Sofia, March 28, (BTA/GNA) – The first edition of the European Authors’ Day was officially launched by EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and Bulgarian winner of the EU Prize for Literature 2021 Georgi Bardarov in Sofia on Monday. The event is part of a new initiative by the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Gabriel, which aims to promote reading among the younger generation by exposing students to the richness of European literature.
On this day, in 1,100 schools across Europe, writers and students will read extracts from favourite European books. There are 246 participants in Bulgaria alone and I want to congratulate and thank them, Gabriel said at the opening of the event.
Each year, the European Prize for Literature highlights the richness of contemporary European literature, and the winner of the prize shows through his or her work the cultural diversity and linguistic heritage of our continent, Gabriel said, noting that for the first time, there is a Culture and Creativity cluster in the Horizon Europe programme.
Bardarov said that he strongly believed in the future of Europe, in its enormous creative potential and especially in its young people, with whom he has the great pleasure to work every day.
According to him, people are not aware that they live in the most auspicious time in human history. Today, every artist, no matter how young, how famous or unknown, with technology, with the Internet, can express himself to his audience, Bardarov noted. Practically, we have unlimited possibilities, but today, Europe is again at a crossroads in its history, war has returned to Europe, Bardarov. He stressed, however, that hard, difficult, dark times give birth to strong leaders and strong societies. No one will ask what it was like, but will ask why the poets, writers, journalists, teachers, students were silent.
Bardarov gave Paisii of Hilendar as an example of a man who had the strength and courage of spirit, in some very dark and difficult times, to achieve a lot with the power of the quill. Paisii of Hilendar wrote Slav-Bulgarian History, a book considered a landmark beginning of the Bulgarian National Revival.
BTA/GNA