site.btaLIK Editor-in-Chief: LIK's Presentations Abroad as Small Acts of Unification

International presentations of BTA's art and culture magazine LIK are of great importance because contemporary culture knows no territorial boundaries, said LIK Editor-in-Chief Georgi Lozanov. He was speaking in a BTA interview ahead of a LIK presentation in London on June 19. "From a cultural point of view, Bulgaria is currently spread out across the globe through Bulgarian communities both within and outside the country. These [LIK presentation] events thus serve as small acts of unification," Lozanov said.

He sees an analogy with the Unification of Eastern Rumelia and the Principality of Bulgaria in 1885, noting that today’s unification takes a different form - Bulgaria within its geographical borders and Bulgaria that lives across many other present-day national state structures.

An international presentation of LIK magazine brings together disparate Bulgarian communities. These small acts of unification are immensely valuable, and the model for them was, to some extent, initiated by Maxim Minchev (BTA’s Director General from April 10, 2003, to November 15, 2020) during the global meetings of the media. Under the leadership of the current Director General Kiril Valchev, BTA has become an institution driving Bulgaria’s cultural diplomacy. This is only logical, since BTA is a carrier of information, with an extensive archive through which all information flows, something that greatly supports this type of cultural diplomacy, Lozanov pointed out.

In London, LIK will present its issue dedicated to its 60th anniversary, as well as the one on the 90th anniversary of Bulgarian National Radio. Translated issues of the magazine, in English and other languages, have already been presented in Osaka, Thessaloniki, Bucharest, and Odesa.

In the context of modern globalization, liberal culture builds communities based on difference, not similarity. It is essential to build communities grounded in tolerance of difference, where people who are otherwise different feel a shared sense of belonging. This, in fact, defines the global world - a community of difference, Lozanov added.

The major cultural and political model in this respect is the United States, which created a nation from many nations. It is therefore deeply troubling that liberal democracy now seems threatened precisely in the country that pioneered it. But I believe this is temporary, and I hope it won’t last long, he said.

Georgi Lozanov, who has been LIK Editor-in-Chief since 2022, also shared his personal history with the publication, which first appeared on January 8, 1965.

When asked whether the 20-year-old Georgi Lozanov used to read LIK, he replied that at the time, everyone involved with culture in any way read the magazine.

There was immense curiosity about what was happening behind the Iron Curtain, and rational people didn’t believe the propaganda insisting we lived in the better of the two worlds. We understood very well that the opposite was true, and we longed to reach that other world. The most appealing and accessible way was through culture. And indeed, LIK provided that connection. At times it even felt like a kind of conspiracy, we could hardly believe it was really happening, Lozanov said.

He added that the editorial team carefully selected the magazine’s content, which included a collage of materials from both Soviet-bloc countries and Russia. At the same time, LIK published public articles about bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, bands that, otherwise, were only spoken of in private circles, the editor shared.

He doesn’t remember exactly his first contact with the magazine but is certain it was through LIK that he first learned about Iris Murdoch and discovered Kurt Vonnegut.

If he was to describe the 1980s version of LIK to a foreigner, Lozanov said he would primarily characterize it as part of the broader processes of glasnost and perestroika, of opening up the system, because by the 1980s, the regime already understood it could no longer hold people in such ideological subjugation.

Like the medieval carnivals, the magazine served as a kind of public pressure valve for intellectuals - a breath of freedom to help endure the lack of it.

The BTA publication has been released with two interruptions since 1965. Its first period was until 1992, the second from 1999 to 2013, and the third began in 2022 with a monthly schedule.

At the initiative of Maxim Minchev, several special issues were published during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, including one dedicated to Minchev himself, who was among the many victims of the pandemic.

Kiril Valchev revived the magazine rhythm of LIK, this time as a monthly publication.

The modern LIK has an educational mission, introducing younger audiences to largely unknown figures from the recent past and forging a valuable link between generations.

During the communist era, many culturally significant works were created that had nothing to do with ideological mandates. The magazine’s task is to bring such creative legacies out of the archive and connect them with today’s generations, Lozanov added.

The revived LIK was honoured with the Golden Feather award. Its Editor-in-Chief noted how gratifying it was to receive such recognition, because “today’s LIK faces the daunting challenge of competing with its own glorious past.”

The Golden Feather award shows that current efforts are seen and appreciated. Such awards are a sign of attention from the cultural community, which recognizes the need for LIK and its value today, said Georgi Lozanov.

Asked how he sees the future of the magazine, Georgi Lozanov said the team will strive to intensify the dialogue between younger generations and their predecessors, particularly regarding the culture of socialism, where there is a risk of historical oblivion.