GALINA NIKOLOVA 

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GALINA NIKOLOVA (b. 1978) is the author of four books of poetry – “Passing By” (2000), “From the Outside” (2004), “On the Other Side” (2010) and “Alphabet of the Return” (2013). Her poems have been included in the German catalogue of Bulgarian culture “Documenta” (2005) and the German anthology of Bulgarian poetry “Balkanische Alphabete: Bulgarien” (2008). She has published in a number of Bulgarian periodicals, such as the literary newspaper Literaturen Vestnik and the journal for literature Savremennik, as well as on literary websites, including http://www.lyrikline.org, which features poets from around the world. Her works have been translated into English, Hungarian, Slovak, Croatian, Italian, Polish and German.  

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I read about the storks – the ones
welcomed by winter instead of spring,
on their return from the south –
taken in by random strangers
to keep them warm.
Ice-fettered are the wings
of these freedom-loving birds
that fly without hesitation through the seasons
Are they happy now by the kitchen fire
are they afraid
of the narrow room and the walls?
 
The storks are on my mind, and men.
It was not that long ago,
when
I, too, was met by winter in the midst of spring
 
The letter S is the one for me.
Mine are all the words that contain it.
House, airstrip, monster.
Passage, restoration,
visit, separation.
Son, prospect, sensation, sleep and also.
 
They all have an S.
 
The storks are on my mind, and men.
The freezing cold, the impossible flight, the narrow room and the
fear.
 
Not all has an S but all contains a prospect.
 
For the warmed up storks and men
there shall be spring,
and all shall be

                                       Galina Nikolova

​                                       Translated by Dessislava Nikolova

How would you describe the relationship between literature and the city? 
I would like this relationship to be more direct than it is nowadays, at least in Sofia. I would like literature to be more present in the urban environment, as well as in the daily activities of the city dweller. I myself feel good in libraries and other places stacked with books, and I would like everyone in Sofia to have the same feeling. There is a lot that can be done in this direction. 

What do you think would be the best setting for a poetry reading in the city? 
At sunset, on one of the hills in the park behind the National Palace of Culture/Hilton Hotel.  

Which letter is the scariest?
The first letter of the name of a person dear to me who is no longer here.

What particular ending of a poem is your favourite?
The ending of “The Road Onwards” by Georgi Rupchev – one of the few that I know by heart: “There is no road onwards./And His Majesty and his courteous guest/went that way.”

Translated by ​Krassimira Djissova