The poet and novelist Vanya Veleva presented her book of short stories “Wolf Temple” in Yambol on World Book and Copyright Day. The premiere took place last night in a crowded hall of the “George Papazov” Art Gallery in the presence of the regional governor of Yambol, Bilyana Kavaldzhieva, dozens of writers, artists, public figures, journalists, relatives and friends of the author.
Vanya Veleva is the author of five collections of poems and two books of short stories. Her first collection of poems “Landscape without makeup, or 38 pebbles in the shoe” was published 22 years ago. “Her editor then was Hristo Karastoyanov, may his memory be bright. He turned out to be a good person for her, because seven books followed,” said the chairman of the Society of Yambol Writers, poet Tenko Tenev.
Over the years, Vanya Veleva has been honored with dozens of awards from national literary competitions, and in 2023 alone there are thirteen prizes and one more award this year, he emphasized and listed the awards.
“Wolf Temple” includes 60 stories about Bulgaria and Bulgarian tears, about heights and secrets. Seven of the stories in the book have won awards. With them, Vanya Veleva shares cherished memories in which the situations and characters are real, said the writer Genka Bogdanova, who is a reviewer of the book.
The actress Daniela Rajchevska and the actor Dimitar Dimitrov from the Nevena Kokanova Drama Theater made two of the stories in the book “come to life” for the audience – “Wolf Temple”, which provoked the book’s title, and “Christ under the rose bush”, which was awarded with the first award from this year’s 12th edition of the national literary competition “Grandfather Jotso is Watching”.
“The Story of Christ is the authentic biography of my grandfather – Christ, my father’s father, who is the found baby in the story. It took me 50 years to dare to tell this story. Thanks to my cousin Violeta Petrova, who gave me another story from the same time and place – “Under the bloody scarf”, Vanya Veleva told.
When asked why she titled her book like that, she explained: “Everyone has a temple of the soul, where they house their innermost thoughts, where they show their weaknesses, where they heal their secret emotional wounds, where they confide their secrets. Sometimes a pack roams in front of the temple. The choice is difficult – feed the wolves or unlock the church. Everyone chooses for themselves…”
Writer Lyubomir Kotev recalled moments from Vanya Veleva’s journalistic career. Guests at the book premiere were greeted with bread and salt by a woman dressed in folk costume. “Thank you for being here, for tasting the bread of my heart and the salt of my tears. This is how dear guests are welcomed, especially when you offer food for the soul. And I hope to leave you satisfied with this book,” said the author.
Vanya Veleva has worked as a journalist, publicist, host of journalistic shows on regional television, correspondent of national media. He is the author of short stories, essays and poetry. He is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Writers. He has been working in the field of fine art for several years. There are three solo exhibitions with paintings and a number of participations in general exhibitions of the representative office in Yambol of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. He is the recipient of the “Medicine of Honor of the Municipality of Yambol” in 2022 for his contribution to culture.
