"Vangelia", who saw the invisible: Zheni Kostadinova presents her new book about the great Bulgarian prophetess in Burgas
Vanga remains one of the most beloved and mysterious figures in Bulgarian history of the 20th century. People from all over the country came to her to seek help, including high-ranking figures – presidents, ministers, military and diplomats, artists, musicians. For many, she was the last hope, the person from whom they sought advice, comfort or blessing. What happens to a girl who loses her sight but finds another way to see the world? How does one live with a gift that you didn’t ask for, and why does one woman’s fate become the hope of millions? Writer Zhenya Kostadinova seeks answers to these questions in her new book “Vangelia” – an extraordinary story about the life of the world-famous prophetess, presented as a picture parable. The literary work is suitable for both adults and children. After the successful premiere in Sofia, the book will also be presented to the Burgas audience on September 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Cultural Center "Sea Casino", when readers will have the opportunity to meet the writer Zhenya Kostadinova in person. The story begins with Vangelia's childhood and goes through some of the hardest moments in her life - the loss of her eyesight, the difficult relationship with her stepmother, the strong relationship with her grandmother, love and the inability to live her life the way others do. The reader meets, first of all, a girl who must overcome fears, losses and loneliness before becoming the woman to whom thousands of people will turn, including presidents, ministers, military personnel, diplomats, popular performers and actors. The book contains 27 color illustrations by Daniela Zekina, which trace Vanga's life through the different periods of her life, with each illustration bringing its own atmosphere and detail. Daniela Zekina has lived and worked in Montreal, Canada, for more than 30 years. She graduated in book design and illustration from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia. She has illustrated over 60 children's books, poetry collections and novels for Bulgarian and Canadian publishers. Her illustrations have been selected for the International Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy. She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe, North and South America. In 2009, she won the Grand Prix of the International Miniature Exhibition (Lévy, Quebec). She works in the field of miniature painting, drawing, illustration and engraving. Her works are figurative in form, with an ethereal composition and a variety of fine details. The themes are often related to mythology and its mysteries. Daniela Zekina's paintings are permanently exhibited at the Jeanine Blaise Gallery (North Hatley, Quebec), the Moishen Gallery (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico). The unusual fate and mythologies surrounding Vanga have fascinated the writer for decades Zheni Kostadinova. She is a Master of Philosophy and one of the long-time researchers of the life of the Bulgarian prophetess. For more than three decades, she has been studying her life, and is the author of a series of documentary books dedicated to Vanga. Her books have been translated into many languages, she has given numerous interviews to Bulgarian and foreign media. Her aspiration is to distinguish the real Vanga from all her distorted images, speculative statements and media sensations. Zheni Kostadinova is the author of six poetry collections, three children's books with fairy tales and one with short stories. She is the founder of the Art House with a Museum "Dolls" - a magical place in the center of the Bulgarian capital, which is home to over 3,000 dolls and toys from all over the world. She is the creative director of the international festival "The Magic of Dolls", the initiator of the National Competition for Applied and Literary Creativity "See My Angel". In 2016, she received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs. Margarita Popova, for the unique art space she created and her spiritual and aesthetic work with children. The Bulgarian people called her a saint during her lifetime, and she bequeathed to him the Orthodox church "St. Petka of Bulgaria", which, at the end of her life, she managed to build in Rupite with funds donated by her numerous devotees. She was buried near the church, and the area "Rupite" was transformed by the Vanga Foundation into a beautiful park complex - a place for solitude and reflection, for faith and connection with the invisible divine forces.
