Greek writer and translator Elias Fragakis told the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) that he is convinced that literature plays a major and highly important role as a bridge between Greece and Bulgaria.
“Without getting to know one another, there can be no understanding. Without understanding, there can be no genuine relationship. And when relationships are absent, conflicts, stereotypes and all those negative remnants of the past emerge, things we should forget and leave behind,” he said.
Fragakis is the editor of the anthology Bulgaria: The Land of Mirrors, which compiles memories and personal impressions of Greeks whose lives were connected to Bulgaria at different times under various circumstances.
“Bulgaria: The Land of Mirrors is a collective work created by 34 Greeks who lived in Bulgaria during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, while some of them continue to live there today. Through this book, we wanted to pay tribute to the people who spent a significant part of their lives in Bulgaria, as political emigrants, students, diplomats and in other capacities. At the same time, we wanted to talk about and tell the story of Bulgaria itself, the country that welcomed and shaped us. We also wanted to share how we saw it then and how we see it today,” he said.
“For us, there were many wonderful moments in Bulgaria, but also many difficult ones. Without any doubt, I can say that those were some the best years of my life,” Fragakis, who also completed his higher education in Bulgaria in the early 1980s, added.
Speaking about the book, he noted that it can be regarded as a hybrid work rather than a purely literary one, as it combines texts of different genres and character – stories, testimonies, personal recollections and short narratives.
“Here, in Greece, the book has been very warmly received and much loved by readers. I hope that when it is translated into Bulgarian, it will be embraced by the Bulgarian public as well,” the editor said.
“The whole idea is to build bridges, of understanding and mutual knowledge between peoples. I believe that we, Greeks who have lived in Bulgaria, are ourselves such a bridge between the two nations,” Fragakis added.
The book has been officially presented twice so far, at the Thessaloniki Book Fair in May, where Bulgaria was the guest of honour, and in Athens. The BTA National Press Club in Athens also hosted a literary discussion with the author and students majoring in Bulgarian studies at the University of Athens.