DAY FOUR

Offered a non-standard academic dialogue, poetry about the inseparable notions of life and death, poems by a yet unpublished author, and for a finale – a play called “Reflections in a well.” All of this and more in the filled with artistic content 4^th day of the Festival.

A great compliment to Bulgarian culture is the fact that not only the name but also the work of Elias Canetti are well known in the state. That and the fact that there are readers of this really difficult author here. For his name to be this popular here, undeniable credit goes to Prof. Penka Angelova. That fact was strongly emphasized by Prof. Svetlozar Igov, who presented his version of the genre of the Nobel laureate, born in Ruse. He did it wittily, making different turns and references, with a lot of humor and self-irony. Professor Igov thinks that Canetti’s biographical books are most interesting to the general public. But they are not of the true genre. The dramas are also featured frequently, but they do not cover the Canetti genre either. The real genre is in his notes. Svetozar Igov admits that this is a literature difficult to understand. You have to go back to it, think and read it, do it again, and there is still something new to be uncovered. From the mouth of a professor, such words sound pretty reassuring.

Jose Oliver, born in Germany in a family of immigrants from Andalusia, writes about the inseparability of life and death. He lives in the small town of Hausach, where he curates a Literature festival of his own. His friendship with Tzveta Sofronieva brought him to Bulgaria. He views Ruse with great interest, he is impressed, but he compares it to Istanbul. Who knows why in his eyes it resembles the alternation of restored and neglected facades in our city with those in Turkey, where he has lived for half a year. From this residence there, a book was born, and a movie based on the book will soon be released. At the festival he presented his poems, written after the death of his wife. The pain in them is felt almost physical.

At the other pole is the poetry of the yet unreleased author Penyo Penev, nicknamed Alzek Kuber. The obligatory name he carries causes him to look for something different. He chooses it when reading a book about the first Bulgarian kingdom. And not only because he likes the names, but also the actions of Alzek and Kuber. The poetry he presented is full of mythology, gods, kings and queens, philosophers and images of everyday life. Years ago, the poetry collection “Peripetia” diverged from publishing, but now it will find its place in our Festival’s compilation.

It is difficult to put in a few words what was seen in the spectacle “Reflections in a well” – an interactive stage version of works by Tzveta Sofronieva. The poet, actresses and the audience meet in a space, dynamic and aggressive, in which the viewer must be ready at any moment to meet the unexpected.

The fifth and last for this year of festival day will open with:

A presentation of “My Tank” and its author Viktor Horvath together with his translator Svetla Kyoseva.

We will read pages from the novels “Hundred Black Sewing Machines” by the young Austrian author Elias Hirschl and Sophie Ryer’s “Veza” novel,

The day will be closed by Vladimir Sabourin and his “New Social Poetry”.