Presentation of the Poetry Collection "Cypriot Poetry": A Cultural Bridge Between Bulgaria and Cyprus
On December 4th (Wednesday) at 6:00 PM, the gallery "Mission" will host the presentation of the poetry collection "Cypriot Poetry", translated from Greek by Stefan Gechev. The event is organized by the Stefan Gechev Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, represented by H.E. Ambassador Charalambos Kafkarides, and the State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. The event is part of the Institute's "Writing Diplomats" program.
The collection highlights the poetry of the most significant Cypriot authors from the 1960s, with the selection and translation carried out by Stefan Gechev, the first translator to recognize the historical parallels between Cyprus and Bulgaria. The new bilingual edition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the events of 1974, features biographies and selected works of the poets.
The event will be opened by H.E. Ambassador Charalambos Kafkarides, followed by speeches from writer and former Bulgarian Ambassador to Cyprus Hristo Georgiev, and Yannis Liolios, chairman of the Aristotle association. A recital of selected poems will be performed by actor Milen Mladenov, and attendees will have the opportunity to watch an exclusive interview with the only living poet from the original 1965 edition, Eli Peonidou. Following the presentation, a discussion on the cultural ties between Bulgaria and Cyprus will take place, accompanied by traditional Cypriot culinary specialties provided by the Kostas bakery.
In the preface to the poetry collection, Stefan Gechev, the first translator of Cypriot poetry into Bulgarian, describes the richness of Cypriot literature as follows:
"The diversity, the colorful influences, the styles, and the unique voices of the island's poets are truly astonishing. Vast distances separate the extremes—from the realistic and impassioned Thanasēs Pieridēs to the concise and philosophical Kostas Montis. This diversity is the wealth and beauty of Cypriot poetry."
For more details on Stefan Gechev's life and work, visit the quadrilingual cultural platform: www.stefangechev.com.
Additionally, the short documentary "110 Years Since the Birth of Stefan Gechev", produced in Bulgarian, English, Greek, and French, can be viewed online here.