When the novelist Elizabeth Kostova was young she traveled throughout Eastern Europe with her parents, experiences that inspired her to travel through the region as an adult.
Her explorations—particularly in Bulgaria—influenced the writing of her debut novel, The Historian. The success of this book brought her international recognition, and led her to create in 2007 the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, a visionary organization that promotes Bulgarian writers and supports the translation of their work into English. The foundation also, through numerous residencies over the years, brings together writers from Bulgaria and the anglophone world, enabling them to bridge cultural and geographical borders.
In 2017 and 2018 I was fortunate to teach and lecture at the Kostova Foundation’s summer residencies, set in Bulgaria’s capital, Sophia, and the seaside town of Sozopol. I was able to experience first-hand just how exhilarating those literary exchanges could be. So when Elizabeth Kostova mentioned to me that the 2024 residency would concentrate on poetry and be set in the beautiful mountain town of Koprivshtita, I jumped at the chance to document in Ninth Letter the results of the workshops.
So here Ninth Letter happily presents a collection of poetry showcasing a varied group of young writers, four of them Bulgarian, and the other four writers who create in English. In the spirit of the conference, we have structured the order of presentation by alternating Bulgarian poets with anglophone poets. As you read through this special feature, you may notice that the poets of Bulgaria lean more into the spoken voice, their poems often sharp, humorous, sardonic, while their English-writing counterparts perhaps tend more to the contemplative. Oh, how I wish we could also offer these poets’ conversations as they presented their work!
—Philip Graham, Editor-at-Large
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Selected Poems
Antoniya Atanasova
translated by Angela Rodel
The House of Bygone Times
Jen Rouse
Everyday Cat Hair and Snags
Anastasiya Stoeva
translated by Dimiter Kenavov
At a Love’s Length
Kamelia Panayotova
translated by Angela Rodel
The monsters of my childhood have died—
