European Literary Marathon in Sliven

The EU Anthem was played by the Youth symphony orchestra at the National Secondary school of music and scenic art “Pancho Vladigerov”-Bourgas at 12.00 o'clock Bulgarian time, in the foyer of the Dramatic theatre “Stefan Kirov”. After the great performance of the orchestra the Marathon was open by Mrs. Rositsa Petrova – Vasileva – a directress of “Sava Dobroplodni” Regional Library - Sliven, a coordinator of the project European Literary Marathon in Bulgaria. After her Mrs. Hristina Cholakova – a governor of Sliven region welcomed the volunteers of the Marathon and the audience on the occasion of 9 May – the Day of Europe.

The actor Zlatko Gulekov started the reading of the short novel “Bowler-hat”.

More than 200 volunteers from different ages, professions and social groups read for 6 hours the short novel “Bowler-hat” and selected essays from Yordan Radichkov. The youngest volunteer in the Marathon was 13 years old, and the oldest one - 68 years old. A numerous audience in the hall watched the reading. It was a great success for us, as we are organizers, that many famous politicians, writers, journalists, gusts of the festival etc. took part in the marathon. We have to outline especially the participation in the reading of the governor Hristina Cholakova, the candidate for European deputy Asparuh Panov, the director of direction „Book and library matters” at the Ministry of culture Mr. Igor Chipev, the deputy-mayors of Sliven Municipality Mrs. Nedka Energieva and Zornitsa Aleksandrova, the secretary in chief of Sliven Municipality Petya Rumenova, the famous Bulgarian writers Petya Aleksandrova, Maya Dulgucheva and Georgi Konstantinov, the journalists Patar Syarov /Bulgarian Telegraph Agency/, Dobrina Slavova /Bulgarian National Radio/, Elka Gurkova /”Sliven News” newspaper, Ljudmila Yorgova /Radio ”Focus”/, Daniela Subasheva /”Darik Radio”/, Slaveyka Petrova /Nova television/ and Mariana Zhekova /”Sedmitsa” newspaper/, lecturers in the Technical University-Sofia, engineers, directors of schools and libraries, teachers, literary critics, publishers, doctors, architects, lawyers, actors, representatives of the police, scientists.

Out of the list of volunteers that we have published on the web-site there have been many other volunteers, who took part in the reading.

During the reading each volunteer and guest received advertising materials about the Marathon, also materials, given up by the delegation of the European Commission in Bulgaria.

The reading ended after 18.00 with an extract of Radichkov’s play „Bustle”, performed by the actress Marieta Angelova. The Marathon was officially closed by a concert of the Youth symphony orchestra at the National Secondary school of music and scenic art “Pancho Vladigerov”-Bourgas. After the end of the concert, people from the audience received at the theatre’s exit blue balloons stamped with the stars of the European Union. Then all the balloons at a signal flied above the square and that was how the celebration ended symbolically.

The Marathon was broadcasted non-stop in real time via Internet on the following address: http://eye.sliven.net. The event was broadcasted too by national and regional media: Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, Bulgarian National Radio, National radio «Focus», National radio «Darik Radio», radio «Stara Zagora », radio FM+, Municipality’s radio - Sliven, television КТV and Tele-cable etc. via direct inclusions, reports, interviews of the volunteers of the marathon

Full audio- and video-records of the marathon have been made.