Anna Bahryana is a Ukrainian poet, writer, playwright and translator who has been living in Bulgaria since 2009. As part of our partnership with Multi Kulti Collective and their Migrants Got Talent campaign, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anna to learn more about her life and career.

Hi Anna, please introduce yourself. Where are you from, what do you do, and when did you move to Bulgaria?

I am from Ukraine, from the city of Kyiv. I am a writer and translator, and I have been living in Bulgaria since 2009 when I married the Bulgarian writer Dimitar Hristov.

When and how did you start writing? That is, what inspired you to pick up the pen?

I have loved reading and writing since I was a child. I wrote my first poems when I was in the first grade. At the time, we lived in a small town called Borova, 50 km from Kyiv, almost in the forest. Perhaps it was this beautiful nature that inspired me to write, or more precisely, to see the surrounding world as words. I decided to seriously dive into the world of literature when I enrolled to study Ukrainian philology at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

You write novels, poetry, plays and children’s books. What is the relationship between all your works?

I started out as a poet and sometimes, I think that even in my novels and plays, I am first and foremost still a poet. The variety of genres does not hinder me, on the contrary – it gives me more opportunity to express myself. What you cannot say in prose, you can say in a poem and vice versa. Writing plays is special to me because, in a play, there is always room for prose, poetry, and imagination. I also write children’s books, and this is a particular challenge for me. 

How have your books and poems changed since living in Bulgaria?

I think I started writing more about the life of Ukrainians outside of Ukraine – about the sadness and nostalgia for everything native. More philosophical stuff came up. I also started translating from Bulgarian – both classic and contemporary authors.

How has your life changed since the war started last year?

The war changed the lives of most Ukrainians, even those who did not live in Ukraine, but were part of the Ukrainian diaspora around the world, like me.

For example, I started helping Ukrainian refugees to adapt faster and integrate more smoothly into Bulgarian society. In the summer of 2022, I worked with the “Za Dobroto” Foundation to organise a summer camp and Bulgarian language courses. As of January 2023, I no longer work at the Foundation, but I continue to help my compatriots as a volunteer. 

I also have my own Art Club, which holds workshops, literary and cultural meetings, excursions, and walks around Sofia. We work very well with our friends from the organisation “Multi-Kulti” and they organise very interesting cultural and culinary events for Ukrainian refugees.

Finally, how can we help the refugees who have chosen Bulgaria as their new home to integrate more easily?

Humanitarian and psychological aid is important, but it was even more important at the beginning, in the first months of the war, when people really needed basic necessities and support. I know many Ukrainians who could not stand it and returned to Ukraine with their children because their husbands, fathers, and homes are still there. 

However, many people have had nowhere to return as their houses have been destroyed. They should be supported and enabled to integrate as quickly and as easily as possible. More specifically, they should be helped to learn the language, find a job, and meet new friends.

They need to feel supported by the country’s citizens – this support is vital for a person’s integration in a foreign country.

Read the interview in Bulgarian here.
Прочетете интервюто на български тук.