Starshel (Hornet), the oldest Bulgarian humour and satire newspaper, recently turned 78. The newspaper of choice for generations of Bulgarians has been coming out, without interruption, since 15 February, 1946, and it has survived to this day through all historical ups and downs. Because satire, feuilletons, laughter through tears is the best way to live our lives, and to get the better of things – from the political, economic and public domain, says the editor-in-chief of Starshel, writer Mihail Veshim, who has dedicated his life to the newspaper. What does laughter mean to him?

“Laughter is, for me, a way of life. And I am happy to say I have spent my life “heehawing”. Life went by in jokes and banter. It is the best way to live our lives in good spirits, whatever may be happening around us, to see the funny side of things.  That is what I learnt at Starshel when I was younger and was still a “rookie”. I was 19 when my first feuilleton was published by Starshel, and I have never changed jobs since,” says Mihail Veshim in an interview with Svetlozar Zhelev from the BNR’s culture channel Hrtisto Botev.

The tradition of feuilletons and satire has always been strong in Bulgaria, having been used through history as a weapon by writers like Hristo Botev, Aleko Konstantinov, Rayko Alexiev, etc. As a matter of fact, the first satirical newspaper to have come out within the bounds of the Ottoman Empire was not in Turkish, it was in Bulgarian – Petko Slaveykov’s newspaper Gaida (Bagpipe), first published on 15 June, 1863 in Istanbul. But in our day, the 150-year long newspaper tradition is dying out. Why? There are many reasons, says Mihail Veshim:

“Maybe times are like that – the means of expression change, the generations change too. The new generations are looking for a different kind of entertainment, they don’t have the time to focus on reading something. It seems to me people used to take a deeper interest, now we are seeking a “snippet”-type of thinking, which rejects the feuilleton as a genre. If you have a “snippet” kind of thinking then you can only concentrate on a 30-second video on TikTok. That is why there are no satirists.”

The other reason is that newspapers as a form of mass media are dying out, and leading world satirical newspapers and magazines, with 200 years of history, are closing down. Starshel too faces a serious challenge. That is why Mihail Veshim regards Starshel as a mission:

“As things stand, we are the last of the Mohicans of humour. Because humour has changed a great deal through the years. First, with the TV shows it migrated to television and changed in character… Then humour migrated to standup comedy…”

Mihail Veshim makes mention of the names of the people who have worked at Starshel, carrying the torch of laughter ever since its first issue in 1946. Some of them went on to become classics of Bulgarian literature – like Valeri Petrov, Pavel Vezhinov, Bogomil Raynov… But many others, even though they possessed a vivid talent, have been forgotten by the generations.

More:

• Humour is a serious occupation
• Cartoonist Tchavdar Nikolov: Being a cartoonist is not always safe
• Stoyan Milenkov - the renowned king of bitter humour

Interview by Svetlozar Zhelev, Hristo Botev channel, BNR

Compiled by Veneta Nikolova

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova

Photos: BGNES, Starshel newspaper