Balgarianovinite.com The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is launching a nationwide series of discussions across its national press clubs dedicated to Bulgarian poet Pencho Slaveykov and to Bulgarian modernism. The initiative will begin on April 27, 2026, marking the 160th anniversary of the writer’s birth. The first event, titled Pencho Slaveykov Today, will take place in his hometown of Tryavna, at the Slaveykov House Museum, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said.
The initiative is organized by BTA, with poet, literary scholar and critic Yordan Eftimov serving as moderator. The event in Tryavna will also be attended by the town’s mayor, Dencho Minev. The December issue of LIK magazine will reflect the campaign, featuring reports from the discussions as well as a special section with 160 contributions of 160 words each, marking the anniversary, similar to a previous campaign dedicated to Bulgarian writer and public figure Aleko Konstantinov.
Eftimov recalled that BTA’s first major campaign of this kind was the Aleko Today discussion series, held in 2023 across BTA press clubs to mark the 160th anniversary of Aleko Konstantinov’s birth. The November 2023 issue of LIK magazine was also dedicated to that anniversary.
Speaking to BTA, Eftimov said the current campaign will include discussions on the role of Pencho Slaveykov and his contemporaries, including members of the “Misal” literary circle and others who sought, and largely succeeded, in modernizing Bulgaria and shaping it into a European country with a strong modernist tradition.
“We will aim to hold discussions in all BTA press clubs across the country,” Eftimov said, noting that BTA currently has 45 national press clubs, 33 of which are in Bulgaria.
Participants in the discussions will include literary and cultural researchers, teachers, archivists, heritage professionals, and writers. The aim, Eftimov explained, is to encourage Bulgarian society to reflect on and describe itself through the legacy of Pencho Slaveykov, much like the approach taken with Aleko Konstantinov three years ago.
Eftimov emphasized that Slaveykov played an active role in the process of self-reflection and Europeanization of Bulgarian society. He noted that even through his family, Slaveykov was part of a milieu striving to modernize Bulgarian thinking. His siblings, broadly speaking, were also intellectuals—some held high public office, including his brother Ivan Slaveykov, who served as mayor of Sofia. This context will form the focus of the first discussion in Tryavna.
“The broader purpose of the campaign is to show that BTA can not only report on what is happening in Bulgarian society, but also generate reflection, dialogue, and self-awareness, encouraging society to articulate how major writers and intellectuals live on in the nation’s active cultural memory, and to deepen that process of reflection,” Eftimov added.
He also highlighted the key role of teachers in the discussions. “As with the Aleko Konstantinov campaign, we hope teachers will share their current experiences, what students understand today, how they perceive and position Pencho Slaveykov in their mental frameworks. We also rely on them to point out what students do not understand, or misunderstand, and whether the curriculum sufficiently stimulates interest in his work,” he said.
Writers participating in the discussions will be invited to reflect on whether Slaveykov influenced their own work and how studying his works in school shaped their literary development.
The launch event on April 27 in Tryavna is also expected to be attended by Vijay Joshi, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Press Trust of India. The Indian national news agency and BTA have a partnership agreement that includes news exchange and cooperation within MINDS International, an association of 25 leading global news agencies, including the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Kyodo.
Joshi previously visited Bulgaria in 2024 at the invitation of BTA Director General Kiril Valchev.
Pencho Slaveykov (born April 27, 1866 in Tryavna) was the youngest son of distinguished poet Petko Slaveykov. In 1884, at the age of seventeen, he became seriously ill and was left with lifelong physical impairments affecting his speech, writing, and mobility, forcing him to use a cane. He later came to see his suffering as a “great teacher”, which strongly shaped his creative outlook.
His worldview and work were influenced by Henrik Ibsen, Heinrich Heine, and Friedrich Nietzsche. He developed both intimate lyrical poetry and socio-critical works, including poems written in opposition to the rule of Stefan Stambolov, which reinforced his democratic ideals. His first collection, Lilies of the Valley (“Momini Sulzi”), reflects early Heine influence.
In 1892 he studied philosophy in Leipzig, where he took part in cultural life, contributed to Bulgarian literary magazines, and worked on epic poetry such as Blood-Stained Song. After returning to Bulgaria in 1898, he worked as a teacher, librarian, and later director of the National Library and the National Theatre, and was closely connected with the Misul (Thought) literary circle.
In 1911 he left Bulgaria, lived in Switzerland and Italy, and died in Brunate on May 28, 1912. His remains were later returned to Bulgaria in 1921. BTA Launches Nationwide Discussions Marking 160th Anniversary of Pencho Slaveykov’s Birth 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-23 09:15:43 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law