necessary.”
- Salma El-Wardany
“This book is stunning.”
- Catherine Mayer
“A striking collection that showcases a voice representative of a new generation of writers, who are unafraid of tackling important issues relating to female experience.”
- Mslexia
“Radojevic's interrogation of the status quo ... is not just interesting, it is agitating.”
- Bad Form Review
“Monika Radojevic’s short story collection bounces from remodelling the stagnant myths and fairytales that have shaped the perception of women throughout history, through to co-opting the very real fears that contemporary women contain within themselves each day. Radojevic’s writing style is visceral, stabbing, and necessary. Whilst she doesn’t provide answers to the questions she raises, her surrealist entry into thinking about these themes is highly provoking, and reading this collection felt like having my brain prodded and reshaped as if it were plasticine… (in a good way).”
- Advanced Reader Copy review
“Monika Radojevic blends vulnerability and defiance in a voice that’s fresh and razor-sharp. This collection isn’t just beautiful—it’s brave, too.”
- Reader Review
“The stories in this collection are going to rattle around my brain for many days/ months/ years to come.”
- Reader Review
“Monika Radojevic's poems grapple with the intersections of race and womanhood with a bite fitting of this debut's title; her ability to weave gut-punching honesty with arresting imagery makes for a standout collection[...] Radojevic is no doubt a poet with a bright futureand Teeth in the Back of My Neck is a testament to the powerful things she has to say. An assertive and enthralling collection of poetry.”
- The Skinny Magazine
“Radojevic’s writing is lyrical and imaginative…pulling the reader into the stories, which - in some of the heavier pieces - makes for breatheless reading.”
- Mslexia
“Tender, humorous and moving.”
- Cosmopolitan