BulgariaBulgaria was under Ottoman domination for five centuries and only emerged as a
separate nation in 1878; this situation hampered both educational and cultural
development. Nevertheless, Peter Beron’s Primer with a Fish, the first Bulgarian book
produced specifically for children, appeared in 1824. Poetry was also written for children
in the nineteenth century, with a view to encouraging love of their country, and
patriotism has continued to be an important theme in Bulgarian children’s literature.
During the 1970s, there were many children’s books set during the Second World War,
about war orphans joining the army, particularly as musicians as in Petar
Neznakomov’s Barabantchika na Polka [Drummer of the Regiment] (1978), and boys
fighting against fascism. Maria Grubeshlieva’s Gemia v.Moreto [A Small Ship at Sea]
(1972) tells of Petko, a boy who helps the crew of a Russian submarine to fight for
freedom when they arrive in his small seaside town.
Among outstanding modern writers, the work of Assen Bossev and Valory Petrov
should be mentioned. Assen Bossev was one of the generation of writers who shaped
children’s poetry in the 1960s and had far-reaching influence. He set and maintained
high standards, addressed modern social issues and emphasised the theme of peace.
Valery Petrov wrote stories, modern fairy tales, poetry and drama which have appealed
to several generations of young people. Thumbkin, written soon after the establishment of
the communist government, remained popular for forty years. Petrov moved easily
between various literary forms. Pet Prikazki [Five Fairy Tales] (1986) consists of stories
which were originally created as plays for children; in story form, prose and verse
complement each other and the stories, with a strong nonsense element, have a cheerful
air.
Short stories continue to be popular with Bulgarian children. Cudnite Raboti [Strange
Jobs] (1990) by Vladimir Zelengorov is a collection of tales ranging from an adventure
story set in Tibet to humorous tales about everyday life.
Lithuania, Latvia and EstoniaEven before the political upheavals of 1989, some of the Republics within the USSR had
their own clearly defined literatures. Children’s literature in Lithuania began in 1547
when a catechism with a rhymed preface by Martynas Mazvydas encouraging children to
read the book appeared. Through the following centuries primers and catechisms,
rudimentary forms of writing for children, were published, but the ‘golden age’ of
Lithuanian children’s literature came at the turn of the nineteenth century. Later it
came under the influence of Soviet authors such as Agnia Barto and Kornei Chukovsky.
The influence of fairy tales continued to be important; the stories of Aldona Liobyte are
full of irony, about queens and princesses whose lifestyles and behaviour conform to
present day conventions. Modern fairy tales are used as an allegorical way of putting
forward solutions to modern social problems. However, there are also realistic stories for
teenagers by writers like Vytautas Bubnys whose Baltas Vejas [White Wind] (1974) is
typical in the way it explores the maturing personality of the teenager and the process of
self-discovery.
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