site.btaUPDATED BNR, BTA Commemorate Sirak Skitnik

One hundred forty years ago today, Sirak Skitnik [Orphan Wanderer] was born - an orphan and a wanderer at the same time, because he freed himself from the power of the past and wandered beyond the allowed symbolism, towards the future. He was an all-round gifted personality: an artist, poet, playwright, critic, but for those who worked at the Bulgarian National Radio he remained above all its first director, said BNR current Director General Milen Mitev in Sliven at the presentation of the new issue of BTA’s LIK magazine, dedicated to Sirak Skitnik – the creative pseudonym of Panayot Todorov Hristov, the first head of Radio Sofia (today - the Bulgarian National Radio). 

"In connection with the two anniversaries that we are celebrating this year - 140 years since his birth and 80 years since his death, BNR has declared 2023 the year of Sirak Skitnik and we are implementing a number of initiatives to honour his memory. Often, walking around Sofia, I think that I am really walking between Sirak's dreams come true - the National Theatre, the Union of Bulgarian Artists, the National Radio. Between these buildings that have become the home of Bulgarian culture, I think how little we know and remember about such a personality," Mitev said. 

He added that Bulgarian society has a debt to the personality of Sirak Skitnik. "This magazine showcases the range of his talents. Something that makes me happy is that the realization of this magazine is in partnership with the Bulgarian News Agency. Already in the early years of national radio, Sirak Skitnik understood how fruitful such a collaboration would be. At a time when there was only one reporter working at the radio station, he appointed a special assistant who was responsible only for the BTA bulletin. In this way, the news of the agency reached not only the printed press, but also the Bulgarians throughout the country. This is how the fruitful cooperation between BNR and BTA began in 1940 and continues to this day," added the BNR Director General.

The new issue of BTA's LIK shines a light on the significant personalities of Bulgaria, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev. He added that the presentation of this issue in Sliven carries an important meaning - to show that talent and virtue can be born anywhere. And so to encourage young people in Sliven to have self-confidence that they were born in a town that gave Bulgaria a figure like Sirak Skitnik.

The BTA Director General pointed out that the new issue of LIK is a joint effort by BTA and BNR, a fruitful and long-lasting cooperation that was started by Sirak Skitnik himself.

"The purpose of this issue of LIK magazine is not only to honour one of the most important intellectuals of Bulgaria and to remind those who know about him, but also to help those who have not heard his name to learn about him," the BTA Director General said.