May 21, 2020 – I have been confined to my flat for almost three months now, working remotely. I have been dealing with this surprisingly well. In fact, staying home and not socializing has allowed a lot more time for writing and reading. I usually write early every morning before going to work. But as […]
Chapter of Brussels Naked in Iranian anthology
A chapter of Irina Papancheva’s latest completed manuscript Brussels Naked has been published in an anthology of contemporary Bulgarian writers in Persian. Farid Ghadami, an Iranian writer and translator, has made the selection and translated the pieces. The book has been recently published in Iran. Irina’s chapter, included in the book, is called The Grand […]
Chapter of Brussels Naked in The Circle 2019: A Brussels Anthology
November 6, 2019 – A chapter of Irina Papancheva’s latest manuscript Brussels Naked is included in Brussels Writers’ Circle’s second collection The Circle 2019: A Brussels Anthology. Saudade, with original title Saint-Giles after a Brussels municipality, is a narrative of a Portuguese photographer shortly after Brussels lockdown which followed the 2015 Paris attacks. Irina Papancheva […]
Irina Papancheva participated in the first Bulgarian Book Festival in Belgium
June 10, 2019: Irina Papancheva participated in the first ever Bulgarian Book Festival outside Bulgaria, organised by the Bulgarian Cultural Association in Belgium in partnership with Librebook Bookstore and Bulgarian publishing houses between 7 and 9 June. The festival was linked to May 24, the official holiday of Bulgarian education and culture and of Slavic […]
Saturday night reading
February 15, 2020 – Last Saturday, I was invited to read at the literary salon, organised by the British poet M. E. Grey. The event took place in house in which literary salons were hosted at the beginning of the XXth century. First, Martin Westlake, author and academic, (UK) read his poems, followed by me. […]
“Welcome Nathan!”
“Welcome Nathan!” tells a story which is a rarity to hear and which is an even bigger rarity to be read. The loss of a child seems like an wound which is impossible to go through and which usually stays locked in silence where it delves an abys. This books has an unusual birth. Its
Irina Papancheva participated in a literary forum in Palestine
October 4, 2018 – Irina Papancheva participated in the second Translation Forum ‘Palestine – Civilisation & Knowledge’ with the Arabic edition of her novel Pelican Feather which took place between 30 September and 4 October in Ramallah. She has been invited to participate in the festival by her Arabic publisher Almutawssit, who is a co-organiser […]
Gallery of events and book fairs in Belgium 2016 – 2017
Mon’s livre, November 2017 Conversation and reading of Plume de Pelican (Pelican Feather) at AuveliasLivres, November 2017 Elle’s livres, March 2017 Presentation of Plume de Pelican, Brussels, February 2017
Gallery from presentations of She, the island in 2017
Presentation in Cultural centre “Morsko kazino”, Burgas, May 2017 Meeting with pupils at Bratia Miladinovi secondary school, Burgas, May 2017 Presentation at Institute Cervantes, Sofia, May 2017 Presentation at St. Konstantin and Elena island, official celebration of 15 August, 2017 Presentation at the Bulgarian Culture Festival, Brussels, November 2017
Gallery from book presentations 2010 – 2016
Presentation of Annabel, Helikon bookstore, Burgas, January 2010 Presentation of Pelican Feather, Barista cafe, Sofia, June 2013 Presentation of Pelican Feather, Cultural centre “Morsko kazino”, Burgas, June 2013 Presentation of Pelican Feather, Bulgarian National Radio, Varna, June 2013 Presentation of Pelican Feather, Bulgarian Embassy, Brussels, October 2013 Presentation of the English edition of Pelican Feather, […]
“She, the island”
Gerard takes his wife Marina to Fuerteventura, hoping that the island will heal her suffering soul after a tragedy she has gone throughCarla and Gerd, infectedby the virus of surf, come back to Fuerteventura to ride the waves.A writer comes to Fuerteventura to write a novel about the exile of the Spanish philosopher Miguel de […]
Presentations of She, the island
Irina Papancheva will present her new novel She, the island on 3 May at Cultural Centre Morsko kazino in Burgas and on 4 May at Instituto Cervantes in Sofia.
Pelican Feather (a book by the contemporary Bulgarian writer Irina Papancheva)
The main theme of Pelican Feather is passionate love and its many – often painful – vicissitudes, experienced through the eyes of a young, smart, sensitive boy – the child of the coulple that broke up – Martin. One of the remarkable things about passionate love is that it exhibits a desire for purity and […]
Script for reading of Pelican Feather
After an hour or two I heard Dad come home. I went to the other room to say hi. This is how I witnessed the moment Mum introduced Monica to him. I was behind her back and couldn’t see her face, but I saw his. It had an expression on that I had never seen before. Stunned. As if Monica was from another world and he didn’t know what to say.
Opening speech of Viviane Defosset at Brussels presentation of Pelican Feather
I have now translated three of Irina’s works into French from English: the novels Pelican Feather and Almost Intimately, and her short story, No One. In these works, I found human beings fighting for their existence, often in very difficult conditions. They use short phrases, vibrant dialogues, an oral, everyday language, punctuated by poetic passages. They pose open questions with no hint of moralising.
Presentation of Pelican Feather in Brussels
Presentation of Pelican Feather a novel by Irina Papancheva 19:30, Wednesday, 9 March N.A.I.S. bar, Place de la Chapelle 7, 1000 Brussels, Belgium An international group will read parts of the book at 20:00.
I Stutter
The first Bulgarian coloured book about stuttering. I Stutter tells the story of Emma who suddenly realises she has a stutter and has to face the bullying of her classmates. This short story mirrors the reality of the majority of stuttering children and provides an alternative solution to their suffering, the key to which lies […]
Annabel
Annabel is a successful woman who provokes and lets herself be provoked. She flows through life with ease. But have the feelings she has long locked inside still left an imprint? Amsterdam, Van Gogh, The Sunflowers are the milestones in the journey of the heroine towards her catharsis. “…the novel is in the post modernist […]
Almost Intimately
A Czech language and literature student has a crush on an older Englishman who works in Bulgaria. The realisation and non-realisation of their love happens through the journey of the heroine in Bulgaria and abroad but the most significant journey she undertakes is the one within herself. Bachkovo monastery, Bansko, Melnik, Prague and the social […]
Pelican Feather
A little boy at the centre of a broken love. A broken love through the eyes of a little boy. A little boy in the thrill of a nascent love. A nascent love in the heart of a little boy. And more: abandoned and depressed mother, guilty father in love, graceful and seductive female friend, […]
“Almost Intimately” by Irina Papancheva
“Almost Intimately” is an autobiographical short novel full of youthful suffocation and with the desire of the 22-year old Czech language and literature student to understand everything, to live through anything. The main character is to such extent active and drunk by her own youth that she doesn’t have the time to look around, to […]
Emotional experiences in search of wholeness
“Almost Intimately” by Irina Papancheva (publishing house Kronos, 2007) could be defined as a diary of a female spirit, searching for itself in the exciting spaces of the university culture of the Sofia Students’ town, of fusion with the Bulgarian nature and also with Prague…The reader gets the feeling of a well-travelled Bulgarian female character, […]
The friends of Annabel
„Irina, congratulations for “Annabel”. This was the message which I sent to Irina Papancheva on Facebook together with an invitation to become friends. I want to tell you that this young woman already can put on her credit a huge number of readers which goes far beyond her circles of friends in the above mentioned […]
From the intimate towards the cosmopolitan and back or about art as a life experience
by Violeta Toncheva Irina Papancheva starts her novel strikingly. She first makes the reservation that she is not the main character. “In fact, I am not in it at all. But, apparently, I’m not too happy with that, because I seem to keep going back to myself here, changing even the beginning for that matter. […]
Pelican Feather
Publishing house: Janet 45 Pelican Feather (2013) Translated by Bistra Andreeva To Mom Hope is the thing with feathers Hope, Emily Dickinson -1- First my father left us. Or rather, first Monica moved in with us. Monica is my Mom’s childhood friend. One evening Mom told Dad that she had called from Burgas. She […]
Interview with Irina Papancheva for Kafene.bg
This interview with Irina Papancheva will be translated in English soon…
Interview for LadyZone.bg
This interview will be translated in English as soon as possible…
Interview for Public Republic
This interview will be translated in English as soon as possible…
Annabel
Publishing house: Janet 45 ANNABEL (2007) Translated by Bistra Andreeva To my sister “For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee…” Edgar Allan Poe, Annabel Lee This story starts in my attic […]
Almost Intimately
Publishing house: Kronos Almost Intimately (2007) Translated by Part one David -1- „…there are inevitable things in life or at least we consider them inevitable which is indeed the same thing…” Christian Bobin, “La Folle Allure” In the dust of the spacious garret words are blending into a buzz. Words are thronging and brimming from […]