With Dr. Ehab Bseiso, Minister of Culture
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 of the event together with the Palestinian Ministry of Culture.
She talked about the translation of books in a public discussion with local and international writers, translators, publishers and Dr. Ehab Bseiso, Minister of Culture and his team.
Irina Papancheva participated as well in the gathering of the local Book Club Tibaq Bpublishing, whose members had selected Pelican Feather as their next read without knowing of her visit to Palestine. It was the first book from a foreign author discussed in the club.
‘It was an amazing experience to meet these intelligent, well-read people, among whom poets and writers, and to hear their interpretation of my novel’, Irina Papancheva said.
Five years after its publishing in Bulgaria Pelican Feather is published in English, French and Arabic.
‘About two years ago, I translated the “Pelican Feather”; I was still living in Syria. Today, when I think about the novel, I feel that my thoughts are going back to real people of flesh and blood I once met and loved them. I hope that one day I will be able to return to those places where the novel was born. “Pelican Feather” is one of the closest books to my heart’, says Amani Lazar, translator to Arabic.
‘Pelican Feather’ is a book about the individual against their ego. A story of seeking salvation. A truly wonderful novel’, writes Haitham Hussein, a Syrian novelist and journalist in his review of the book.
Video from the discussion in the Book Club Tibaq Bpublishing.