We would like to point out in connection with Bulgaria’s integration into the European Community that the cultural dialogue is an indelible part of political integration and that it is of extreme importance for Europe’s unification that the individual European countries get to know each other better.

Fiction, modern fiction in particular, remains one of the relatively unknown bearers of the various countries’ cultural identity. Guided by this belief, Colibri Publishers launched in 2005 a new ambitious series MODERN EUROPEAN FICTION with the assistance of the Culture 2000 Programme of the European Union. The series is a representation of the most brilliant phenomena in the field of contemporary fiction – works which shape the makeup of literary Europe. The 17 titles which have been published so far are emblematic of the different national literatures, giving at the same time a fair idea of literary trends worldwide. The series will also introduce to the reading public the literatures of the various “regions” in Europe in order to trace out a more comprehensive and variegated picture of the Old Continent’s literary scene in the context of unifying Europe. A total of 55 titles are under consideration for publication in the next three years.

During the first year of its appearance, the series managed to attract the interest of the Bulgarian cultural milieu and to establish itself among the reading circles with pronounced literary tastes. The reason behind the organization of this event it to draw attention to this worthwhile initiative and to offer wider public support to this unparalleled series favouring “good” European literature, which does not easily reach its readership. The small number of translated books from some less known literatures are lost in the vast stream of titles favouring commercial criteria in the conditions of market economy. The intention of the publishing house is to concentrate in the series only highly artistic examples of European fiction and to attract a wider readership to the literary masterpieces of Europe from the turn of the century.