Balgarianovinite.com A discussion under the name “Pencho Slaveykov Today” and dedicated to Slaveykov’s 160th birth anniversary and to Bulgarian modernism was organized by BTA in BTA’s national press club in Sliven on Monday.
The moderator of the event, literary scholar and critic Yordan Eftimov, noted that any approach to Slaveykov’s work must take into account the pupils’ backgrounds and interests. He added: “While in a language-focused secondary school one might begin by discussing the size of Pencho Slaveykov’s library – around 2,000 volumes of books in English, German and French – a school with a predominantly Roma pupil body might start with the poem ‘Katunari’ from the anthology On the Island of the Blessed, which is in fact an adaptation of a poem by a German Romantic poet that he translated.”
Librarian Gergana Hristova reported that rare and valuable editions by Slaveykov, including first editions of his iconic books, are held in the collections of the Zora Library at the Zora-1860 Community Centre in Sliven. Among the valuable editions in the library’s collection is the first edition of Slaveykov’s Selected Works, compiled by Mara Belcheva and printed in Sofia in 1923.
Valentina Dimitrova, Chair of the Union of Independent Writers in Sliven, stated that Slaveykov regarded fiction as the most powerful tool for building a strong and well-rounded personality and for shaping what is humane within a person. She added: “He championed individualism and the Europeanisation of Bulgarian literature.”
Sonia Kelevedjieva, a long-serving teacher of Bulgarian language and literature, playwright and theatre director, said that pupils must first become familiar with Bulgarian literature before making thematic comparisons. She stated: “I am in favour of Bulgarian authors and their works being examined through thematic circles. But this should take place in Year 12. First, they [schools] should cover Bulgarian literature. Pupils should familiarize themselves with the history of Bulgarian literature, the authors, the era in which they lived, and so on.”
Stoyan Stoyanov, senior expert in Bulgarian language and literature at the Regional Department of Education in Sliven, noted that modernism is not confined to a specific period in time, as it continues to this day.
The topic of digital technologies was raised by Kristiana Dobreva-Stankova, head of the Regional Department of Education in Sliven. She said: “If we imagine today that we managed to bring his spirit into our era of digital technologies, how would you picture Slaveykov? Would he want to use the possibilities offered by digital technologies to make his daily life and writing easier, and to expand the scope of his projects? Or would he want to become a digital critic, an uncompromising blogger who would seek to criticize mass culture and contemporary philosophers?”.
Writer and journalist Denyo Denev stated that with Slaveykov and the Misal circle, of which he was a member, the first genuine generational conflict in Bulgarian literature began. “It was waged openly, often with extremism and intransigence, but it was not merely a struggle against Ivan Vazov and his style of writing, but against certain literary principles,” Denev added.
The “Pencho Slaveykov Today” initiative is being held in all 33 BTA national press clubs across the country. The first meeting dedicated to Slaveykov was in his hometown of Tryavna on April 27, when the 160th anniversary of his birth was celebrated.
The December 2026 issue of BTA’s LIK magazine will be dedicated to Pencho Slaveykov. In addition to reports from the discussions, the issue will feature a special collection of 160 words by 160 contributors marking the 160th anniversary of the poet’s birth. Sliven Hosts Discussion on Poet Pencho Slaveykov’s 160th Anniversary 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-03 16:29:33 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
