In celebration of Pride, June’s “Publisher Spotlight” posts will feature publishers of LGBTQ+ literature in English-language translation. This week, we will explore titles by academic publisher University of Minnesota Press. Since its founding in 1925, University of Minnesota Press has been a beacon of scholarly writing in the humanities and social sciences. Later, literature was … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: University of Minnesota Press
Iliya Troyanov’s The Collector of Worlds: A Review by Lizzy Siddal
Iliya Troyanov: The Collector of Worlds (UK: Faber & Faber; US: Ecco) Winner of the 2006 Leipzig Book Prize for Literature Shortlisted for the 2006 German Book Prize Translated from German by William Hobson I knew nothing of the British explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton, (1821-1890), before reading Bulgarian-born Troyanov’s novel. And so my first … Continue reading Iliya Troyanov’s The Collector of Worlds: A Review by Lizzy Siddal
#LiveFromSofia -Short Stories by Alexander Shpatov: A Review by Caroline Couderc
As soon as you open Alexander Shpatov’s short story collection and read the first story “Experience Sofia”, you know that this author loves his city. He loves it so much that he wants the reader to love it too and – even better – to see it with the eyes of someone who has lived … Continue reading #LiveFromSofia -Short Stories by Alexander Shpatov: A Review by Caroline Couderc
New Social Poetry: an interview with Vladimir Sabourin
"New Social Poetry" is a Bulgarian literary movement, created in 2016 in Sofia. The first publication of this group, the "Manifesto of the New Social Poetry" has caused a lot of controversial discussions due to the outspoken rhetoric of the text against the so-called "peaceful transition" in Bulgaria, a period after the official end of … Continue reading New Social Poetry: an interview with Vladimir Sabourin
Two Books on the Ottoman/Turkish Heritage in Bulgaria
The territory of what is today the Republic of Bulgaria was for more than five centuries part of the Ottoman Empire and I think it is fair to say that the fight for liberation from what Bulgarians call either the “Ottoman Yoke“ or “Ottoman Slavery” is until today a defining moment for the identity of … Continue reading Two Books on the Ottoman/Turkish Heritage in Bulgaria
Translators Association – 60 Years of Classic Translations: The Ice Palace (1966)
For almost 300 years Norway and Denmark were united kingdoms, and Danish was the sole official language. When the two countries separated in 1814 a linguistic struggle ensued in Norway with different versions of written and spoken Norwegian competing for official recognition. The heavily Danish-influenced Norwegian of the 19th century urban and educated classes evolved … Continue reading Translators Association – 60 Years of Classic Translations: The Ice Palace (1966)
Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation (III/2): the period 1944-1989 – Blaga Dimitrova
In John Updike’s short story “The Bulgarian Poetess” the narrator reports the following short dialogue with the eponymous Bulgarian Poetess: "Your poems. Are they difficult?" She smiled and, unaccustomed to speaking English, answered carefully, drawing a line in the air with two delicately pinched fingers holding an imaginary pen: "They are difficult—to write." He laughed, … Continue reading Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation (III/2): the period 1944-1989 – Blaga Dimitrova
Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation (III/1): the period 1944-1989 – Konstantin Pavlov
Konstantin Pavlov was one of the most important and gifted Bulgarian poets of the period after 1944. His immense talent and poetic imagination, and his independent personality brought him in frequent conflict with the Communist regime. Fortunately, two of his poetry collections are available in English: Cry of a Former Dog (translated by Ludmilla G. … Continue reading Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation (III/1): the period 1944-1989 – Konstantin Pavlov
Marina Konstantinova: The White Coast – A Review by Thomas Hübner
Balchik is a small coastal town at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, approximately 30 kilometers north of Varna. A century ago, it was not much more than a fishing village, but its natural location at a small bay, its Mediterranean climate and its picturesque houses and small streets made it a magnet for the Romanian … Continue reading Marina Konstantinova: The White Coast – A Review by Thomas Hübner
Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation (II): available titles from the pre-1944 period – An overview by Thomas Hübner
In this second part of my short series about Bulgarian Poetry collections available in English translation, I will cover the period until 1944, the year of the Communist takeover in Bulgaria. While in the last blog post I was presenting anthologies, I will focus in this post on books that present the (selected) poems of … Continue reading Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation (II): available titles from the pre-1944 period – An overview by Thomas Hübner
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 