site.btaTeachers Discuss Pencho Slaveykov's Works, Students' Reception at BTA Press Club in Petrich

School teachers discussed the works of Pencho Slaveykov and how students perceive them during a discussion at the Bulgarian News Agency's National Press Club in Petrich on Monday. The forum marked the 160th anniversary of Slaveykov's birth and celebrated the legacy of Bulgarian modernism.

The event, titled Pencho Slaveykov Today, is organized by BTA.

The discussion was moderated by poet, literary scholar and critic Assoc. Prof. Yordan Eftimov. He said the initiative aims to move beyond the traditional model of marking anniversaries solely through one-day celebrations and commemorative speeches.

Iva Mitseva, a Bulgarian language and literature teacher at Hristo Smirnenski Fourth Primary School in Petrich, said Slaveykov's ballad Nerazdelni (Inseparable) is among the works most favoured by seventh-grade students.

The discussion also featured long-serving Bulgarian language and literature teacher Velichka Kantardzhieva, who likewise described the choice of Nerazdelni as students' first introduction to Pencho Slaveykov as highly successful. "The work resonates with children and reaches them. It is one of the favourite texts studied in the seventh grade," she said.

The Pencho Slaveykov Today initiative is to be held at all 33 BTA national press clubs in Bulgaria. The first discussion, dedicated to the poet's 160th birth anniversary, took place in his hometown of Tryavna (Central Bulgaria) on April 27. Similar events have since been held in Samokov, Kazanlak, Stara Zagora, Kyustendil, Pernik, Haskovo, Kardzhali, Pazardzhik, Gabrovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Pleven, Svishtov, Ruse and Blagoevgrad.

The December 2026 issue of BTA's LIK magazine will be dedicated to Pencho Slaveykov. In addition to reports from the discussions, the issue will include specially written texts of 160 words each by 160 people, marking the poet's 160th birth anniversary.