Today is World Poetry Day and a good occasion to talk to Ivaylo Dimanov – journalist, poet and writer. He is a representative of an almost extinct species now – poets with guitars. Recently, Ivaylo celebrated his 60^th anniversary with a concert and presentation of his new book –The Bermuda Biangle. The Nazdrave, Samota /Cheers, Loneliness/ CD contains many of the songs that the bard performed in Studio 5 of the National Palace of Culture. 

“Poetry is a very efficient antibiotic against all the negativism in everyday life, at least it works for me,” the poet says. “The hall was overcrowded at the premiere of Cheers, Loneliness, so I am guessing other people take the same medicine too. How do I write my songs? I create the lyrics first and then if God decides to help with a nice tune, I stitch it with gratitude. There used to be forums for poets with guitars once, but unfortunately many of my bard friends are now gone. We all know that commercial music rules the world nowadays. Back in the 1960s and 70s we used to sit in the park outside and sang. I can’t be optimistic on what is happening – music has been turning into industry and nothing more. I recorded my CDs two years ago, when I got an invitation to take part in a festival in Canada, devoted to Bulgarian culture. The organizers insisted then that I should bring not only books of poetry, but also albums with my songs. My meetings with the Bulgarian community were really exciting. I have been travelling and presenting my work ever since. I’ve had several very successful concerts in the USA, Vienna and even Brussels during the terrorist assaults. All events had been cancelled, but my hall was full…”

“None can tie the hands of a man who wants to be Icarus” says the end of one of Ivaylo Dimanov’s verses, included in the new book.

“Each verse has its own story,” the poet goes on to say. “It sees no boundaries and obstacles whenever a nice tune is attached – the melody crosses spaces and time. Modern technology provides endless opportunities and those works, worth hearing cannot stay in the neighborhood anymore. However, I still see contacts between people as the most important thing – every time when I am abroad different persons come, even without knowing the language, but they are interested in our culture. I usually translate my verses into the respective language. A young and very talented actress, Iva Deleva read those in Paris and there was simultaneous interpretation in London. In 2010 I received the International Literature Prize in Torino, Italy. That was my biggest dream – to visit the land of my favorite music and cinema. When that happened, I had an improvised concert with my guitar in a wonderful hall and I made many new friends. My lyrics have been translated in Russian, Czech, German and Turkish as well. I see it as an essential thing Bulgarian literature to be translated for the entire world. I remember an Afro-American, who bought the CD in the USA. I asked him if he knew Bulgarian and he answered: “Not a single word, but I love those songs…” One simply has to put a piece of their soul in everything they create – and the person in front feels it right away", the bard says in conclusion.

The audio file contains the songs:

The Heavenly Bay
Cheers, Loneliness
Hope
Penance
I imagined you

English version: Zhivko Stanchev