site.btaSofia International Literature Festival Hosts Discussion on Ways to Promote Bulgarian Literature Abroad

Proposals for new programmes promoting Bulgarian literature abroad were presented during a discussion held at the National Palace of Culture on Thursday within the Sofia International Literature Festival.

"A good public policy should be sustainable and well-funded, seek more partnerships, have modern tools and approaches, be context sensitive," said Yana Genova, Deputy Mayor of Sofia for Culture, Education, Sports and Youth Activities and founder and recent director of the Next Page NGO, which is the organizer of the event.

Genova added that what is most important is not to strive toward promoting a certain author or a book on the market but toward creating a lasting presence. She specified that success should not be measured by the number of won international Booker Prizes but by the presence of different Bulgarian voices in international literary communication.

She gave a presentation on the need for a national centre for literature and translation. "It [the centre] would be in charge of the Bulgarian studies centres abroad. Funding programmes are needed to support translation, publishing and literary hospitality through creative residencies, international mobility, international presence at fairs and forums, and the information on, communication, and recognition of Bulgarian literature abroad," she said.

Associate Professor Ani Burova said that primarily contemporary authors have been the subject of interest of translators and foreign publishers in the last decade. She added that a new generation of translators is emerging but their number is insufficient. Burova noted that the international Booker Prize gives hope for an increase in the interest in Bulgarian literature.