Fairy tales are not just for children. To Ivona Hecht they’ve always been a fascinating window into the poetry and wisdom of life, which can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
She was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria, in a family of what she describes as “highly educated people”. Her mother was known as a scholar the world around and her father was a renowned surgeon. Both of them came from a long line of book lovers, and they instilled in her a love for reading and the appreciation for a good story that continues to this day.
One of the happiest and most vivid memories of her childhood was “falling asleep night after night to the sound of my mother’s or grandmother’s voice reading fascinating Bulgarian folk tales”, she says. “There were so many of them, all different and all magical in their own way. Kings and peasants, magic rings and fearsome creatures, folk legends, and talking animals were populating their world and giving a boost to my fertile imagination.”
To capture this magic and to transmit it to different generations and cultures, she created a book, called Sweet Dreams, which is an illustrated compilation of Bulgarian folk legends in Bulgarian and English. “I want to share the wealth and beauty of that story world. It was a challenge to select just a handful from among the dozens of tales I remember from my childhood, as each tale conveys a special emotion and a different message,” she says. The 15 folk tales in the book are grouped according to their main theme: there are tales about magic, tales about animals, tales with a moral and tales about wit and wisdom. “I hope they will charm the readers, make them laugh and give them food for thought,” Ivona says.
She chose to for the folk tales to be retold and rendered in English for several reasons. Foremost was her desire to spread the wealth of the Bulgarian culture and imagination among non-Bulgarians who are interested in learning more about the country and its people. The second reason emerged from her observation of Bulgarian communities in the United States. Ivona has been living in the US, now with husband and cat, for close to 20 years, and her contacts with other expats have shown her that their children (especially the ones born there) haven’t heard many Bulgarian folk tales. Her third major consideration was that, at this point in her life, she was writing exclusively in English, so using it as a medium came naturally.
“When I first started working on my book, I shared my idea with editors from Ciela Publishing House,” she says. “They were intrigued by the concept of Bulgarian folk tales in an English rendition and offered me a contract. There are quite a few collections of Bulgarian folk tales in Bulgarian but so far my book holds unique.”
Her choice of Ciela was not random, because, as Ivona says, they have a “good professional relationship”, having published academic work of hers and having always been very precise about their work.
Sweet Dreams is available through a number of channels, such as Ciela’s online bookstore, major bookstores like Helikon and Ciela Bookmania, and other internet-based sources.
The book is illustrated by the Bulgarian artist Roumen Statkov. Ivona appreciates how his presentation flatters and complements. “My fondest hope is that reading it will bring people as much joy as writing it brought me,” she says.
To her skills in writing are added a background in Russian and English literature and advanced degrees in community development and public administration. She has taught sociology and English as a second language, and often participates in European and international public administration projects. She likes travelling and enjoys engaging in various applied-art projects, but her loves remain reading and writing.
