Personal meeting with authors Joanna Elmy and Stefan Ivanov

Set design Evgenia Nikolova

The final day of Literary Talks Fall 2024 will be held entirely at One Gallery. In fact, from November 14, the literary installation W.A.L.L., by the writer Joanna Elmy and the poet and playwright Stefan Ivanov, can be seen and read in the gallery. The meeting with them, however, will be held on November 16 at 5:00 p.m. The installation presents Joanna Elmy and Stefan Ivanov’s interpretation of the topic of modern walls—what are they, whether they are primarily real or virtual, and how we exist in the zone between them.

Each of the two authors presents five thematic texts—Loneliness, Sadness, Emigration, Nostalgia, and Anomie—and contained in them are questions about the collapse of the world, emigration, the “death strips” inside ourselves, distrust in rules and systems, all the walls we put up even as we’re glad we knocked one down, and how the life that was promised did not come.

At One Gallery, during the three days of the Literary Talks, the texts of Yoanna Elmi and Stefan Ivanov will be presented through visuals, audio recordings, and video conversations between the two writers who live on different continents: Stefan—in Bulgaria, and Joanna—in the USA. Visually, the texts resemble a border zone, supplemented by sounds and pictures that visitors can follow if they choose. On November 16, between 5 and 6 p.m., anyone who wants to will be able to meet the authors virtually (with Joanna) and live (with Stefan) to continue the conversations that the two started with each other.

The installation can be viewed from November 14–16 in the gallery / Entry free

The visual design is the work of Kostadin Kokalanov of Studio FRANK

The Literary Talks program is organized by the Read Sofia foundation

“Literary Talks” is made possible with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Capital Municipality. Literary Talks Fall 2024 has been carried out in partnership with the Sofia University Culture Center and with the support of the America for Bulgaria foundation