Strong participation for Bulgaria in the 62nd International Children's Book Fair in Bologna! For the first time, our country is included with three professional events in the official program of the world book forum. The success comes after an invitation from the organizers to the Culture and Literature Association and the nationally representative pavilion Bulgarian Books for Kids.
The events with which Bulgarian Books for Kids will present itself at the Fair (31.03 - 03.03.2025) draw attention to the topics of trends in contemporary Bulgarian literature and the function of translation as an approach to it. This year, Bulgaria also has its own representative in the mentoring program Portfolio Review in the person of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kapka Kaneva.
On April 1 (Tuesday) at 1:00 PM, the presentation “Translation as an Approach to Bulgarian Literature” will take place in the Translators’ Cafe area, featuring Yana Genova (cultural manager and activist), Yulia Rafailovich (Next Page Foundation) and Gergana Georgieva (Janet 45 Publishing House). The presentation will offer a look at the Bulgarian translation and publishing scene, translation support programs, and other opportunities available to international translators and publishers.
Again on April 1st, at 3:00 PM, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kapka Kaneva will take part as a mentor in the Portfolio Review program, part of the Illustrators’ Survival Corner section of the forum. Thanks to her expertise as an Associate Professor at the National Academy of Arts, Kaneva will consult young illustrators – artists from different parts of the world. She will review their portfolios and give them professional feedback.
“Going Global: Trends and Undiscovered Voices in Contemporary Bulgarian Literature” is the third event that the Culture and Literature Association is organizing for the International Fair program. It will take place on April 2nd /Wednesday/ at 10:00 am in the BolognaBookPlus Theatre area. “Unlike Western European or American approaches to publishing translated literature, the Balkans are significantly underdeveloped in terms of agency traditions, copyright management and local strategies for promoting national literatures. In recent years, however, there has been a boom in the publication of translated titles from the region, as curiosity about Bulgarian authors has been awakened. Georgi Gospodinov and the international Booker Prize for the best-selling novel “Time Refuge” in 2023 shed a different light on contemporary Bulgarian literature and its newly emerged or already established voices. More and more Bulgarian titles reveal authentic voices that discuss contemporary topics such as domestic violence, life after the end of the Cold War, feminist issues or global warming. Many published titles build dystopian worlds and discuss universal themes through the voices of local authors,” explain the organizers. The event will seek answers to the reasons why these titles arouse greater interest. Participants in the discussion are George Spadoni (translator), Gergana Pancheva (literary agent) and Zornitsa Hristova (translator, author and publisher). The moderator is Neva Micheva (journalist and translator). The participants will also discuss the topic of what makes certain titles more attractive to the international literary scene.
With “Following the Words. 19 Bulgarian Illustrators of Children’s Books”, we are promoting the face of our contemporary illustration at the 62nd International Children’s Book Fair in Bologna. The exhibition is part of the national presentation of Bulgaria, organized by the Culture and Literature Association. The official opening is on 31.03.2025 at the Bulgarian Books for Kids pavilion, when the World Book Forum begins. The artists featured are Damyan Damyanov, Elena Zhablyanova, Iva Sasheva, Ina Hristova, Kapka Kaneva, Katrin Eftimova, Kremena Yagodina, Kiril Zlatkov, Kristina Tuzharova, Lyuba Haleva, Maria Gyulemetova, Maria Nalbantova, Mila Yaneva-Tabakova, Nevena Angelova, Rositsa Raleva, Siyana Zaharieva, Sotir Gelev, Yasen Grigorov and Yasen Gyuzelev.
The curators of the exhibition are the creative tandem Anton Staykov and Svoboda Tsekova. The list of selected artists includes representatives of several generations of artists – some of them are established authors, others are just starting their careers. Their selection seeks to create a current, albeit subjective, picture of contemporary Bulgarian illustration. To introduce the international audience to the richness and diversity of artistic styles.
“After the Words” is a kind of upgrade and expansion of the first Bulgarian exhibition at the Bologna Fair, realized by the Association “Culture and Literature” in 2024 – “Joy, Sadness and Hope”. It presented 25 contemporary Bulgarian illustrators, and the positive response and interest from the international audiences inspired the curators to integrate it into the new project with an elegant spatial solution that includes all 25 Bulgarian illustrators selected for participation in 2024 and invites to another magical journey into the world of the new exhibition. The combination of the two exhibitions makes it possible to present over 40 Bulgarian illustrators to the world's cultural elite during the Fair.
The harmony in which the two exhibitions coexist is also evident in the continuity between the main visions. In 2024, the face of the project was the bear by the artist Kiril Zlatkov from the book "When I Want to Be Silent" (author Zornitsa Hristova). This year, the bear "passes the baton" to Svetlyo and his Friend Dog - characters illustrated by the artist Lyuba Haleva for the book "Softly Said" by our beloved classic Valeri Petrov.
For three years now, the "Culture and Literature" association has been working to establish Bulgaria as a regular participant in the Bologna Book Fair. This year, the Association has the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and the Sofia Municipality for participation in the fair with a focus on Bulgarian illustrators. We also have the institutional support of the National Fund for Culture and the Executive Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, which, at our suggestion, is organizing a trade mission to Bologna for the first time. The media partners of the participation are Bulgarian National Television and Bulgarian National Radio.
The events are part of the Bulgarian participation in the world forum with the nationally representative pavilion Bulgarian Books for Kids, organized by the Association "Culture and Literature". It is realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and Sofia Municipality, as well as with the support of Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, National Football Club and BSMEPA. A selection of new children's books and emblematic publications will be presented in the elegant space of the Bulgarian pavilion. The highlight of the Bulgarian presentation will be the exhibition "Behind the Words. 19 Bulgarian Illustrators of Children's Books" with curators Anton Staykov and Svoboda Tsekova.
The Culture and Literature Association also reminds that the Bulgarian Books for Kids pavilion has separate workspaces that can be used by any Bulgarian publishing house, any author, illustrator or representative of the book industry in our country free of charge to organize meetings and conversations with international partners.
Source: Culture and Literature Association
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