by Кал » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:49 pm
I. Of Zmeys and Vampires, of Marta, of Posterity – Velichka Nastradinova
All the world knows Marta Mateva as an opera diva; and only a tiny part of it, as its casual saviour and playful uplifter. Marta helps knit together temporal breaches; put chorteleks (do not ask us ... Marta only knows) where they belong; rescue revolutionary Alexander S. from the jungles of Latin America; and ultimately bring humanity one step closer to a genuine humanness (of which humaneness is only a fraction). All the while vexing, amusing and dismaying us with her mixture of lightheartedness and care for all of creation.
A professional cello player and a renowned novelist, author Velichka Nastradinova imbues her writing with melody and harmony. The paradoxical blend of naturalness and ingenuity in her dialogues has caused many a gaping mouth and fit of laughter. Her unorthodox, mirthful wisdom, bearing a flavour of the Far East, comes as a much needed glue for our fragmentary world. Just like her Marta, Mrs Nastradinova helps it heal, grow whole.
II. I, Sinner Ivan – Nikolay Svetlev
Saint Ivan Rilski (John of Rila, 876 – c. 946) is the patron of Bulgaria, a miracle-worker whose guidance and counsel were sought by nobles and peasants alike. Nikolay Svetlev's novel incorporates all known apocrypha and life stories of the saint, adapts them to our modern concerns and attitudes, and transforms Ivan's life into a stylistic tour de force. Its expressive language, dynamic narration and contemporary references are aimed specifically at today's young audience: teenagers and young adults; the novel builds bridges between generations – those long past gone and those who are just about to bloom now. The protagonist's worldly, emotional and spiritual growth is built around, and in turn builds up, the core of traditional Bulgarian values (such as perseverance, faith and compassion), which renders the text a condensed introduction to Bulgaria's history and mores. The prose itself knows no parallel in intensity and vividness in all of Bulgarian literature, except for Anton Donchev's classic Time of Parting. In 2000, I, Sinner Ivan was named "fantastic novel of the year" by the Bulgarian community of SF readers (since it can be classified as alternative history).
This is Nikolay Svetlev's third novel. His first one, All Evil's Glory (translated into English in 1996) is a sinister, grotesque take on the Apocalypse and the power relations in our world. It was recognized by US readers for its graphic, unflinching portrayal of all we sum up as 'evil'.
III. The Coin – Dimitar Milchev, Stefan Vasilev, Tenyo Stoynov, Simeon Shopov, Viktoriya Zaharieva, Maya Stoykova, Valentina Dimova
The Coin is a pioneer in several respects. It is the first New Weird novel in Bulgaria, blending the conventions of fantasy and science fiction, and fertilizing both genres with its emphasis on personal growth and interactions. It is also the first collective novel in Bulgaria: written by seven authors each of whom has contributed equally to the final coherent text. Such a collaborative effort has no known parallel in Bulgaria and has been recognized by the Municipality of Kazanlak as a major contribution to the local cultural life. Within the book, it makes for a most varied, authentic dialogue – each character comes with the unique voice and attitudes of the author who is in charge of her or him.
Another not-to-be-overlooked feat is the fact that six of the seven authors are high school students. Thus The Coin voices the concerns of contemporary young people, in their very own language. The polished, succinct style is all the more remarkable for that: the product of seven major revisions over a year of uninterrupted work.
Even though there are elves and dirigibles in The Coin, it deals with unmistakably human issues: the fear of taking responsibility for another; the frustration in following orders that contradict your innermost feeling; the difficulties of growing up in an environment that is changing at an incredible rate – much like our world. Seen through the six pairs of young eyes, each of these issues takes on a new significance and ways to be resolved, much needed in our turbulent times, not just in Bulgaria or Europe, but everywhere.
IV. Mina, the Spells and the White Vial – Vesela Nikolva Flamburari
In a school for gifted children at the Black Sea coast, eleven-year-old Mina seems to be at a disadvantage: her only gift is that of snatching stories out of thin air. Even her best friends, the twins Yanil and Kitan, are accomplished musicians.
Not quite so in the magical world that a mysterious Basket kidnaps the three children to. It turns out to be the Upper Land of Bulgarian folklore: abode of zmeys and samodivas, the wizard of a chestnut (or is it the other way round?) Kastinn, the Blackumen, the Old Man of the Long Beard... Mina and her friends come to know that balance has been upset when the king of the Blackumen broke the White Vial, and that now ordinary people have become jealous and distrustful of their fellows; nor do they any longer respect nature and its order but try to enforce an order of their own. Before they can fulfill their destiny, the children need more lessons: about magic, natural lore, and most importantly, about caring – for one another, for their new friends (and enemies), for all the land around them.
Mina, the Spells and the White Vial is a lively, laugh-provoking, sometimes surprisingly poignant Bildungsroman that never once lets its young readers suspect it is anything of the kind. The novel blithely steps around the pitfalls of didacticism – which is perhaps why some of our young friends place it right along Harry Potter on their bookshelves. The language is vibrant, vivid, rich; it brings joy to young and mature readers alike.
Last edited by Кал on Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: музиканти, не танцьори ;)
) - може да го сторите по два начина, и двата с краен срок 27 март:
