Londoner Jonathan Dunne initially visited Bulgaria last summer and became so attracted to the place that he moved here. He was intrigued by the highly visible natural beauty and the warmth of the people. His three-week stay was enough to make him feel that there is so much to this country that he could move and stay a lot longer. So, he did. His job as a translator and interest in poetry allowed him do that, translating books for the Random House in London.
Dunne came to Bulgaria after meeting four different Bulgarians at translator colleges. One of these was his best student and they formed a very close relationship, and he was intrigued enough to come and experience the country. The warmth of these four people was a key force for Dunne to come and stay in the country.
"I needed to follow this up which I did," he said. For Dunne his visit to Bulgaria will not be a just a place he lived longer in. It will be a memorable destination where he published his first bilingual poetry book.
"It covers a period of my life and it has become less personal," he said. He feels the sentiment was different when he was in Spain. There are some reflections of Bulgaria into Dunne's books, which is inevitable, he said. There are three or four poems dedicated to things he has not seen anywhere else before.
When he first arrived in Bulgaria, he would write about one off events and things that had a certain impact on him. At a later stage, he focused on recording insights that he needed to put on paper to share his views.
"Common trade between translating and poetry is the desire to express your vision of the world but also to reveal things that you have difficulty understanding and put them down on paper, Thus, encouraging other people to read and share your perception of the world," he said.
Translation is a medium to get people together and eliminate differences in a way. For Dunne, the Bulgarian word for "God I (bog)" seems to be exactly same as 'god' written back to forth. For him translating from Bulgarian is like dancing back to front. "Studeno e (it is cold)," is different from it is cold he said. Dunne also hopes to translate Bulgarian poetry in the future and that is why he is committed to studying the Bulgarian language.
Bulgaria is at a very interesting stage given NATO accession and coming 2007 EU accession he said. It's a very interesting period of transformation. Dunne believes that musicians, artists and sportsmen all export the culture of the country they come from.
Before coming for a visit last year, Bulgaria just meant the footballer Hristo Stoichkov for Dunne, because they were both living in Barcelona (Spain) for long periods at the same time. When he lived there, Stoichkov was a real game winner. Having occasionally gone to watch him play, he said "Stoichkov was a real character, you could not miss him out there".
After arriving in the country, Liverpool were playing in Sofia and he was seated among the Levski fans. With a Kit Kat (red and white) in his hands he expressed his happiness for Liverpool's score. "Everybody seemed to be giving me a last look as if I was not coming out of the stadium any more," he said with a smile.
Talking casually, Dunne finds that real lives of people are quite varied here and the western part of Europe he comes from. "Especially when they have to live on 40 or 60 leva a month," he said. Obviously, social security systems are also very different between the UK and Bulgaria.
Beyond all these differences, we are human beings that all have hidden desires, inspirations, fears and aspirations, Dunne said. "In Bulgaria I meet very charming and educated people with great sensitivity," he said. He feels privileged to have such friends and neighbours. People in Bulgaria have a great sense of hospitality and warmth. He does not go to restaurants a great deal but likes the Bulgarian dishes that he has tried, especially home made ones.
Sofia is a very interesting place because there are a lot of book presentations and there is a lot of art in this city. He is also very fond of Sofia's very beautiful parks and green areas.
Travelling around the country, Dunne realised that certain places have been blessed by nature with a special power and strength. Particularly the Vitosha Mountain, he believes that their shape resemble musical tunes and he ends up humming those.
If you are, or know, someone who would make an interesting expat of the week, please email name(s) and contact information to vnacheva@sofiaecho.com.
Dunne came to Bulgaria after meeting four different Bulgarians at translator colleges. One of these was his best student and they formed a very close relationship, and he was intrigued enough to come and experience the country. The warmth of these four people was a key force for Dunne to come and stay in the country.
"I needed to follow this up which I did," he said. For Dunne his visit to Bulgaria will not be a just a place he lived longer in. It will be a memorable destination where he published his first bilingual poetry book.
"It covers a period of my life and it has become less personal," he said. He feels the sentiment was different when he was in Spain. There are some reflections of Bulgaria into Dunne's books, which is inevitable, he said. There are three or four poems dedicated to things he has not seen anywhere else before.
When he first arrived in Bulgaria, he would write about one off events and things that had a certain impact on him. At a later stage, he focused on recording insights that he needed to put on paper to share his views.
"Common trade between translating and poetry is the desire to express your vision of the world but also to reveal things that you have difficulty understanding and put them down on paper, Thus, encouraging other people to read and share your perception of the world," he said.
Translation is a medium to get people together and eliminate differences in a way. For Dunne, the Bulgarian word for "God I (bog)" seems to be exactly same as 'god' written back to forth. For him translating from Bulgarian is like dancing back to front. "Studeno e (it is cold)," is different from it is cold he said. Dunne also hopes to translate Bulgarian poetry in the future and that is why he is committed to studying the Bulgarian language.
Bulgaria is at a very interesting stage given NATO accession and coming 2007 EU accession he said. It's a very interesting period of transformation. Dunne believes that musicians, artists and sportsmen all export the culture of the country they come from.
Before coming for a visit last year, Bulgaria just meant the footballer Hristo Stoichkov for Dunne, because they were both living in Barcelona (Spain) for long periods at the same time. When he lived there, Stoichkov was a real game winner. Having occasionally gone to watch him play, he said "Stoichkov was a real character, you could not miss him out there".
After arriving in the country, Liverpool were playing in Sofia and he was seated among the Levski fans. With a Kit Kat (red and white) in his hands he expressed his happiness for Liverpool's score. "Everybody seemed to be giving me a last look as if I was not coming out of the stadium any more," he said with a smile.
Talking casually, Dunne finds that real lives of people are quite varied here and the western part of Europe he comes from. "Especially when they have to live on 40 or 60 leva a month," he said. Obviously, social security systems are also very different between the UK and Bulgaria.
Beyond all these differences, we are human beings that all have hidden desires, inspirations, fears and aspirations, Dunne said. "In Bulgaria I meet very charming and educated people with great sensitivity," he said. He feels privileged to have such friends and neighbours. People in Bulgaria have a great sense of hospitality and warmth. He does not go to restaurants a great deal but likes the Bulgarian dishes that he has tried, especially home made ones.
Sofia is a very interesting place because there are a lot of book presentations and there is a lot of art in this city. He is also very fond of Sofia's very beautiful parks and green areas.
Travelling around the country, Dunne realised that certain places have been blessed by nature with a special power and strength. Particularly the Vitosha Mountain, he believes that their shape resemble musical tunes and he ends up humming those.
If you are, or know, someone who would make an interesting expat of the week, please email name(s) and contact information to vnacheva@sofiaecho.com.
