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Book promotion CULTURAL COMPASS

Destination: Balkans-Europe. Personalities, Processes, Dialogue at thè watershed of thè XX c. and thè beginning of thè XXI c. Associate Professor Dr. Miroslava Kortenska

This book aspires at recreating itself into a brief Contemporary history ofthe cultural processes in Bulgaria, on thè Balkans and in Europe in thè last decades ofthe XX c. in thè vast field of theatre. The main characters in thè book are Bulgarian theatre directors such as Liuben Grois, Metody Andonov, Stoyan Kambarev, Balkan theatre authors such as Ljubisa Georgievski, Coran Stefanovski, Dushan Kovachevich, Jovan Cirilov, as well as thè world theatre authority- Anatoly Efros, Peter Brook, Jerzy Grotowksi, Barba and Willson and finally Beckett and Pinter, two Nobel Literature Prize winners. They are thè true Innovators, who today in thè beginning ofthe XXI c. already considered classic authors are those who provided thè foundation for new creative exploration and have already crossed over into thè golden cultural heritage of Europe.

This book moves thè hand of thè compass to East and West at thè watershed of thè XX c, looms thè Bulgarian parameters on this background. The compass is used bere not only to find our way geographically speaking; it leads above all to thè significant, selects thè trends, thè vivid authors, thè valúes. Compass is a dynamic instrument, able to create not only context, but a horizon as we11...

MIROSLAVA KORTENSKA

Associate Professor Miroslava Kortenska is PhD in History of Art, a cultural analyst, publicist and a theatre critic.

She was born in Plovdiv in a family, deeply related to thè theatre stage and thè silver screen. She graduated thè National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts "Krustio Sarafov" in Sofia.

Dr. Kortenska is thè author of "Cultural Vertical" (1998), which focuses on thè processes and leaders in thè Bulgarian theatre and culture in thè last decade ofthe 20th Century. The book was translated in English, German, and French. Based on this book is Kortenska's documentary 'The Displaced Generation" (1999), which was especially selected and produced for thè Bulgarian National Television. The "Cultural Vertical" project was presented at thè European Month of Culture in Plovdiv (1999), at Bitef in Belgrade (1999), at thè Ohrid Summer Festival (2001), and at thè Cultural Olympiad in Athens (2004).

She is thè author of thè documentary 'The Rehearsal" - a portrait of thè renowned Bulgarian theatre director Liuben Grois (2004).

The latest book of Dr. Kortenska "Cultural Compass. Destination: Balkans-Europe. Personalities, Processes, Dialogue at thè watershed of thè XX c. and thè beginning of XXI c." is an in-depth study, absorbing, rich-illustrated and impressive publication, which was presented with a big success at thè Frankfurt Book Fair, at thè Bulgarian Culture Centre in Moscow, as well as in thè Programme of a number of theatre festivals in Bulgaria.

Since 1997, Dr. Kortenska is a frequent guest at Bitef and a big friend ofthe biggest Festival of Theatre on thè Balkans.