site.btaBulgarian Cultural Institute in London Launches Travelogue by Nigel Middlemiss

British author Nigel Middlemiss and Bulgarian translator Miglena Parashkevova presented the Bulgarian translation of Middlemiss' collection of travelogues “Britanski Pateshestvenitsi za Bulgaria” (British Travellers for Bulgaria). The event brought together at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute (BCI) in London people wishing to get acquainted with the way Bulgarian culture and lifestyle are presented.

The detailed descriptions sparked conversations about Bulgaria's place in the local context, according to a message on the BCI's Facebook page.

"The almost nostalgic images of our heritage conveyed by the travellers were strongly felt and echoed by the audience. We are grateful to the presenters and their efforts to get this book to us for the good cause of supporting student theatre and drama at the English High School in Ruse," the BCI London said.

The 188-page collection contains travelogues written over five centuries. They have been selected from books in some of the UK's largest libraries, such as the Bodleian in Oxford, the London Library and the British Museum. They present a fascinating panorama of what travellers adventuring in this little-visited and 'exotic' part of Europe saw between 1585 and 1939.

Nigel Middlemiss has been a lifelong enthusiastic admirer of Bulgaria. The acquaintance began in 1972 when he and his wife Prisca were appointed teachers at the Geo Milev English High School in Ruse. They were impressed both by the abilities and successes of their students and by the nobility and dedication of their colleagues. On his return to the UK in 1975, Nigel became editor of the British-Bulgarian Society magazine and joined the charity Friends of Bulgaria.

Translator Miglena Parashkevova is a graduate of the "Geo Milev" English Language School - Ruse and is among the students of Prisca and Nigel Middlemiss in Bulgaria.