Today we talk about Haikus, a book by Radoslava Antonova Kostadinova, published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Radoslava Antonova Kostadinova, to get to know her better, the moment that brought her to the writing of her book Haikus, as well as how she choose the title of her book.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What is the moment that brought you to the writing of your poems?
Last year “Europe Books” published my book “The Blanket” of short stories. For which I am infinitely grateful them! This encouraged me to continue writing prose. I started participating with my works in literary contests in my country Bulgaria and abroad. I won several awards. At the beginning of this year, I came across a Valentine’s haiku poetry contest. I decided to write some poems for the contest. I liked this style and continued to write haiku. Thus, in a few months I collected enough works to publish the present book “Haikus”. Again courtesy of Europe Books. For which I am once again very grateful to them!
- What are the crucial themes of your book?
The change of seasons, the beauty of nature and its various states; Christmas, Easter and holidays in general; the relationships between people and their states of mind; the enjoyment of art and culture; the historical heritage and the wisdom bequeathed by the ancestors; the things of life in general. The different stages and ages in a person’s life – childhood, adolescence, youth, mature years, old age, birth, death; all these are also themes prevalent in the poems. My poems are like a kaleidoscope of life.
- What is the message you want to communicate to your readers?
In order to write and read haiku respectively, a specific sensitivity and perception of the world is required. For people who write and read haiku, the world is a magical place full of wonder; in which harmony and idyll reign. Where the flight of the bird, the breath of the wind, the rustle of the leaves, the whisper of the waves are spiritualized and can be a source of inspiration. The magic of haiku poems lies between the “lines” – in the unspoken, in the implied, in the metaphors. A key skill when writing haiku is to say a lot with a little. To extract the essence of things. And at the same time to convey to the reader the emotions you felt while writing the poems.
- How did you choose the title of your book?
I called my collection of poems “Haikus” to avoid misunderstandings; so that it is clear to the reader, who reaches for it, that it is the stuff of a collection of haiku poems. Because not everyone has the attitude to read, understand and enjoy such poetry. But it has its circle of readers, which I hope my book will reach. The cover and the illustrations in it are also my work. They were made on a tablet with graphics programs. And I think they successfully complement the verses. The light that springs from the middle of the cover symbolizes that my poems bring light into the souls and hearts of the readers!
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
Yes. I have “Tales for Grown-Up Children” lined up for release – things I would describe as magical-realistic. Some of which are humorous. There are also Christmas stories. I also have several children’s stories with author’s illustrations for them. As well as legends invented by me. Bulgarian traditions and legends are also a source of great inspiration for me. Maybe in the future I would publish a collection of retold ones by me. Also with author’s illustrations to them. I also continue to write haiku. And after the book was already published, I came across a competition for tanka poems. In which I also decided to participate. That’s how I started writing the tanka as well. I hope that I will be able to publish a collection of poems with the tankа in the future…
Europe Books thanks the author, Radoslava Antonova Kostadinova, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book Haikus. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, may these magical poems, in addition to exciting and enlightening you, can be a source of inspiration to your everyday life!
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!