Desislava Tsvetkova and her poetic comparisons between Bulgaria and United Europe

I come to Bulgaria to recharge myself with new feelings - this is what Desislava Tsvetkova shares with us. She spent 14 years in the capitals of the United Europe, working in the administration of the European Commission. Desislava has recently been back in her homeland and draws inspiration from Bulgarian poets and from the cultural life, which, in her words, is very rich and diverse, especially in Sofia:

"Life in a wonderful, orderly world does not give you depth of feelings. While here, in Bulgaria, where there are problems, life gives depth and another perspective with which you can look at the world and feel the desire to change it".

A few days ago, Desislava Tsvetkova presented us with her new, seventh collection of poems, entitled "Harbour of Stars". She creates a fragrant world, dotted with bright metaphors and fresh images. The poetess enjoys many friends and admirers who like her for her warm smile and sincere words, which she weaves not only into her poems, but also into her communication with people.

They call her simply Desi, but she is a spirited Bulgarian who does not stop on the way to ever new and unfamiliar "star ports". So far, she has managed to make her way to poetry publications on different continents - her poems have been published in collections and magazines in Belgium, Romania, Serbia, Albania, India, Great Britain, the USA, Indonesia, Russia, Mexico, Bangladesh. Desislava Tsvetkova has been accepted as a member of the Flemish society "Party for Poetry". She participated in writing a multilingual poem for the Flemish Cultural Center in Brussels, and her works have been published in the European Commission's collection "Music of Languages" and the publication "Poets" by Interlitratour, Belgium.

Desi is the winner of a prize from the International Poetry Festival in 2022 in the Romanian city of Brasov. And last but not least, she has translated several Bulgarian authors into English, French and German, included in the anthology "River of words".

She feels writing as a necessity. "I started writing as a child and then I have been sending poems to various magazines all my life. And my first collection of poems was published by my mother, and with money that I sent to her from abroad. That was in 2007," Desislava Tsvetkova recalls and continues:

"I write poems and I love metaphors – they create a tenderness in poetry. Sometimes I write sadder and darker poems. But I have come to learn that every obstacle, every hindrance, every bad moment always comes to an end. That is the good thing, that something better always comes. And I hope the same for Bulgaria – that it will finally take its rightful place in Europe, to be an equal, true member. Now, with the adoption of the euro, the stabilization that our tottering government needs will be achieved. I deal with difficulties with a smile, because that is my nature."

Desislava Tsvetkova with Radio Bulgaria's Gergana Mancheva

Soon after returning to Bulgaria, Desislava Tsvetkova started a new and more creative job. She is currently an editor at a large university publishing house. She learned to be very disciplined and responsible from her work in the European administration:

"In Luxembourg and Belgium, I learned much more responsibility, more seriousness, efficiency, but also to stand up for myself", Desislava Tsvetkova tells Radio Bulgaria. "Because we, Bulgarians, go there and deal with every new challenge ourselves, we work in an international environment, which is also felt because of the language barrier. No matter how well you know a language, you can't be completely perfect. This is somewhat of an obstacle, but it builds your character and there I learned to be very strict, to check everything before using it in my work. Although the work in the administration is monotonous, it was a responsible and nice position, because you work for the future of Europe. And we are all waiting for this future to become better and better for us. With my poetry, I try to bring a ray of light and hope into the everyday lives of people here and, I hope, I succeed."

Desi Tsvetkova says that she most often draws inspiration from other Bulgarian poets, but she also gives as an example the gentle lyrics of Khairi Hamdan /a Palestinian poet who has lived in Bulgaria for more than 40 years and translates Bulgarian literature into Arabic – ed./. He also attended the premiere of "Harbours of Stars". "When I read something of his writings, I feel a surge of feelings and inspiration", adds the poetess.

"Beauty is everywhere around us, we just have to look at it," Desislava Tsvetkova says, sharing her creative philosophy:

"Everything is fixable, this should give us optimism. Of course, when it comes to lost human lives, this is not fixable, but the rules must be followed, they are for everyone. When I returned to Bulgaria, I found it much changed for the better. Even just the fact that all stores now issue receipts. This is something basic, but this is what brings in taxes for the state.

I also see that Sofia is becoming modern thanks to some airlines – the city is becoming a very accessible tourist destination and many foreigners are arriving. They call Sofia the "gourmet capital" of the Balkans and this can only make me happy. In addition, the young people here are very active. There is a layer of society with the spirit of pursuing higher ideas that can change things a lot here," shares Desi Tsvetkova, happy to be back with her friends in Sofia.

In her long-standing contacts with countless people abroad, she singles out the Bulgarians she met there as people with a patriotic and even Renaissance spirit. Bulgarians are active everywhere through their associations, organizations and cultural centers. Bulgarians abroad have an active cultural life. They invite Bulgarian writers, artists, plays are staged, singers, groups and all kinds of performers come. All this is done with the aim of bringing people together and being together, through something Bulgarian, tells us Desi Tsvetkova as someone who has spent a significant part of her career abroad.

"One of the best features of Bulgarians is precisely their original art. For example, a festival of Balkan music is held in Belgium and it is among the most visited festivals. In addition to Bulgarians, Serbs, Romanians and Montenegrins, Bosnians come. It is called "Balkanfest" and is organized by a local person, a Belgian. Bulgarian ethno music is performed there, it is not pure folklore, but our musicians create an incredible atmosphere".

Photos: Gergana Mancheva, private archive, Burgas Municipality, Facebook /Khairi Hamdan, Facebook Desislava Tsvetkova

English publication: R. Petkova

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Desislava Tsvetkova and her poetic comparisons between Bulgaria and United Europe

One of the best features of Bulgarians is their original art, says the poetess who lived abroad for years

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