site.btaNew Generation Does Not View Foreign Literature as Threat to National Identity – Expert

Prof. Despina Vasileva, a lecturer at the Faculty of Slavic Philology of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, said here on Monday that the new generation of students is free from the stereotypes and prejudices held by previous generations and does not view foreign literature as a threat to Bulgaria's national identity. Vasileva spoke at the launch of the "Literature in the Present Time" initiative, co-organized by BTA, which is the second stage of the "Literature is not a museum" campaign, launched by the Faculty of Slavic Philology.

Vasileva reported: "We conducted focus groups with students to assess the impact of this type of instruction during elective classes. The purpose of these focus groups was, first, to understand students' views on the study of contemporary literature; second, to determine their attitudes toward reading this literature; and finally, to find out whether students see opportunities to become better and more engaged readers."

The research concluded that students view the study of contemporary literature as an opportunity to discover in literary texts what they themselves are experiencing. Their comments emphasized the fact that this is literature that addresses issues close to their hearts. They see in this literature an opportunity to explore other cultures, other worlds, and above all, they see an opportunity to be free in literature classes – "something we sorely lack in compulsory education classes," Vasileva noted.

The lecturer shared: "What really impressed me was the students' desire to write about literature. It is not that they are unwilling to write about the works on the required reading list, but they want to write freely, without restrictions, in any genre they choose."