November Issue of BTA’s LIK Magazine Tracing History of Print Media to Be Presented

Leave a Comment / All articles, Culture, Society / By България Новините

The November issue of the Bulgarian News Agency’s (BTA) LIK magazine will be presented on Monday, November 9, at 4 p.m. in BTA’s Maxim Hall. The event will be held via video link with the participation of BTA’s national press clubs in Bulgaria and abroad.
The new issue of BTA’s magazine for literature, art and culture is dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the publication of the first Bulgarian newspaper, Bulgarski Orel (Bulgarian Eagle), and the development of the print media in Bulgaria.
The issue also highlights two other significant anniversaries in Bulgarian publishing history marked in 2026: 375 years since the publication of Abagar by Bishop Filip Stanislavov, regarded as the first printed Bulgarian book containing elements of Modern Bulgarian language, and 220 years since the publication of Kyriakodromion, sirech Nedelnik by St. Sophronius of Vratsa, the first printed book in Modern Bulgarian language.
In his introduction, LIK Editor-in-Chief Associate Professor Georgi Lozanov recalls that newspapers were the first means of mass communication capable of influencing events by providing information with a degree of immediacy and volume previously unknown.
Lozanov argues that journalism writes the history of the present, describing events while they are still unfolding and thereby becoming part of their development.
He cites Bulgarski Orel publisher Ivan Bogorov, who observed that the peoples surrounding the Bulgarians had begun to look beyond their immediate circumstances, learn what was happening in the world and consider what actions they should take.
According to Lozanov, Bogorov understood that newspapers could broaden Bulgarians’ horizons and encourage them to act. Access to information, he argues, enables the formation of individual opinions, which in turn provides the foundation for public opinion.
The Beginnings of Bulgarian Periodical Publishing
Professor Zdravka Konstantinova, a historian specializing in Bulgarian journalism, examines the patriotic aspirations of Konstantin Fotinov and Dr Ivan Bogorov in her contribution to the issue.
She explains that Bulgarian periodical publishing emerged during the early wave of modernization associated with the Bulgarian National Revival. The first Bulgarian printed books had appeared several centuries earlier, not long after Gutenberg’s invention, building on the country’s older literary and journalistic traditions.
Konstantinova identifies Konstantin Fotinov as the founder of Bulgarian periodical publishing through his magazine Lyuboslovie, published in Smyrna, present-day Izmir (Western Turkiye), in 1842 and between 1844 and 1846.
Fotinov travelled through Bulgarian lands with a trial issue of the magazine, distributing it, gathering material for a geographical work, studying readers’ interests and seeking financial supporters.
A further 24 issues of Lyuboslovie appeared between 1844 and 1846. Each was published in a large, 16-page format, with print runs ranging from 400 to 579 copies and covering a variety of subjects.
Konstantinova also recounts the establishment of the first Bulgarian newspaper by Ivan Bogorov while he was studying chemistry in Leipzig.
Bulgarski Orel was published in Leipzig between 1846 and 1847. The newspaper consisted of four small-format pages and had a print run of 500 copies. Bogorov wrote and edited it himself, with financial support from Bulgarian merchants in Bucharest.
The Bulgarian Press from Liberation to the Second World War
Professor Mihail Nedelchev examines the development of the Bulgarian press from 1878 to the beginning of the Second World War.
Writing from the perspective of a literary historian, he describes the particular value of historical literary periodicals as sources of both forgotten authors and works and texts by writers who later became firmly established in Bulgarian literary history.
Such publications, he notes, often placed enduring literary achievements alongside conventional or less accomplished poetry. He also emphasizes the importance of discovering powerful literary messages addressed to future generations among the yellowing pages of old newspapers and magazines.
Nedelchev divides his study into several historical periods, examining publications and the conditions in which they developed.
These include the years between Bulgaria’s Liberation and Unification, the establishment of the modern Bulgarian state, the turn of the century up to 1912, the wars of 1912–1919 and the interwar decades from 1920 to 1944.
He concludes with an examination of the end of the free Bulgarian press, noting that the pro-communist coup of September 9, 1944, did not destroy press freedom all at once.
Journalistic Standards, Censorship and the Future of Print
In an interview with LIK, historian, journalist, researcher and university lecturer Chief Assistant Professor Todor Panayotov discusses journalistic standards and the importance of truth in reporting.
Panayotov argues that truth in journalism should not be treated merely as a matter of perspective and that disregarding professional standards is unacceptable. He acknowledges that media history offers numerous examples of poor journalism and reporting produced to serve particular interests.
He also identifies self-censorship as an obstacle to journalistic work, while noting that capable professionals generally find ways to communicate information of importance to their audiences.
The interview explores the public role of journalists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and examines the extent to which the principle of press freedom enshrined in the Tarnovo Constitution of 1879 was upheld.
Panayotov also discusses how the functions of the press changed as Bulgaria’s form of government evolved, as well as the risks associated with the closure of print publications and the migration of media content entirely online.
Anniversaries of Four Bulgarian Newspapers
The November issue also marks anniversaries celebrated this year by the newspapers 24 Chasa, Trud, Starshel and Literaturen Vestnik.
The first issue of 24 Chasa appeared on April 18, 1991, introducing changes to established practices in the Bulgarian press.
Publisher Venelina Gocheva discusses what she considers the newspaper’s defining achievement: its ability to keep pace with contemporary developments while seeking to present a more positive vision of the future.
Trud marked its 90th anniversary on March 1, 2026. Editor-in-Chief Petyo Blaskov describes the publication as more than just a newspaper and says that, as it enters its tenth decade, the most important thing is to ensure its continued existence.
The satirical newspaper Starshel celebrated its 80th anniversary on February 15.
Its Editor-in-Chief Mihail Veshim told BTA that the newspaper was read on five continents and that many Bulgarians living abroad preferred to learn about developments in their homeland through its pages.
Literaturen Vestnik marked 35 years since its first issue on February 11.
Editor-in-Chief Professor Amelia Licheva describes the newspaper’s survival as a significant achievement, recalling that numerous publications launched in the 1990s had long since ceased publication.
St. Sophronius of Vratsa and the Origins of Bulgarian Book Publishing
Literary historian Professor Albert Benbasat contributes an article on St. Sophronius of Vratsa as a founder of Bulgarian book publishing.
According to Benbasat, 1806 represents a milestone in the development of Bulgarian society during the National Revival.
In December of that year, Kyriakodromion, sirech Nedelnik pouchenie, a collection of religious teachings compiled by St. Sophronius of Vratsa, was printed in Rimnik, in present-day Romania.
Benbasat describes it as the first book published in Modern Bulgarian and considers its appearance the beginning of Bulgarian book publishing as a modern form of communication.
He argues that the publication marked the arrival of a printing revolution in Bulgarian society, approximately three and a half centuries after the technology had begun transforming communication elsewhere in Europe.
Benbasat also recalls the publication of Abagar by Filip Stanislavov in Rome in 1651.
He describes the work as an illustrated prayer collection distinguished by its unusual design. Its text was printed in two columns on one side of the sheets, allowing individual sections to be cut out and carried as amulets.
History of the Press through BTA’s Archives
The beginnings and development of Bulgaria’s print media are also presented in a thematic chronology featuring reports from the Bulgarian News Agency’s archives.
The earliest item dates from 1899 and concerns a report from Constantinople dated January 9.
According to the report, Tahir Bey, proprietor of the newspapers Malumat, Servet and others, announced plans to begin publishing a Bulgarian weekly newspaper entitled Novini (News).
The November issue of LIK concludes with an article by Yoana Krasteva, an editor in BTA’s Bulgarian Media and Communities around the World Directorate, about the exhibition Connected through Words.
The exhibition was presented at the official opening of the 21st World Meeting of Bulgarian Media, held on October 19 and 20 in Budapest and Esztergom, Hungary.
It features 32 panels, comprising one introductory panel and 31 presenting the work of Bulgarian media outlets and broadcasts around the world.
LIK has been freely accessible since January 2024. All issues published since the magazine’s relaunch in 2022 are available for download in electronic format from BTA’s website.

November Issue of BTA’s LIK Magazine Tracing History of Print Media to Be Presented THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-11-08 22:49:18

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