The residency program
Next Page Foundation offers creative residencies in Sofia to international literary translators and writers. It also offers opportunities to editors, literary agents, publishers, literary managers, journalists and other professionals working in the field of literature and literary communication.
The program aims to provide opportunities for professional communication with Bulgarian literary and publishing field, with the audiences and cultural life in Sofia. The international residents are introduced to the literary and cultural scene in Sofia as well as to new professional contacts. The residents have access to art and cultural events in Sofia, to libraries and research centres, along with the possibility of tailored professional meetings with key figures and cultural organisations.
The residents are expected to work on a specific project (translation, writing, research), to host at least two events at Sofia Literature and Translation House (workshop, lecture, discussion or a meeting with schoolchildren), to communicate actively with their colleagues. If they wish, participants may get involved in other projects of Next Page Foundation and its partners.
For more information on our current and past translators- and writers-in-residence visit our Residents section.
Duration and participants
The long-term residency program welcomes international translators of Bulgarian literature and international writers/poets. It lasts three to six weeks.
The short-term visits (up to one week) are suited for international editors, literary agents, publishers, literary managers, journalists and other professionals interested in Bulgarian literature and literary communication.
Literary translators from Bulgarian into other languages, including emerging translators, are our priority.
Residencies for translators of Bulgarian literature
Literary translators from Bulgarian are in the core of the promotion of Bulgarian literature in translation. We value the work of the translators and we recognise the need for continuous contact and communication with the source language.
Hence, the program offers to international translators of Bulgarian literature the opportunity to upgrade their language skills, to work in a quiet and motivating environment, to get to know new trends and authors in contemporary literature, to consult with authors, peers and experts.
The programme is open to translators that have at least one published translation as well as to emerging translators. In exceptional cases, we accept residents translating Bulgarian literature indirectly (via an intermediary language), as well as translators working in pairs.
International writers residencies
The programme welcomes international writers that have a special interest in getting to know the Sofia and Bulgarian literary and cultural life. Writers are offered the opportunity to work in a quiet and motivating environment, to communicate with their Sofia peers, to do research and to participate in literary events.
The programme is open to writers working in all literary genres that have at least one published book. Writers wishing to explore the city of Sofia or Bulgaria and to include results of such research in their writings, are our priority.
Short-term professional visits for editors, publishers, agents, literary managers, cultural journalists and other specialists in the book sector
The program aims at opening-up communication channels for presenting Bulgarian literature in translation. It introduces the international guests to the literary and publishing context of the country, organises meetings with peers, with literary critics, authors and organisations, and provides information on the sector.
The stream welcomes international book professionals that have a special interest in translations, in Bulgarian or Balkan literatures or in international exchange in general.
The visits are by invitation of Next Page Foundation. We also welcome proposals by all interested book professionals.
Accommodation and working conditions
The residency program offers two types of accommodation - in the Sofia Literature and Translation House and in a centrally located apartment.
The accommodation in Sofia Literature and Translation House itself is for a single occupancy in an attic studio with an adjoined bathroom. Residents may also use the common facilities - a larger working space with a library, a common kitchen, wi-fi and office equipment.
Photos from the Literature and Translation House and the attic studio:
