Varna – the founder of the Alley of the Book cultural event

Abstract

The report presents the origin of the national book exhibition in the city of Varna on July 28, 1927, a seaside and resort town since 1926, as well as one of the cultural centers of Bulgaria with its traditions in continuity. The event was possible thanks to the Bulgarian Book Committee, created for this purpose, in order to present the wealth of Bulgarian books and magazines published annually and to prepare a periodical bulletin for the newly published titles. The booksellers Dimitar Dimitrov and Boyan Bluskov, well-known at the time, participated in it, along with a team of Bulgarian teachers. This was the prototype of the current Alley of the Book cultural event, established in the city of Varna in 2010. It is an institution for humanitarian and cultural educational activities. The goal is to participate in the support of charitable initiatives with the collected sums from the sale of books. For thirteen years, Alley of the Book has been presented annually, gradually established in Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Veliko Turnovo, and Gabrovo, held in different months, in order to feel the impact of the inviolable proximity to the most valuable thing—the book.