A few days ago the second volume of the miscellany “Bulgarians abroad ­– so close, do far” was presented to the Bulgarians in Rome. The series features a few essays as well as analyses and ethnological studies. The book has been compiled by Snezhana Yoveva-Dimitrova who has for many years been working on the subject of Bulgarians abroad.

“The premiere of the second volume of the miscellany before the Bulgarian community in Italy’s capital was a success,” Snezhana Yoveva told Radio Bulgaria. “The idea for it emerged in 2016 and the first volume of the miscellany was released with the support of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (SABA) – the organization has supported not only me as compiler of this miscellany but also the editorial board of Ongal journal. Together we joined forces to upload the miscellany on an online platform (apart from the hardcopy) to make it accessible to all Bulgarians across the world. Apart from academic studies the volume also contains emotional narratives of Bulgarians who have chosen to live abroad but still cherish their motherland. The volume consists of 23 articles. There was strong interest in the study focusing on ethno-entrepreneurship among Bulgarians especially in the German-speaking countries. There are inspiring texts by Nelly Pinteva, a woman from Switzerland who recounts about her path abroad – whether it is a revelation, chance or destiny. She is a conductor and musician and accentuates the careers of Bulgarian people with creative professions abroad. The texts by Snejina Metcheva, the long-standing principal of the Bulgarian school in London, are important as they cast light on weekend formats of education at Bulgarian schools abroad and on the core activities of the Association of Bulgarians Schools Abroad. The second volume presents Bulgarian communities in Britain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The church and religious Bulgarian communities in Spain have been surveyed too. There is an in-depth academic study of the historical diasporas. It explores the regional and ethno-cultural characteristics of the Bulgarians in Albania, Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia. Readers can learn more about the phenomenon and typological characteristics of the Bulgarians in Ukraine as well as of our fellow-countrymen in Brazil who have migrated there mostly from Moldova. Of course there are two interesting articles about the Bulgarians in Italy who explain what it is like to look for your identity abroad, how communities develop there and how children keep their Bulgarian identity. The second volume like the first one offers articles by colleagues from the Institute for Bulgarian Language at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences discussing the subject of the interference of German particles in the Bulgarian language spoken by ethnic Bulgarians in Austria. I would not like to miss the article for the centenary of the Bulgarian school in Budapest highlighting options for innovative educational practices.”

After Rome where will the other premieres of the volume take place?

“The foreign routes of the miscellany continue. Next we are going to present it to Bulgarian communities in Frankfurt, Budapest and Vienna. Following the strong interest in the first volume, the second volume is a only natural step. We plan to release a third volume in the series – in 2019. The miscellany can be found on the website of Ongal journal, and Bulgarians abroad are free to share their impressions from the texts and disseminate this knowledge that makes us authentic and worthy”, concluded Snezhana Yoveva.

English Daniela Konstantinova