From the black-and-white photos in the European digital library Europeana peeks the intelligent and scrutinizing look of one of the most intriguing personas in Bulgarian culture - Dora Gabe. Her literary legacy is not only part of the national cultural values but also part of European memory and cultural heritage. The life story of the poetess is like a romantic novel rich in passionate loves and dramatic partings, interesting encounters and travels. She was born in 1888 and died in 1983. We next listen to her voice and thoughts about poetry in a recording from the Bulgarian National Radio Golden Audio Library:

„Poetry is into the deep essence of things and phenomena. It takes man away from the monotony of the daily round; it salvages him from the poison of vanity, from the pettiness of human selfishness, from boredom. Poetry is in everything that surrounds us: in the visible and invisible, the beautiful and the plain, in wrath and meekness, in love and hate. It is in material and spiritual life. If humankind had eyes to see it and senses to sense it; if it had evolved to a point where poetry would have become a need like the air and the sun, there would no longer be bloodshed. If even in wars the enemy could see the poetry of the feat and of bravery, enmity would melt down, cruelty would burn out overnight.”

A European brainworker, founder of the Bulgarian PEN club and its chairperson for many years, Dora Gabe together with Elisaveta Bagriana are two great names in 20 c. Bulgarian poetry. Dora was the daughter of Russian immigrant Petar Gabe, an opinion leader and economist. In 1903 she graduated from high school in Varna, read natural science at Sofia University but liberal arts and literature were a magnet for her. She studied French literature and language in Geneva and Grenoble and parallel to that started publishing verses in Misyl (Concept) journal, as well as in Democratic Review and New Society.

In terms of poetry Dora Gabe was patronized by great Bulgarian poet Peyo Yavorov. „You were born to be a poetess” he told her after reading verses she had written in school. In Sofia she shared lodgings with poetess Ekaterina Nentcheva who introduced her to the great Yavorov. Their friendship gave rise to strong emotions and years later Dora admitted, “One needs a great love in a lifetime. I've got one. I truly love Yavorov alone.”

„One day poetess Katya Nentcheva told me: 'Yavorov has invited us to the National Library'. At that time he was the library's secretary. To my dismay that Yavorov knew about me at all, Nentcheva admitted she had secretly given him the notebook with my poems from school, they had read them together and he had praised them. 'There is something in this poetry, do bring her over.' I was reluctant to pay the visit but we once met Yavorov in the street. 'Why didn't you come? I was waiting for you', he said. It sounded incredible: he had been waiting for me! The influence Yavorov had on my first attempts, in my green years was formative for my style that tends to be concise and laconic in both poetry for children and adults. This is also my stamp in prose. I have stayed loyal to my great teacher. Whenever I wrote a good piece my thought and feeling of gratitude to Yavorov were always awake and the memories of him - alive. A life is not long enough for one to pay his dues off to a master like Yavorov.”

The other important man in her life with whom she had intense intellectual communication was literary critic and historian Boyan Penev. He edited her first verse volume Pansies and later married her. From 1911 till 1932 she spent a long time abroad - alone or with him - in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Britain etc. Back at that time Dora Gabe was Bulgaria's leading translator from Polish. Throughout her creative career she translated poetry also from Czech, Russian, French and Greek. However it is her poetic legacy that gives her a prominent position in this country's literary history. Dora Gabe was a foremost children's writer. She first tried that genre in 1921. Later on her works for children became classics and for decades thousands of Bulgarian readers have found their truths in the creative world of one of the most sophisticated poetesses of Bulgaria.

English Daniela Konstantinova