site.btaPoet, Writer and Publisher Bozhana Apostolova Dies at 80

Poet, writer and publisher Bozhana Apostolova passed away at 80 on Monday. “Early this morning, my mother ascended to the realm of immortal artists and writers who lit her path in life. I will see her every day in my daughter’s smile, and in the words of the poets she saved from silence," wrote her son Manol Peykov (MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria) on his Facebook page.

Born on May 9, 1945 near Pazardzhik, Bozhana Apostolova graduated in Bulgarian Studies at the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, with History as her second major.

In 1990, Apostolova founded Janet 45, which is primarily focused on publishing Bulgarian authors. She was one of the first to recognize and support Georgi Gospodinov’s talent, becoming his long-time publisher and champion. The publishing house supported several of his early and breakthrough works. Other notable names are Ivan Radoev, Dora Gabe, Ekaterina Yosifova, Stefan Tsanev, Nedyalko Yordanov, Stanka Pencheva, Hristo Karastoyanov, Boyko Lambovski, Yordan Eftimov, Silvia Choleva, Marin Bodakov, and Petar Chuhov.

Apostolova is the author of 10 poetry collections, 4 novels, and 12 children's books. She has received numerous literary awards. Some of her works have been translated into German, Turkish, Russian, Italian, Hungarian, Spanish, Serbian, Czech, Romanian, Greek, and other languages.

For her achievements in literature and publishing, Apostolova was awarded the Order of the Balkan Range, First Class. In 2010, she also received the prestigious Hristo G. Danov Award for “outstanding achievements in the field of literature and contributions to the publication of Bulgarian literature.” A year later, she was honoured with the Order of SS Cyril and Methodius for her significant contribution to culture, and in 2020, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Peroto Literary Club and the National Palace of Culture (NDK).

In 1994, Bozhana Apostolova established the prestigious Ivan Nikolov national poetry award. She is also the founder of the Plovdiv Reads literary festival , the Young Plovdiv Reads cultural initiative, and the Art Without Borders foundation.