The wonderful Bulgarian book named Bulgaria’s Brilliance – Rulers, Palaces and Figures of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom was recently presented in Vrana Palace. The idea about the book belongs to Tosho Peykov who is a Doctor of Sociology, a former Member of the Parliament and an author of a series of books.

„I am neither a professional historian, nor a professional photographer, nor an artist, but during those four and a half years when I headed the Thirteen Centuries Bulgaria Fund I had to show Bulgarian people and the world the wonderful image of our country. And during that period I found many images which are worth seeing and many biographies which are worth reading. Some of them can be even filmed, because we pay very little attention to our cinema figures of that period. It was a very difficult time which was marked by a series of ordeals. However, the country registered a demographic, cultural and economic upsurge at that time. That is why I show the images of the people of that period in the book.”

The first part of the book is colored. Some of the most-imposing portraits of Prince Alexander Battenberg, King Ferdinand and King Boris 3 were gathered in 96 pages thanks to the help of designer and artist Hristo Elezov. Their wives and children are also at the book. It contains some specially selected biography texts as well. The edition assigned a special place to renowned Bulgarian politicians and officers, too. I tried to write a well-balanced book and avoid any criticism whatsoever. The book is historically neutral and does not contain strong evaluations, Tosho Petkov pointed out. The edition rather shows the upsurge of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. For example, it presents the architects and the scene-painters who created the palaces in the past. Tosho Peykov made photos of those buildings himself. The book also pays attention to celebrated world artists such as Adam Pyotrowski and Yaroslav Veshin who contributed to the Bulgarian revival with their artistic works.

Did you know that Bulgaria had 31 Prime Ministers during the Third Bulgarian Kingdom? Some of them were photographed with their families and the family photos of that time were usually made by an expert. Sometimes they look solemn and sometimes one can find beauty and tenderness in them. The edition also includes texts from Professor Tsvetana Kyoseva’s book named The First Ladies of the Bulgarian Kingdom.

„The main texts of the book are dedicated to three rulers of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom”, Tosho Peykov pointed out. „This part is covered with black and white photos. They were carefully restored and are of a very high quality. I used the best of what I found. Professor Andrey Pantev, who wrote the brilliant texts about those three Bulgarian monarchs, also shared this opinion.”

Tosho Peykov is thankful to the people who gave him archive photos and to those who advised him during the working process. “The first on the list was Tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha who read all 384 pages and told me where I had to make slight changes”, Tosho Peykov concludes.

Photo: Veneta Pavlova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov