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Writer Yana Borissova releases Wonderful Summer Night debut novel

Photo: library

Yana Borissova's works have been enjoying huge popularity in Belgium, France, Serbia, Russia, Argentina, the USA, Italy and Germany. In 2008 the French Ministry of Culture, together with Editions Théâtrales, Тheatre Odeon and Avignon Theatre Festival choose her as a representative of Bulgaria in the project "27 plays from Europe". Now Yana Borissova challenges the readers with her debut novel – "Wonderful Summer Night", "a romantic story of love, talent and their consequences".

The popular Bulgarian actror and musician Stafan Valdobrev is the author of the musical scores in Yana Borissova's new undertaking. One of the most talented Bulgarian scenographers and artists Nikola Toromanov created the ilustrations which are to be printed in a special edition. Stefan Valdobrev's music will be also presented seperately in a live concert.


"Part of the music in the book is to be recorded as a Christmas present", Yana Borissova said for Radio Bulgaria. “Ideas are infinite, especially those born in the head of a writer. I am a screenwriter, a playwright and a writer, so the idea could go in any of these directions. My boldest intentions are linked with the film adaptation of the novel."

At an interview for Radio Bulgaria Stefan Valdobrev said he was seriously puzzled the moment he received an offer from Yana Borissova to write music for a novel.

"At first I was surprised that she wanted me to write musical scores for her novel. But when she sent me the novel, I realized that the main character is a composer who found himself in creative gap and was waiting to get another inspiration. My task was to write what he came up with after overcoming the crisis, inspired by the main character. A melody is printed in a literary work for the first time and I am happy to participate in this endeavor, "said Stefan Valdobrev.

The author of "Wondeful Summer Night" Yana Borissova says that both in her plays and her novel she does not specify the nationality of her characters:

"Apart from being a Bulgarian and a European, I am also a citizen of the world. That is why I have never been interested in making portraits of Bulgarians or trying to explain them. My characters are of unspecified nationality, but they are people like me. I talk about makers and artists in my book. The artists and the people invloved in art are of vital impotance. We must protect them, take care of them and do everything possible to keep them working, because without them any country would look terrible."

Radio Bulgaria asked playwright and writer Yana Borissova what is the key to succsess?

"If I had the key, perhaps I would sell it as know-how," Yana Borissova went on to say. “There are several things that work for me, but I am not sure whether this is the common recipe for succes. The most important thing is that writing itself is an inner nesessity, not something compulsory. We must not try to meet benchmarks. This must go hand in hand with talent and patience – patience to be noticed, to pay attention to everyone who has questions for you, to keep writing and working. I don't know whether there is another recipe. And to be honest, I haven't thought about it."

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

Photos: Daniel Dimitrov and library


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