By Valentina Atanasova, leader of the Electronic Media Club.
On 10th November, 2022, there was an unforgettable meeting with Christopher Buxton – former high-school teacher, current translator, editor and publisher. The event took place at the Auditorium of ELS “Geo Milev” in Burgas.
Among the official guests was Valentina Kamalieva, Senior Expert in Organization of Secondary Education at the Regional Department of Education in Burgas. The meeting was also attended by Jacqueline Neicheva, the school principal.
Members of the Electronic Media Club, the ELS Newspaper, the Literary Society, and teachers and representatives of all grades were also invited.
“Flowers don’t grow singly” is a marvellous collection of Bulgarian poetry translated in English. It features some outstanding poets in our literature. The author, Christopher Buxton, admired their powerful talent no less than the spirit of these gifted Bulgarians. Christopher also acts as a novelist and translator. He is the founder of Oleander Press publishing house and Chairman of the British-Bulgarian Society in the UK.
Yes, flowers don’t grow singly. They often need a prince to take care of them, as we all know. Someone who can remind us that all adults were children once… However, very few succeed in preserving their urge for creativity. And fewer, even, dare to follow their dreams.
Of course, Mr. Buxton is not an English prince, yet his pen has conquered a great deal of minds and hearts. The memorable talk with the teenagers at ELS “Geo Milev” is just the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and, hopefully, it will continue for long!
The attendees certainly weren’t the only ones to get impressed by the magic Christopher Buxton weaves in front of his audiences. Former students (current teachers) fondly tell stories about the unforgettable time with a young native speaker who joined the school back in 1977. That was when Mr. Buxton arrived in Bulgaria. He had chosen the English Language School in Burgas as the alma mater of his teaching career.
Today he is back, and not only as a tutor rendering a talk on “Poetry and Translation”. He has accepted to act as Chairman of the Jury at the upcoming Annual Poetry Contest “Sea of Love”. It features original poems written by students.
For two consecutive years already, the school has been awarding its most gifted young poets for their remarkable works in English. The third edition of the contest will take place in February 2023, and this time, there will be verse in Bulgarian too.
The other two members of the jury who have kindly agreed to provide their expert opinion are Katerina Stoykova and Irina Papancheva. Both of them compose poetry in Bulgarian and in English.
That meeting with Mr. Buxton was an invaluable lesson for the students! Vaptsarov’s, Botev’s, Debelyanov’s and Yavorov’s works echoed in English, provoking not only all students, but also teachers, to ponder on the techniques of rhyming and the powerful grip of a writer’s poetic skill!
The tender, yet insightful verse of Debelyanov: “Remember, remember the quiet yard, the quiet home in the white blossom cherries…” embraced the very story about Mr. Buxton’s second home: Burgas. Our city is the place where he met the love of his life – Anna Ivanova, his late wife.
A quote from Yavorov’s lyrical poetry provoked the students to answer several questions about the vast “Sea of Love” that is about to overwhelm them. The fate of emigrants and refugees, as well as today’s global situation and its local impact, were also commented on.
Mr. Buxton hurried to describe an interesting case when translating some works by our greatest poet and revolutionary: “Only a genius like Hristo Botev could combine these two words into a rhyme: patriots – idiots. Fortunately enough, they are absolutely identical in English.” There followed a quote from Botev’s work “In the Tavern”. An emphasis was put on the poet’s sarcastic attitude towards pseudo-patriots – often discussing over a glass of brandy what and how to do, but quietly retreating to the warmth and coziness of their homes, if words called for actions.
The students then literally peppered Christopher with questions: Does he have a muse? Does he know Bulgarian and was it difficult to learn? Which of the two languages is richer – English or Bulgarian? Which language is easier to rhyme? What does he like most about Burgas? How good were their teachers as students? Who is his favorite Bulgarian poet? …
Well, he started speaking Bulgarian a long time ago but he is still learning it. He used to have brilliant students. The muse of his life is and will always be his late wife. A truly melodious poet is Dimcho Debelyanov, yet he bows to Penyo Penev’s great talent and spirit. In his opinion, the Bulgarian classics offer an extremely interesting selection of rhymes.
The translator added that the funniest example of rhymes in English are the five-stanza poems called limericks. They originated in Victorian England.
Some of the students already knew that type of poetry from their work at the Electronic Media Club. The members of the club are in charge of the ELS Newspaper and its Instagram and Facebook accounts. The club is the initiator and organizer of the “Sea of Love” poetry contest launched in January 2020.
Christopher promised to visit us again next year and meet the young poets whose works he is about to judge from a distance.
The event ended with an example of the unique harmony between two perfect art forms: poetry and music. Christopher treated the audience to a few melodious rhymes accompanied by the sound of an acoustic guitar. He sang “The last thing on my mind” written by Tom Paxton. He also wished a warm “Good luck!” to the “Sea of Love” poetry contest.
The school received a valuable gift for its library: several copies of Mr. Buxton’s collection of translated classical Bulgarian poems. Mrs. Neicheva, the school principal, surprised our guest with a gift-bag – a symbol of his indisputable place into the community of ELS “Geo Milev” in Burgas!
Thank you, Mr. Buxton! For making us see the invisible with all our hearts!