In today’s age of shocking extremes, poetry returns with a quiet yet expressive voice.
To read and write poetry means to connect with other worlds, with different destinies. Walking along the paths of verse, the reader develops the ability to empathize—an invaluable skill in our modern digitalized society, which increasingly longs for meaningful emotional energy.
We present to you our latest poetic publication — The Moon Girl, a poetry collection by Elena Atanasova.
Elena’s poems open a space for silence and optimism. Without imposing lessons or escaping reality, each verse is an archive of emotion. In her poetic world, there is no need to be strong, persuasive, or productive. You are allowed to simply be — in sorrow, in longing, in love, and in hope…
“And when the paths in the darkness
merge their long silhouettes,
remember — someone, somewhere is searching
for the traces you’ve left behind.”
The Moon Girl set off on its journey the moment it came into the world.
About the paths it travels and the emotions it awakens in her audience, the author herself shares:
The poetry collection was published in March this year, and in April I had the pleasure of presenting it at the Regional Libraries in the cities of Ruse and Razgrad. The events were emotional, memorable, and inspiring.
At the "L. Karavelov" Regional Library in Ruse, the hall with a capacity of one hundred seats turned out to be too small for those wishing to attend. Many waited patiently for an autograph until the end, even though the event continued for over an hour beyond the scheduled time. It turned into a moving poetic performance—actresses from the State Puppet Theatre in Ruse read the poems, and the host was my son, Boris Atanasov, an actor with the troupe of the “K. Kisimov” Music and Drama Theatre in Veliko Tarnovo. He is also the artist behind the book’s cover and the beautiful color illustrations inside. BNT 2 covered the event with a report in the program “Culture Line” on April 22, 2025.
During the presentation at the “Prof. Boyan Penev” Regional Library in Razgrad, the number of visitors was smaller, but the experience in the Art Space of the library was even more moving. Accompanied by lyrical piano performances from students of the “Iliya Bŭrnev” Music School at the “Razvitie 1869” Community Centre, music, words, and painting blended together to create that magical atmosphere in which art "speaks." Actors from the Anton Strashimirov Theatrical and Philharmonic Center also took part. The event was covered by a BTA correspondent, and the newspaper “Ekipa 7” published an article about it.
During these presentations, I sensed a “hunger” in people—for beauty, for art, for something different from the busy and dynamic everyday life. Something to remind them that they are alive, that there is beauty and inspiration all around. The silence in the hall, the tears in people’s eyes, their gratitude and well-wishes told me that I had succeeded in touching their souls with my messages and had become, even if just for a moment, someone’s inspiration.
I believe we are all here in this world to thrive and grow, as well as to learn our lessons. Ever since I fulfilled my childhood dream—my Miracle—of publishing a poetry collection, incredible things have started to happen in my life: reunions with classmates I hadn’t seen in nearly fifty years; a new environment, new acquaintances, new horizons opening before me; new opportunities for realizing future projects in this direction; an exchange of energy with people vibrating on a similar frequency to mine, people thirsty for art, inspiring in their own positivity.
The message of my poems is not to forget to appreciate the beauty of life. In today’s materialistic and time-racing daily life, to remind ourselves that life is beautiful, diverse, colorful, and curious... In short, it is what we make of it, and that depends on our focus and the choices we make—choices that stem from our awareness.
I believe that in order to be in harmony, inner balance, and good health, it is important to have moments—no matter how brief—in which we quiet down and look within ourselves. Moments in which we can rejoice and marvel at the Miracle of life. And let us not forget that what truly belongs to us is only the present moment—here and now.
A particularly emotional moment for me was my visit to my former school, ESPU “N. Y. Vaptsarov,” now PGPCHE “Exarch Joseph.” I went with the intention of donating copies of the poetry collection to the school library, and I was pleasantly surprised by the official invitation I received to attend the celebration of the school’s patron saint day, marking the 140th anniversary of its founding. The event took place on May 5, 2025, at the Municipal Cultural Center in Razgrad. Besides being an official guest, I also participated in the concert with a recital of the poem “Father’s Hearth” from my book.
My intention is for my poems to reach as many readers as possible. More meetings with them are scheduled—on May 16, 2025, at the Cultural and Information Center of the “Know Thyself 1891” Community Centre in Tsar Kaloyan, and on May 19, 2025, at “Levski” General Hospital in the town of Levski.
In June, I am preparing similar events at the “St. D. Basarbovski” Community Centre in the village of Bistra, Ruse Municipality, and at “V. Levski 1907” Community Centre in the village of Bistra, Targovishte Municipality. I am also considering presentations in Sofia and Varna in the fall.
For me, a book remains one of the most valuable gifts. Before we buy our children chocolates, we should gift them books with Bulgarian folk tales and riddles—because within folklore lies the wisdom of our people. So that Bulgaria may live on!
See Elena`s interview for BTA: https://www.bta.bg/bg/news/bulgaria/regional-news/oblast-razgrad/882019-pisaneto-za-men-e-magiya-kaza-poetesata-elena-atanasova-v-razgrad