Силфида с нежно сърце

Силфида с нежно сърце
Ксения Киселинчева, PhD

Мария Илиева е една от прима‑балерините на Националната опера и балет. На 11 години е избрана да продължи обучението си в Балетното училище в Санкт Петербург (тогава - Ленинград) като отговаряща 100% на високите критерии. И до днес тя смята, че точното й място е там. През 1986 година тя става лауреат на Международния балетен конкурс във Варна. В 1988 година е избрана от Юрий Григорович за неговата брилянтна постановка в София на „Лешникотрошачката”. Следват нейни оригинални интерпретации на целия спектър от женски роли в балетния репертoар от Одета – Одилия в „Лебедово езеро” до Маргарита  Готие от „Дамата с камелиите”. Завоюва званието "прима" в 1990 година. Маша Илиева умело администрира като директор на Националния балет (2001‑2003). Тя е и всеотдаен педагог в нейната частна балетна школа за деца, основана в 1995г. В 2000 г. защитава магистърска степен по балетна режисура и педагогика и издава своя труд като книга, която запълва бяло поле в детската балетна педагогика. Доц. д‑р Маша Илиева е преподавател по исторически танци и класически репертоар в Музикалната академия "Панчо Владигеров". Занимава се с благотворителна дейност.

Срещнахме се в едно бистро наблизо до операта. Свърталище на много артисти, които отскачат там между изнурителните репетиции на чаша чай или кафе и нещо за хапване. Разбира се, това върви паралелно с размяна на закачки и шеги с колеги, с настоящи или бивши приятели. Мобилният й настъпателно се намесваше в разговора ни и тя се принуди да го изключи. Току‑що идваше от репетиция на „Лешникотрошачката”, където води репетициите на младите надежди. Като всеки лаик, имах смътната представа, че пътят към върха в изкуството е самотна Голгота. Но се изкушавах да надникна в детайлите на ежедневната битка, където и дъските на пода бяха напоени с пот, кръв и сълзи.

- Какво се случи след като се върна от Русия?

- Бях на 17, най‑младата. Тогава беше златната ера на Калина Богоева, Вера Кирова и Красимира Колдамова. Изобщо не се виждах някой ден да заема тяхното място в някоя от главните роли. По-младите колеги вече танцуваха малки роли, а аз бях на последна редичка… Дори не ме пращаха на състезания. После, лятото на 1986-та дойде наградата във Варна, а малко по‑късно Ю. Григорович дойде в София и ме избра за главната роля в Лешникотрошачката. Както обясняваше той - тук Маша забави темпото - не само заради изрядната техника, но най‑вече заради огромния скок, с който се отличавах. За обаятелното ми присъствие като актриса се грижеха руски специалисти от Болшой театър, изпратени, за да помагат при постановката.

- А кога - полюбопитствах аз - имаше реални предпоставки за да те удостоят с титлата "прима балерина"?

- За някои - след майсторско изпълнение на една главна роля. Но в моя случай, титлата дойде след като изиграх всички основни роли от балетния репертоар. Изиграх ги с индивидуален почерк. Особено се вълнувам, когато търся начин да предам героичното и драматичното в характера на героинята.

Както и в другите изкуства, помислих си аз. Изрядната техника не е достатъчна. Трябва като че ли да напипаш нови нюанси в образа, които публиката да усети и да се развълнува от преоткриването на своята представа за дадена героиня ...

И така, всеки ден е различен за Маша. Понеделник е в Музикалната академия. А в останалите дни е като днес - безкрайни репетиции в Операта. Събота сутрин е в школата за деца.

Знам, че финансирането на изкуството у нас е голям проблем. Затова я питам дали намира спонсори, готови да подпомагат млади таланти.

- Да - съгласява се тя - много е трудно. Но аз не се предавам лесно. Например, в 2000-та основах трупата "Младият балет на България". Направихме турнета из страната и участвахме в "Охридско лято". След това създадох организация със същото име и сега с помощта на спонсори помагам в областта на оперното и балетно изкуство.

- Друга твоя постановка в Операта е "Спящата красавица" (2014). Какви бяха непредвидените трудности при нея?

- Трудности имаше, но те не бяха непредвидени. Слава богу, имах подкрепата на целия екип - сценограф, художник по костюми, диригент, администрация. Това беше мега‑спектакъл с повече от 100 човека, които излизат на сцената. Всичко трябва да бъде координирано, за да постигна цялостно въздействие. Спектакълът мина блестящо, билети се търсят месеци преди поредното представление.

- Много твои колеги заминаха за чужбина. Защо избра да останеш тук?

С присъщата й самоирония Маша вдига рамене и отсича:

- За мен има само един отговор: съд‑ба!

И тъй като разговорът беше потръгнал, поръчах по още една чаша чай. Маша си гледа часовника, но проявява разбиране. Опитвам се да дръпна още една нишка от кълбото въпроси, в които съм заплетена:

- Спори се много за експериментите при класическия балет? Разбирам, че и класиката трябва да се направи по-близко до съвременния зрител. Какво мислиш за балетисти, танцуващи почти голи на сцената и правят откровени еротични внушения?

- Да, това е нещо, предизвикващо различни мнения. Според мен, зависи от постановката - голото тяло може да въздейства по различен начин.

- Всяка нова медия поставя под въпрос предишните медии. Интернет вече застрашава например телевизията. Но тази нова медия най-вече се състезава с изпълнението на живо. Кошмарно видение за всички изпълнители е заплахата от празния салон. Какво мислиш за това?

- Интернет е полезна вещ, но живото изпълнение е неповторимо преживяване.

Въртя се в кълбото от възникващи въпроси и дръпвам друга нишка:

- Кои според теб качества на характера са решаващи, за да се изяви по-пълно вроденият талант?

Маша никога не се взема на сериозно, когато става дума за такива помпозни неща, и с усмивка отговаря:

- Дисциплина, трудолюбие и себеотдаване. И много други неща.

- А учиш ли децата в школата освен на балет, още и на тези и други ценности?

- Старая се, когато работят с мен, да могат да видят и възприемат своеобразен образец, колкото и да е трудно.

- Как според теб се развива през последните години Международният балетен фестивал във Варна?

Очите й светват и тя с ентусиазъм заявява:

- Фестивалът преживява истински ренесанс. Освен обичайните участници от Корея и Китай, които винаги показват много добра техника, тази година имаше участници дори от Гранд Оперȧ в Париж и от Большой театр. Стана време за репетиция и затова изстрелях последния си въпрос:

- Нещо ново на фронта на благотворителната ти дейност?

- Последно, дарих сума за сдружение "Деца с онко‑хематологични проблеми". А с Фондация "Ангелия" имаме нов проект, но ще говорим за него, когато му дойде времето ...

Седмичник "Животът днес", 21.12.2015,

http://www.jivotatdnes.bg/news/kultura/silfida-s-nezhno-sartse

Снимки:

1. Маша в "Лебедово езеро"

2. Маша в "Спящата красавица"

3. Децата от Школата преди конкурс

4. Благотворителен бал 2011 

THE ALCHEMIST WHO TURNS WASTE INTO GOLD

THE ALCHEMIST WHO TURNS WASTE INTO GOLD

                     

Prof. Vladko Panayotov is deputy rector of the University of Mining and Geology. He has been an EU MP since 2007. His major line of activity is directed to the processing of ores and minerals, water purification and introducing new technologies for extracting copper and gold from industrial waste. Prof. Panayotov is honorary member of the Russian Mining Academy and the Balkan Mining Academies. For introducing an environmentally friendly technology for processing lead and zinc ores, he is awarded with a gold medal at the International technical fair in Plovdiv.

A Bulgarian scholar created a clean technology for extracting non-ferrous metals from industrial waste, i.e. copper, nickel, aluminum etc. In this way, the inventor put an end to the use of cyanides, acids and bases which detrimental to the environment and to people’s health. Another huge benefit, coming from his innovative method is the reduction of industrial waste which is another global pollutant with long-term consequences.

-        Prof. Panayotov, could you tell us more about your innovative method which is in the process of being patented on a world-wide scale, including the most developed countries?

-To begin with, we tested the new technology in a pilot project in Elshitza. After the trial period, the method has been introduced routinely. It has been processing the industrial waste from the Plovdiv plant for ferrous metals. In 2007 we presented and defended successfully before the European Parliament an international project. It envisages the creation of an European Technological Center near Plovdiv with the participation of great Britain, Portugal and other EU member-countries. With this project, research of industrial waste recycling is given a kick start which is to be financed by the Marie Curie Fund within the range of 3 million euros.     

-        What was the response to presenting your innovation at the World Congress on Raw Materials Processing in Beijing last year?

-        There was massive response to my presentation of the new technology and offers to patent it on all continents. I also presented another new technology, connected with water purification, especially removing the highly toxic arsenic. Wherever there are gold deposits or deposits of other precious metals, there is a lot of arsenic. This is another instance of dialectics - good goes alongside with evil. My water cleansing technology is directed to arsenic removal from industrial waste water. My method does not apply other chemicals to eliminate the arsenic, which makes it revolutionary and environmentally friendly. There was great interest shown to it by countries like US, Canada, Australia which will be among the first to apply for patent rights.

-        What is your vision about the water deficit which is to be expected on a world-wide scale in the next 20 years?

-        The only way out is purification and recycling of water, industrially polluted. It is completely unacceptable to use it only once, it should be cleansed and recycled.  

-What are your immediate plans about the future?

-My future plans are connected with my work in the environmental commission in the European Parliament and are related to Bulgaria’s global interests. One of them refers to looking for alternative sources of energy. Another one refers to reducing environmental pollution ‑ neutralizers on cars, filters on factory chimneys, recycling waste, etc. As far as alternative energy sources are concerned, a seminar was held in Brussels, dealing with hydrogen fuel and biomass second generation. I mean biomass from dead leaves, sawdust, straw, etc. ‑ when processed in a specific way, they turn into gas. As we well know, fossil fuels cannot last more than another 50 years. Germany is quite advanced in using hydrogen in public transport vehicles – cars, trains, trucks and buses. US is  about to launch the first hydrogen-fuel and pilot-free Boeing, Japan have launched the arrow trains, Denmark is running hydrogen fuel train between two railway stations. The incentive, where Bulgaria takes part is the divisive recycling of waste. The key point is to cultivate consciousness and responsibility among citizens which is yet to be improved. Waste is a resource - there is invested in each bottle energy, light, heat. This is a serious source of material welfare in all areas - clothes‑making, construction and packaging. Denmark is a telling example in this respect.

-        What are the major criticisms to Bulgaria in the EU Parliament?

-        Up until now, the attitude is encouraging us to get in pace with other EU countries. I have stood up for amendments of EU law, defending Bulgarian interests. This is done with keeping in mind our long-term industrial policy, our environmental legislation, etc. In the EU complaints and despair don’t work - to achieve success, you must target the common interests, the common motivation. A major issue is a Bulgarian lobby, as the one Romanians have.

-        And again about the precious depleting resource of water in seas, rivers and oceans - how could it be purified from continual pollution?

-        The soil is a very sensitive resource, once polluted, it is lost forever. A lot is to be done for education of young in environmental awareness. This has to be implemented through school education and family upbringing. There must be control, concerning the divisive disposal of metals, glass and paper.

-        What are your academic projects in this area, so vital for saving the planet?

-        I have published a book in co-authorship with leading Bulgarian and foreign scientists. It focuses mainly on hydrogen fuel, second generation biomass fuels and the conservation of CO₂ emissions. We have to act too, following the example of Germany, Denmark, Italy. As an EU MP, prof. Panayotov firmly believes he can achieve a lot, using deftly the levers of the EU Parliament. Because he is not just a politician there, but a world-recognized scientist. In all his projects other EU member-countries like Germany, Great Britain and Italy are involved and EU finances are to be allotted.

It’s so stimulating to talk to positive, proactive and inspired personalities like prof. Vladko Panayotov. If all of us had some of his fervor and dedication, Bulgaria would be a different place to live in and to invest in.

Interviewed by Dr. Ksenia Kisselincheva

Sofia Echo weekly, 2008

Не само птиците могат да летят / Нова изложба на Никола Манев

 

Никола Манев е роден на 28 август 1940 в Пазарджик, отраснал в Чирпан, родното място на Яворов, който е негов любим поет. Учи живопис при проф. Васил Стоилов. През 1962 г. е приет в класа на М. Брианшон в Националната художествена академия в Париж. След завършването получава първа награда на големия конкурс Шаневер. Установява се в Париж, където се завръща след странстването по света. Н. Манев е нарисувал над 3000 картини, собственост на музеи, обществени и частни колекции в над 30 страни. Последната му експозиция в Галерия Финес в София, която се показва до 14 ноември, включва повече от 50 живописни платна, рисувани през последните години.

Паралелните светове на Н. Манев ни обогатяват с нови гледни точки върху света около нас. Тематично те вървят главно в три условни кръга ‑ необятните пространства на природата, относително крехките архитектурни творения на фона на архетипни форми на пейзажа и архитектурни паметници от френското средновековие и италианския ренесанс.

Колоритът и рисунъкът в тези три паралелни светове варират според темата, настроението и моментното виждане. Манев определено има строго индивидуален стил, който веднага се разпознава.

Необятните пространства на архитектоничните форми на пейзажа се отличават с ярък колорит, динамична мазка и внушават стихията и могъществото на природата в нейната дълговечност. В композицията на картини от този кръг често може се различи нещо, подобно на лабиринт, в който можем и да се изгубим, както и да открием пътя към загадка. Творецът казва: "... и рисувам по интуиция. Картината сама си намира пътя в движение."

Манев рисува както видимото, така и невидимото. В цикъл картини той пресъздава силното си усещане за трансцедентното, за мистично‑загадъчното. Това са композиции, в които струят неземни лъчи, които напомнят за полета на човешкия дух.

„В творбите ми се старая да излизат лъчи навсякъде, да разкъсвам затвореното, да полети въображението в пространството, завиждам на птиците ....” твърди Манев.

Друг ракурс в светоусещането на художника намираме в един втори кръг от картини. Общото в тях е съпоставянето на непреходния свят на природата с крехкия човешки свят. В негова картина може да се види например мощно разгънат пейзаж с пирамидално възвишение и в оптиката на Манев - относително малка крепост. Другаде полуразрушени крепостни стени са на фона на необятния небосклон.

В трети кръг картини Н. Манев с изящен реалистичен рисунък преоткрива по свой начин конкретни архитектурни образци във Франция, Италия. Те въплъщават духа на епохата, нейните нрави и вкусове и човешкото упование да се надвие времето. Те са свидетелство за чудесата на човешкия креативен гений, който вечно се стреми да остави трайна следа за следващите поколения.

Никола Манев черпи вдъхновение както от френската културна традиция, така и от българската. Дали затова не се завръща често в Чирпан или Варна, така както и в Париж. 

Вестник "Животът днес" (Култура), 17.11.2015

http://www.jivotatdnes.bg/news/kultura/ne-samo-ptitsite-mogat-da-letyat

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ACTRESS “For me acting is a way to feel alive”

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ACTRESS

“For me acting is a way to feel alive”

I last watched Katia Paskaleva at the “199” studio theatre in Rakovsky Street. She was doing “The Bum”, her first and only one-man show by Jean Claude van Italy. On that night, the barrier between performer and audience seemed to have collapsed, as if they were both participating in a religious rite. The vibrations from stage to audience and back were palpable in the air and she was acting not simply out of professional habit, but out of a sacred inspiration, which was finely tuning her, from one minute to the next, to her act of impersonation. It all had the spontaneous enchantment of a jazz jam session. Then, when the show was over, we felt struck by her magic and were reluctant to go. So, each of us tucked away a piece of the virtual reality we had partaken of together and continued living with it for days on end. After I left the theatre I had the strange feeling I was not quite the same person any more, I could hardly pass by a bum on the streets of Sofia, without a sense of immediate bonding to him, a sense that, like me, he or she was one of God’s children. So, instead of pretending not to notice them, as we all usually do, I will discreetly drop a few bobs in their hat or can, careful not to hurt their human dignity...

Here I am now, a few months later, in Katia’s living room, sitting with her at the round table with a bowl of tangerines in the middle, fully equipped with a recording device and well-rehearsed questions. But suddenly I discovered that I am off the track of the usual interview- she must have played a professional “trick” on me-but somehow our conversation turned into an adventure, where we both explored each other and the world around us. I shared with her my impressions from her last performance at the studio theatre and she smiled in a roguish manner: ”In this production both I and the director were playing with fire, we were challenging the conventional attitudes of the audience, we were aiming at making it my own partner. But audiences have a different response from one night to the next, you can’t always achieve that. I am very much in love with this character that has refused to fit into the pigeonholes of society.  Clara is not simply a marginal character,  a bum from New York Central Park. I hope I have managed to bring across to the spectators some of her remarkable qualities, her defiant love of freedom and her sense of personal dignity, for example. It was a lucky coincidence that I had just returned from New York when we started working on this play.  So I still had about me the exhilarating sense of liberation I had experienced there, washing away our silly Balkan prejudices and inhibitions.”

We had a good laugh with Katia when she told me about the practical joke, that she and friend of hers had cooked up. It goes like this - one day, Katia put on Clara’s clothes and bum accessories like patched bags and bucket and lay down on a bench in a garden near the theatre, right in the city center. Svetla, her friend who was a well known photographer from BTA started taking pictures of her. The next day BTA issued the following message which went like this: “Katia Paskaleva, the eminent film and theatre actress has been noticed to sleep like a bum on a bench and to scavenge the dustbins for food”. The “Duma” newspaper took the message at face value and blew it out of proportions. It published an emphatically framed photo of Katia’s real-to life impersonation in the garden, with a portentous subtitle “The Fate of the Actor”. What a lovely friendly take-off! As Katia loves to say “You should take your work seriously, but you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously.”

She really takes her work god damn seriously. And every time she goes onstage, she is tense and worked up as if she is doing it for the first time. Each time, she  puts herself to the test, she stretches herself to the utmost. Many of her colleagues cannot understand this idiosyncrasy of hers. They expect her to be comfortably nestled in her professional routine. She never speaks out her cues the same way, something which annoys a lot of her fellow actors who can’t wait to have the curtain down. She is always exploring new possibilities, always adding up new touches to her role. When she accepts a new role, she takes her time to gradually get the feel of it, to hit the right pitch. Katia admits she gets completely absorbed and lost in her work. She spends most of her time in the rehearsal hall or on the shooting site, the virtual reality takes over from real life. There’s hardly any time to sleep during that hectic stretch but there is always time to carouse and have a shot with “the gang”, to love and then to hate the director or an acting partner and so on, building up to the climax of the first night show or performance...

If you ask Katia about the best years in her life, she wouldn’t hesitate to choose her first five years at the Pazardjik Theatre. It was one among a few provincial theatres, a kind of off-Broadway, where away from the dogmatic stalemate of the capital, experimentation was thriving. Those bohemian provincial communes produced some of the best actors and directors, many of whom made a difference in Bulgarian film and theatre history.

It was exactly there that Katia worked with Metody Andonov, who finely “molded” her talent before she made her debut in the cinema. “The Capricorn” (1972, director Metody Andonov, screenplay by Nikolay Haytov) was the first Bulgarian film which won world-wide recognition in the 60’s. It took by storm all reputable film festivals. The film was nominated for the Oscar awards for both directing and acting. The formal reason for missing this golden opportunity: the film was in black and white? One among many awards, it received “The Silver Hugo” for brilliant cameraman-ship.

“The Capricorn” has stood the test of time and stands on a par with 20th century classics like Kurosava’s Rashamon and Paradganov’s “The Shadows of Our Ancestors”. Katia assured me there was “a special astrological configuration” while they were shooting the film - they were all ecstatic and spontaneous like children, for instance she and her co-star Anton Gorchev went on riding escapades and were nearly perished.

Later she revealed various new facets of her formidable talent in a number of films but she says she never felt the magic spell which possessed all the crew while shooting “The Capricorn”. In 1991 she starred as leading actress in “Silence” directed by Krassimir Kroumov, an elitist artist, much acclaimed in Germany.

In the post-communist era there were quite a few years when Katia missed acting in the cinema badly and dreamt about it... Recently, a month ago, she starred in a film again and she was truly excited. “Visited by God” is based on a few novellas of the eminent Bulgarian writer Stanislav Stratiev and in Katia’s words “the film has a constellation of first class actors in it.”

And as far as the theatrical scene goes, my companion is quite positive and optimistic. In spite of the financial hardships, the Bulgarian theatre is in real upswing and she gasped for breath to name just a few out of the numerous significant theatrical events all over the place. Moreover, she had recently been to New York and she had seen an avanguard production of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” at the La Mamma Theatre. “It’s a pilgrimage you have to make now and again to recharge your batteries and to embark on a new adventure. As my maestro Boyan Danovsky used to say: to jump into the abyss and to attempt to fly...”   

   

Sofia Western News Monthly, December 1999

THE HEIGHT OF THE RENAISSANCE

Under Elizabeth I /1558-1603/, the next monarch, order was restored and England entered upon its most glorious age. Only twenty-five when she assumed the throne, Elizabeth, who never married, was to rule wisely and well for forty-five years. Through her policy of middle-of-the-road Protestantism, she held in check throughout her reign the proponents of Catholicism on one hand and the growing number of Puritan extremists on the other. A master politician, wise in the choice of her councillors, Elizabeth established a strong central government that received the strong support of her subjects.

During her reign, England began to gain supremacy on the seas. Threatened by invasion by her long-time enemy, the king of Spain, Elizabeth sent Hawkins and Drake out to destroy the Spanish Armada.  

England’s increasing population created new markets and brought about the exploitation of new sources of raw materials, among them those of the New World. The commercial ventures of the Virginia Company in North America and of the East India Company in the Orient were aspects of this expansion. Riches also came from such ventures like the pirate-patriot Sir Francis Drake, whom Elizabeth commissioned to intercept Spanish treasure ships on the high seas and relieve them of the heavy burden of gold they had stolen from the Indians of South America. Such ventures generated as much as 5,000 percent return, which went to swell the royal treasury.

Elizabeth’s reign was the age of courtiers. Educated in both the classical and modern languages, the queen was a poet of no mean ability and a great lover of music and dancing. Some of the men of her court lived up to the Renaissance ideal of courtier, soldier and scholar. Most famous of courtier poets were Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Philip Sidney. Edmund Spenser, unsuccessfully seeking court preferment, wrote The Faerie Queen, a long allegorical epic in which Gloriana represented Elizabeth.

During her reign, the popularity of the sonnet led to the writing of sonnet sequences, usually telling the story of unrequited love. Sir Philip Sidney set the vogue for these with “Astrophel and Stella”. Among his more famous followers were Edmund Spenser with “Amoretti” and W. Shakespeare with an untitled enigmatic series of 154 sonnets.

Lyric poetry and song also flourished an outlet for the exuberant Renaissance spirit. Songs were sung with lute accompaniment and made available in print to all social classes. Another source of popular music was the drama. Songs were an integral part not only of comedies, but on occasion also of tragedies.

Beyond question the Elizabethan period was the golden age of English drama. Among a dozen of first-rate dramatists three talents shine brightly like stars in a constellation-Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Ben Johnson. Under the skilful handling of these dramatists, blank verse, introduced into the language by Surrey, became the main vehicle for comedy and tragedy.

Native English drama from medieval times was the wellspring of Elizabethan drama. The initial influence of classical drama came in the 1560’s with the translation of Latin drama, especially the revenge tragedies of Seneca and the comedies of Plautus and Terence. Somehow everything coalesced and the theatre soared to an unprecedented height. The plays of the great dramatists contained something for everyone: low comedy for the groundlings, elevated philosophical concepts for the educated and strong story lines to engage the attention of everyone. Public theatres competed with each other to attract large audiences of all levels of society. The private theatres, offering more sophisticated entertainment, provided further competition. Theatres were occasionally closed in time of plague and due to Puritan complaints of “ungodliness”.

Renaissance exuberance was the exuberance of youth, and as Elizabethan poets warned, youth cannot last forever. Queen Elizabeth’s moderate Protestantism and her powerful personal presence had maintained England’s domestic stability. When the new century began, she was an aging queen, not in the best of health. Not until she was on her deathbed did she name her successor, King James of Scotland.

Thomas Kyd was a forerunner of the High Renaissance who adopted Roman models of tragedy of revenge and transformed the themes and structure to suit native tradition and sensibility. Christopher Marlowe/1564-93/ developed further Kyd's achievements chiefly on the imaginative and poetic side. In the first tragedies Marlowe projected his passionate belief in man’s power over fate while in major work where he recreated the myth about Dr Faustus, he put forward a more ambiguous and complex vision. He is still fascinated by the idea of an extraordinary man who allows no scruples to stand in his way and sells his soul to the devil for the sake of unlimited power. Finally, the hero reaches a poignant spiritual crisis and is reluctant to repent ends in damnation. The main power of the play is concentrated in the poetry, mainly in the long speeches, which is true to a certain extent for all Elizabethan dramatists. Marlowe is a representative of the University Wits who were a great factor in the development of English literature. They absorbed what was best in the courtly tradition of E. Spenser and J. Lyly and infuse a more realistic vigour into the artificial vision of the courtly tradition.

The man who most completely synthesized the achievements of the University Wits, who combined the tendencies of Kyd and Marlowe and brought them to perfection was William Shakespeare/1564-1616/. He had an artistic genius that was versatile and prolific which produced masterpieces in every genre he touched. His development as a playwright can be roughly divided into five stages. At first, he was involved into elaborating the genre of the historical chronicle which re-enacted major events from English history. In the first half of the 1590's he created powerful dramatic versions of the dichotomy between the vision of a strong individual and the inevitable impact of historical necessity. The crowning achievement of this period is the sophisticated tragedy of “Richard III”/1593/.  During this intensive period of artistic endeavour Shakespeare created also some memorable comedies like “The Comedy of Errors” and “The Taming of the Shrew”. Most works of this period were characterized by end-stopped blank verse, quite a lot of rhymed lines and no great complexity of imagery.

The second stage of Shakespeare’s artistic endeavour /1595-1600/ is marked by a wide scope of achievements in the genre of romantic comedy, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Twelfth Night” among many others. He crowned the end of this prolific period with his brilliant interpretation of Roman history in “Julius Caesar”/1600/. This stage of artistic experimentation is marked by a more mature style with a more flexible syntax and rhythm, a more striking imagery and a more forceful characterization. Again it was a mixture of various genres, mainly comedies and a few history plays.

The third stage is artistic development sets a sombre ambiguous tone whose crowning sublimation is “Hamlet” /1601/. It is one of the most complex and all-embracing philosophical tragedies ever written. The style is distinguished by a rich and sophisticated means of expression to suit the complex and profound interpretation of the problem play. Shakespeare brings to a brilliant mastery the Renaissance conceit, which is a powerful elaboration of images. There are models of the soliloquy form which are an unsurpassed expression of the highlights of existential introspection. As in Julius Caesar, the tragic conflict stems from the faults of the character rather than from “outrageous fortune”.

The next stage explores further the complexities of tragedy in its various projections in “Othello”, “Macbeth’ and “King Lear”/1604-1606/. They bear the mark of a fully developed style of his dramatic genius.

The last stage is devoted to an elaboration of the romance genre where tragedy is transformed in a reconciliation of opposing elements exploiting the possibilities of the phantasy convention/1608-1612/. “The Tempest” is a brilliant exuberant evocation, only one among many.

Another genre of poetic form where Shakespeare left the indelible mark of a genius is the sonnet. He enriched the Spenserian sonnet infusing it with sensuous imagery, melodic richness of rhythm and rhyme and existential insight. His achievement in the sonnet form influenced a great number of English poets such as Milton, Keats and Tennyson.

One of the major representatives of the revolt period, which marks a transition to a decline of Renaissance intoxication, is Ben Jonson/ 1572-1637/. His name is associated with the humour comedy which he brought to artistic perfection. Behind it lay the psychological theory of the humours and the Renaissance interest in personality.  “Volpone’ and “The Alchemist” are among his best and most enduring creations.         

Under the Stuarts, James I and his son Charles I the religious balance was lost. Both monarchs persecuted the Puritans and struggled with parliament over their divine right to rule absolutely. The increasing strength of the predominantly Puritan middle class in the House of Commons made the confrontation inevitable. Charles I was defeated and executed in 1649. England was declared a commonwealth under the jurisdiction of Parliament.

At the beginning of the Stuart period, poetry was less exuberant, more cynical and introspective than the previous Elizabethan period. A major development was the group of metaphysical poets, led by John Donne. For emphasis, they used harsh lines and overriding regular meter. They employed the Renaissance conceit to achieve the effect of paradox and irony. They were intellectual rather than romantic in their love poetry. The lyrics of Ben Jonson, spanning the Elizabethan and Stuart periods, show the gradual movement toward the metaphysical.

Literature polarised with the outbreak of the Puritan revolution. A number of young cavaliers, loyal to the king, wrote lyrics about love and loyalty. But even in the love poems it is evident that the freshness of the Elizabethan era had passed. King James performed a great service to literature as well as to the Protestant cause when he commissioned a new English translation of the Bible. Completed in 1611, the King James Bible influence English prose for generations.

A major accomplishment of English prose occurred with the publication, over a period of years, of the essays of Francis Bacon. Their insights into human nature and their clear style made them popular to this day.

Drama continued to flourish in England under the Stuarts. Shakespeare’s great tragedies were written under the reign of James I, and Shakespeare’s acting company, taken under the patronage of the King, became known as the King's’Men. The theatre did remain a popular form of entertainment until the Puritan government closed all playhouses in 1649.

The greatest of the Puritan poets was John Milton. Sightless, he composed “Paradise Lost” /1667/, the only successful English epic whose subject is the fall of man and the inscrutable ways of God.  Although Milton’s epic was written after the fall of the Puritan commonwealth, he is related to the Renaissance because he did his early work during that period, and because his output looks back toward the Renaissance rather than ahead to the Age of Reason.

           

One of the series of lectures, delivered in an optional course at the Theatre Department of NBU, 1998

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR BULGARIAN MICROBIOLOGY

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR BULGARIAN MICROBIOLOGY

Prof. Angel Galabov, long-term director of the Institute of Microbiology to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was interviewed by Ksenia Kisselincheva for the Spot On magazine. The occasion was the admission of the above mentioned institute as an associated member of the Luis Pasteur Institute in Paris.

Prof. Galabov is an internationally recognized scholar in the area of virusology. He has to his account over a hundred publications in international journals, two monographic books, he is the author of many inventions of new anti-virus preparations.

“What happened on the 26^th of June 2004?”

“Our institute was admitted as an associated member of the Luis Pasteur Institute in Paris, having in mind we are the sixth associated member in Europe.  It is a great recognition for Bulgarian science by this world center of microbiology, which is a leader in the struggle with contagious diseases. To mention only a few of their significant contributions - the regulatory mechanism of the genetic code of the cell, the AIDS causing virus and only recently the SARS causing virus.”

“What is envisaged as the specific contribution of Bulgarian microbiology to the avantguard research in world science?”

“This is the research in the domain of anti-virus preparations which is one of the most promising trends in modern science. Also, they recognize our achievements in applied microbiology, the so-called “useful microorganisms” to be used in various products to man’s benefit.”

“Why did you apply to become a member of Pasteur’s family?

“First of all, there is an underlying emotional bond since a number of our eminent scholars have specialized in Pasteur. I, personally, am awarded with the title of “student of Pasteur”. Also, many of our scholars are associated with other French institutions, universities and academic sections. But, generally speaking, this strong link with French science can be personified by Institute Pasteur. For instance, Prof. Stefan Angelov, the founder of our institute has specialized with Gaston Ramon and he has studied in particular the principles of making vaccines. On the eve of the First World War, he made an extraordinary invention which won him world recognition – the vaccine against plague on cattle. For the first time, cattle breeding was spared in Europe, having been devastated by plague for centuries on end.

Actually, there are a number of advantages of being a member of this family. There will be full free access to their information systems. Also, there will be a chance for young promising scholars to do specialization at the Institute Pasteur. Last but not least, we will be allowed to take part in joint projects, such as initiated by the European Union and NATO for Peace and other programs.”

“What is the impact of molecular biology on research in microbiology?”

“The impact is tremendous. Molecular biology has infiltrated our findings and these new technologies comprise the top achievements in modern science. For instance, the tracing of dangerous microorganisms in food products like milk can be done only with the help of such methods.  The fast accurate tests can prevent the spread of epidemics. Another example is the technology for making yoghurt where the various lactobacilli contribute to a variety of flavors. Again this type of technology helped defeat the virus causing encephalytis which took hundreds of lives in Roumania five years ago. Science is attacking tuberculosis with similar methods, especially efficient at a child’s age.”

“Which is your latest innovation at the Institute of microbiology?”

“We created an antiviral disinfectant distributed on the market by German companies. It has already been registered in Canada and the US. This is a number one in the generation of hand disinfectants and is of paramount importance for hospital hygiene. It is both highly effective and sparing the skin. The so-called synergistic substances which have been added, contribute to full protection against bacterial and viral infections which amount to one third of hospital infections.”

This interview sketched only a few details of the ongoing struggle of modern science against those multiple invisible enemies of humans like viruses which often cause more casualties than wars and natural disasters. We should always keep in mind that the miraculous cures to these threats come as a result of the combined committed endeavor of a number of scholars, the like of Prof. Angel Galabov who live every minute of their life to serve mankind.              

     

      

“I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN AUTHOR”

“I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN AUTHOR”

Jane Urquhart is a Canadian writer of Irish descent. She was long‑listed for the Booker Prize 2001 for her novel “The Stone Carvers”. She has also written “The Underpainter” which got many reputable prizes and wide critical acclaim. She has been on a visit to Bulgaria on the occasion of the translation of her two major novels. She was interviewed for “Spot On” by Ksenia Kisselincheva, PhD.

KK: Are you more interested in exploring the past rather than the present world you live in?

JU: Definitely, I am more fascinated with exploring the relation of the present to the past, trying to put the past into some perspective. My latest novel deals with an artist’s coming to terms with a tragic fact of Canadian history. Walter Alward has been commissioned with the conception of a grand memorial, dedicated to the heroic death of thousands of Canadian soldiers who fought in France during the World War I.

KK: What kind of experience is the act of writing for you?

JU: For me writing is a voyage of discovery. Once the characters enter my fictional world I am curious to find out how they evolve and interact with each other. The initial creative impulse is the characters and the setting. As I keep on writing, I try to put more emotional depth and resonance into my narrative.

KK: How much time does it take you to do the preliminary research?

JU: Working in the archives takes a very long time. It can change the conception of the plot. When writing, I no longer use notes, but already finely digested information. Then I let my imagination take me on a journey into the unknown.

KK: Are the characters in some way aspects of your personality?

JU: In some way, they certainly are. It is like a dream and whatever makes part of the dream, it is a projection of your subconscious.

KK: Your previous novel “The Underpainter” is often compared with “The English Patient”. In what way is history related to personal fate in it?

JU: The historical events are focused through the personal fate of the characters, through their perceptions and experiences. I have attempted at rendering the artistic atmosphere of New York when modern art was at its peak.

KK: The convincing historical events seem to be seen through the keyhole of an artist’s studio. It gives compactness and unity to your overplay with historical layers.

JU: I have aimed at this in both novels and I hope I have succeeded at it.

KK: You have also written poetry. Where does it rank in your scale of literary values?

JU: For me, poetry is the most important literary form. Great poetry bypasses the intellect and gets into your unconsciousness. I had a long poem recently published in “The Walrus”, a reputable Canadian magazine - I am very proud of it. Imagery from my poetry flows into the novels. Recurrent images with me are paintings and scenery.

KK: When did you decide to become a writer?

JU: I always wanted to be an author. After I had my daughter, I decided to try. Women writers like Margaret Atwood, Alistair McLoud and Carrol Shields have influenced and encouraged me a lot. My husband who is a university professor, has supported my literary endeavors too. Feminism has had its powerful impact on me, shaping many of my ideas and values.

KK: Apart from the researched materials, what other things go into the texture of your works?

JU: Mostly things I have seen and experienced personally, memorable impressions like those of my trip to Ireland. For instance, the story of my husband’s family makes part of my last novel “The Stone Carvers”.

KK: What kind of audience do you have in mind when you write?

JU: I have mostly in mind my family members, especially my mother. She is voracious reader and my most severe critic.

KK: How about your impressions from Bulgaria?

JU: I have the feeling that I have been here a long time. The people are so warm and friendly. I was impressed by your rich cultural heritage - Roman forums and mosaics, Byzantine churches and icons, unique Revival period architecture. I hope to come back very soon. I see certain analogies between Bulgarian and Irish history – you know, as the case with Ireland is, the tragic historical plight has produced marvelous poetry, prose and drama. I would like to know more about Bulgarian literature, for I am sure gems could be discovered there.

SpotOn Magazine, April 2004