site.btaScreenwriter Ivo Siromahov Comments on What It Means to Be Bulgarian

The main theme in all the things I write is "Why are we Bulgarians such people?," said writer and screenwriter Ivo Siromahov during a meeting with readers in Vratsa. According to him, Bulgarians are constantly dissatisfied with something.  "As the late [actor] Doko Rosic used to say "The Bulgarian is best when in hospital. You come to visit [and ask] 'How are you?', 'Oh, I'm fine'. But if you meet them on the street - they're always complaining about something"

According to Siromahov, this way, with this complaining, Bulgarians begin to feel unhappy without having a reason for it. "We live in one of the best places to live in, we have a beautiful nature, we have four seasons, we have fertile land that grows everything. And we're not poor either. If we compare ourselves with all 190 countries that are on the UN list, we would be in the top 50," Siromahov said.

The author presented his satirical novels "Bai Tosho" and "The Singer Takes Over", as well as the children's novel "Tony and Gary Travel Around the World". According to him, the idea for the first novel came from a news story that there is a party in Denmark that is run by artificial intelligence. "And I thought to myself - that's great! Now in Bulgaria we can't elect a government for so many years, why not let artificial intelligence (AI) rule us. First- it won't steal, second- what will it spend? When you plug it into the socket - [it would cost] five leva electricity per month. Third - AI has no ego, it won't want to prove itself to others and be admired by everyone. And if we somehow set the right agenda for it, it will make decisions for the benefit of society because it is impartial," Siromahov said. And "Bai Tosho" [a popular reference to communist-era leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria  from 1954 until 1989] appears to be the hologram image of this computer, as it turns out that he is the most popular politician in Bulgaria.

The other novel "The Singer Takes Over" also reveals Bulgarian reality, this time through the eyes of the main character - a chalga [pop-folk] singer who becomes prime minister. Before that, she gathers a team of her most trusted people - the make-up artist, the hairdresser, the manicurist, the sound engineer - and together they embark on an election campaign. They start looking for the word that will best describe the Bulgarian spirit, touch the hearts of voters and come to the conclusion that this word is "free-of-charge". They win the elections, but there is nothing free in this world, Siromahov said.

He said the third book, the children's novel "Tony and Gary Travel the World," awakens children's curiosity to ask. It tells the story of a boy and a dog who travel around the world not only in space, but also in time, where they meet various celebrities. The book will have a sequel, the author further said.

Ivo Siromahov visited Vratsa at the invitation of the local Razvitie [Development] community centre.