BTA Presents English-Language Publications at London Book Fair

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) presented its English-language publications at the London Book Fair during the opening of the Bulgarian stand organized by the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in London. In his remarks at the event, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said that books and cultural publications reveal "the most beautiful face of Bulgaria" to the world.

"Books are the face of a nation, and BTA’s LIK magazine shows the most beautiful face of Bulgaria at the country’s third consecutive participation in the London Book Fair – the face of Bulgarian science and culture," Valchev said in his address.

At this year’s Fair BTA is showcasing ten English-language issues of its LIK magazine, first published in 1965, as well as a book dedicated to the history and archives of Bulgaria’s national news agency.

Among the highlighted publications are two LIK issues devoted to Bulgaria’s presence in Antarctica: "Bulgarian Science in Antarctica" and "To Antarctica and Back under a Bulgarian Flag".

These stand alongside two edition on the same subject that opened the Bulgarian stand at the fair: "Antarctica – History, Nature, the Bulgarian Polar Explorers" by Prof. Christo Pimpirev and Iglika Trifonova, and "Christo Pimpirev: The Antarctic Hitchhiker" by Iglika Trifonova.

Valchev noted that the publications had already been presented the previous evening to a packed room in the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in London, together with the authors and renowned kaval player and composer Theodosii Spassov. His original music, recorded in Antarctica, accompanies the presentations of Bulgarian publications on the continent during the events in London.

In addition to the Antarctic-themed editions, BTA is presenting several other English-language issues of LIK, including "Bulgarian Footprint in Space", "Bulgarian Academy of Sciences at 155", "Bulgaria in UNESCO", "Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity", "Bulgaria at the World Expos", "The Voice of Bulgarians in Ukraine", "LIK at 60 Years", and the special edition "New BG Wine Leads the Way".

Valchev explained that the name of the magazine comes from the first letters of the Bulgarian words for literature, art and culture, while the word "lik" itself also means "face".

"The magazine that sixty years ago became a ‘window to the world’ for Bulgarians today turns into a ‘window to Bulgaria’ for the rest of the world," he said, noting that LIK now appears not only in English but also in Spanish, French, German and Japanese.

BTA is also presenting the book "125 Years Bulgarian News Agency. The Real News: Stories On File 1898–2023", which traces the history of the agency through archival news stories.

The book features one news item from Bulgaria and one from the world for each year since BTA’s establishment in 1898. For 1971—the year the London Book Fair was first held—the selected stories include the death of famous Bulgarian football players Georgi Asparuhov (Gundi) and Nikola Kotkov in a car accident and the creation of the United Arab Emirates.

Valchev said the examples illustrate how news can leave a lasting imprint on history, much like literature.

He also emphasized that Bulgarian scientific achievements, including Antarctic research, demonstrate that global impact is not determined by the size of a country.

"The publications about Bulgarian Antarctic research prove that there are no large or small nations," he said, adding that literature provides similar examples, citing Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov, who won the International Booker Prize in 2023.

Referring to the early British explorers Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, who once described Antarctica as an "awful place" and "the last great wilderness", Valchev said the continent today is increasingly seen as a place of cooperation and future scientific discovery.

"Antarctica is the continent of the future," he said, echoing Prof. Pimpirev’s description and noting that international collaboration there shows how challenges can become "just things to overcome", in the words of Shackleton.