INTRODUCTION

The intensive study of cultures depend on further studies on peace and political sufferings; ethnographic and literary material drawn from the region; making sense of social conflicts via understanding the cultural context; paying particular attention to the role of social and cultural processes in 1) the construction of ethnic or communal identity; 2) the interpretation and narrativization of suffering; 3) the labours of peaceful co existence.

Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Turkey, Croatia, Bosnia and Albania are situated in a zone of contact cultures. Balkanism and nationalism coexist in this region. The unity and the diversity of the literary production and the literary competition of the Balkan peoples over their shared historical past in the region should be explored across its various ethnic, linguistic and religious boundaries. This requires capitalizing on an interdisciplinary approach. Projects of interdisciplinary nature, balancing between history, anthropology, sociology, cultural and literary studies, should be initiated.

WAR AND LITERATURE

War is a problem which prohibits man from perceiving humanity and the world. All wars are born of human will. Thus, the idea of defending, establishing and promoting peace and tolerance is constructed, at the very beginning, only and only, inside human mind, personality and identity. At the basis of such a construction lies the necessity of the life-long education of the whole humanity. The aim of this education is to teach human beings the ways of defending, establishing and promoting a culture of mental and ethical cooperation all over the world.

Literature discovers and narrates the human being and the world surrounding him. Literature provides a firm and artistic basis for the human being, for the reader to meet writers and other readers halfway. Thus, literature becomes a direct form of expression free from all inhibitions. Recently, the necessity of promoting the teaching of literature at the mediums where informal literature education is provided by certain NGO's, is felt and accepted by many educational scientists. This informal literature education, usually carried out parallel to the formal one at the universities and schools, is conducted at the same time, in the form of such projects as creative writing seminars and workshops, short story and poetry reading days, festivals, literature seminars and conferences, or special days under the titles "March 21-World Poetry Day" and "February 14-World Short Story Day", drawn up by a number of authors' organizations in many countries. The informal literature education taking the form of the above mentioned literary activities is placed at the disposal of children, students, youngsters, parents, teachers, trainers as well as many other adults. Such activities contribute to the establishment of critical thinking, freedom of expression, creativity and equality in the field of literature and in the minds of people all over the world.

THE BASIC AIMS

The basic aims are to make literary works written in the Balkan countries recited, read and discussed by readers, literary critics, academicians, publishers, editors and translators from different nations, cultures, races, ethnic groups and religious beliefs; reach out to each other, through activities such as panel discussions, conferences short story readings and literary sessions at various places (schools, universities, bookstores, libraries, public halls); thus to make each activity to provide a local, national or international forum for the short story writers to meet and freely discuss their work with each other; to enliven the oral literary tradition via short story and poetry recitals; to emphasize the relationship between the literary genres and other branches of art and to emphasize the facts that literature is a medium of communication, a voice created for the human being by the human being, that the most successful literary works are written at times and places where disturbing and painful social and political crisis have arisen.

The Turkish Authors Association (TAA) strongly believes in the necessity of promoting friendship and intellectual collaboration among writers of the Balkan countries, of making ideas and works of art known, of contributing to the cultural enrichment, of human beings, of existing to create universal mediums of peace where all nations will respect each other and human rights. Their aim in supporting all efforts in the promotion of Balkan literatures, a culture of peace, freedom of expression, the teaching of literature can be summarized as follows:

1-Developing, sustaining, supporting, encouraging and promoting the literary practice from all Balkan countries:

a. Bringing together the leading writers, mentors, first time writers, would-be-writers, publishers, critics, editors, translators, booksellers, academics, media and the readers to discuss the state of the literary traditions, currents and theories
b. Reaching out the public in a dynamic and noticeable way with events and writers available to tour:

• Holding international conferences on literature, every year in one country
• Holding international poetry and short story festivals. Spreading the festival spirit keeping in mind that festivals are a natural home for writers, readers and talkers
• Organizing international literary festival tours
• Supporting a profile raising literary events

c. Being against the the uniformity of events and encouraging the diversity of events and pluridisciplinary tendencies
d. Facilitating cooperation and co-production of the writers by developing ideas for the effective and creative use of new technologies
e. Developing local, national and international cultural policies aimed at improving literature and finding environments where literary works thrive and engage with new audiences
f. Communicating, discussing, exploring through lectures, conferences, literary seminars, story readings, poetry readings for public to study, enjoy, and celebrate life
g. Championing the excellent and the challenging (Sponsoring national and international prizes for the literary genres)
h. Highlighting local writers with readings and signings
i. Encouraging libraries, bookstores, universities (Departments of Language and literature), schools and coffeehouses to participate by becoming the hosts of international, national and regional conferences, seminars, panel discussions, creative writing workshops, readings in which writers from all Balkan countries will participate
j. Encouraging to build communities of writers in Writers' Organizations in the region
k. Creating local, national and international reader development projects focused on libraries and readers groups
l. Creating publishing outlets for the literary genres (publishers, magazines, journals, websites, radio slots, festivals)
m. Sending press releases
n. Getting support from writers, editors, publishers, academics, translators, researchers and media to encourage writers to specialize in certain genres

2- Creating a culture of peace in the region:

a. Encouraging the writers from as many Balkan countries as possible to know, translate, criticise and popularize one another's work
b. Encouraging the translation of contemporary poems and short stories from the Balkan countries regardless of their origins into all world languages in order to establish a bridge between civilizations and linguistic communities.
c. Encouraging the writers from industrialized countries to share resources with those from the Balkan countries

3- Promoting the teaching of literature

a. Developing education, community and literacy programmes which will offer vibrant and callenging pragramme of events and activities in schools throughout the region, thus making literature accessible and exciting to children, young people and wider community as well as enabling them explore their creative and personal potentials through literary genres
b. Analysing and grouping the readers (Discovering their preferences in reading literary genres)
c. Preventing any kind of auto censorship which the writers may be experiencing
d. Discovering mainly which courses on literature should exist, at which levels, across the Balkan countries:

i. Creative writing courses on literary
ii. Courses for the criticism from the points of view of literary and linguistic criticism
iii. Courses focusing on the history and theory of Balkan literatures

e. Holding panel discussions and conferences on the following topics for parents, teachers and for all those who are concerned with children and literacy:

• Teaching children to write
• Family literacy
• Help children become better readers

4- Supporting freedom of expression via promoting short story / poetry readings and storytelling sessions:

a- Supporting freedom of expression and free criticism
b- Opposing arbitrary censorship in time of peace
c- Creating international solidarity and shared values in literature
d- Giving support to exiled Balkan writers, to those who are in prison by assisting their creative work
e- Speaking for the silenced Balkan writers and their publishers in their own countries

The contributions of the Panel Discussions, Conferences, Short Story / Poetry Readings and Literary Sessions Conducted to literature in General and to Specific Balkan Cultures and Literatures

Discussing of the articles written on the Balkan literatures and their translations

a) Discussing the problems faced by the writers, critics, researchers, academicians, translators, media and the readers in the region.
b) Discussing the history, development and the present situation of the Balkan literatures
c) Discussing the literary theories, comparing and contrasting different methods of literary and linguistic criticism.
d) Making each panel discussion, conference, short story / poetry reading, storytelling and literary session to provide a local, national or international forum for the Balkan writers, editors, publishers, literary critics, academicians, researchers, translators and readers to meet and freely discuss their work with each other
e) Bringing the established writers together with the younger generations

WORKING FOR THE LITERATURE, THE LANGUAGE AND THE CULTURE OF THE NATIONS IN THE REGION

1- Providing calm and supportive environments for the writers of the region to meet, to introduce their writings to each other, to work together, to sustain each other's cultural and linguistic rights
A- Regional PEN conferences-Restating the principles and values of International PEN in this troubled part of the world
B- Regional and international poetry festivals
C- Regional and international short story / storytelling festivals
2- Writing comprehensive short story and poetry anthologies in order to reflect the real picture in the region : Choosing the texts from a wide range of Balkan literatures
3- Looking at the literary development in the region
4- Investigating the role of the Balkan writers in cultural life
5- Carrying out researches to prepare detailed representation of an overall picture of the Balkan literatures
6- Developing the necessary background for further comparative studies
7- Creating broader reading publics in the region
8- Putting special emphasis on the following topics:
A- Lack of academic books
B- Literary currents
C- Literary critics
D- Comparativistics
E- Literary associations
F- Publications

THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING THE BALKAN LITERATURES AS AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF THE REGION AND DEVELOPING DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES, PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE REGION

1- Investigating the ways in which the Balkan Literatures responded to the major shared historical events in South Eastern Europe in the second half of the century
2- Investigating the complex relations between literature and social reality in oppressive regimes
3- Studying the respective literary traditions of the Balkans-Discovering the mosaic of
contemporary Balkan literatures
4- Exploring the role of storytelling and narrativity in society and culture
5- Comparing the folk tale traditions
6- Exploring and comparing the shifts from oral to literate traditions and the impact of writing
7- Studying the principal schools of analysis of narrative structure and function
8- Exploring the place of narrative in the disciplines law, psychoanalysis, politics, history, philosophy and anthropology

INITIATIVES

Creating initiatives is necessary for mutual cooperation in long term projects. This is a way to open Balkan cultures/literatures/languages to each other and to a wider European context. International undertaking is also necessary to activate the local cultural life and draw it out of its isolation. The initiatives:

1- Publishing literary series
2-Annual book fairs
3-Annual literary tours
4-Establishing centers as an open space for the writers' and translators' to meet and work throughout the year
5-Building up websites for selected urban short stories: This can be a good way to promote and encourage talented young writers from the region who still have not published their works. Urban themes are most representative for the literature of the 90's. The selected short stories will be published in the native languages of the writers. The Turkish Author's Association (TAA) proposes two websites for this purpose, in Ankara:

http://www.worldshortstory.org
http://eee.vision1.metu.edu.tr/~metafor

THE METHOD

"COMMUNICATION THROUGH LITERATURE"

To achieve the above mentioned goals, the following hierarchical and systematic method can be proposed:

1- Coordinators

a- International Program Coordinators : To contact, national coordinators, writers, editors, publishers, academicians, researchers, translators, of all ages, from the Balkan countries
b- National Program Coordinators : They are expected to contact local program coordinators, ask and encourage them to set up literary activities in their cities and towns and support them financially.
c- Local Program Coordinators : They are expected To hold festivals and short fiction, poetry reading days and story telling festivals in their cities and towns.

2- Programs

Coordinators create a communication among the Balkan civilizations through literary Programs held at the world famous places of the Balkan countries.

• Literature Community groups can be established.
• Literature Spots can be produced for the TVs.
• Writers Societies can be developed in certain countries.

a- During the readings, the translations may be computer projected on the large screens behind the writers.
b- The programs may include lectures, discussions, interviews, films, exhibitions and special projects about contemporary Balkan literatures

3- Web-Sites : They may attract many writers, academicians. Such web-sites give the international audience chance to read the works of the Balkan writers, translators and editors. These web-sites may become a portal for the Balkan literatures.

4- E-Books / Anthologies / e-journal archives : Anyone in the Balkan countries will be able to read and see the visual representations of publications from the neighboring cultures, literary traditions and civilizations.

5- E-Mail Lists : Creating e-mail lists and encouraging people to join certain e-mail lists help them to get information on world events related to the literary activities held in the Balkan countries.

This activity is also directed to creating a culture of peace, promoting the teaching of literature and supporting the freedom of expression.

REFERENCES

LUKIC, Jasmina (2001) http://www.ceu.hu (Belgrade Women's Center)
http://www.balkankult.org
http://www.pen.org.mk

WRITERS, PATRONS OF ART AND CULTURAL POLICY OF THE BALKAN GOVERNMENTS

(A Meeting of the Open Writer's Society The Balkan Decameron in 2003)

Rejoice the coming spring! The fogs withdrawing; the storm winds drag them somewhere to hell. Torn are the shirts of the mountains - rejoice the coming spring in our native land!… These are the words of our great poet Kiril Hristov. …Rejoice the coming spring! The awakened rebel called once again in the tavern, "Come here, pour some drink! Fill in the glass, you rascal! The band is waiting!" - Rejoice the coming spring in our native land!…

When the Southern winds blow about the early spring upon the Balkans, the native rebels awaken from their winter slumber and go to the mountains to do their feats.

But isn't it time while the rebels do their feats, the thinkers to do their thinking. It is time for a new meeting of the Open Writer's Society The Balkan Decameron.

Why did we choose this kind of topic?

From 10th to 12th of May 2002 in the open ethnographic museum "Etara" near the town of Gabrovo the Open Writer's Society met authors from Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Rumania, Serbia and Turkey.

The participants in this meeting discussed the topic of the narrator as a peacemaker on the Balkans and also presented a kind of reading of the sexual and political symbols of power on the Balkans.

As if by a strange coincidence most of those who traveled the long way to the neighbor - the participants in this meeting turned out to be publishers or editors of literary magazines. And so, while we enjoyed chatting, we learned that Trajche Katsarov from Macedonia publishes Sum, Vulle Zhurich from Serbia works for Balkanis, Sabri Alagjoz told us about Kajnak, Mehmed Kodjamustafa - about the magazine of Turkish Culture on the Balkans.

Bulgaria was represented by the editors of Savremennik magazine Vladimir Zarev and Ivan Golev and the publisher of the magazine Fakel, Georgi Borisov.

All the publishers and editors had come to the opinion after much struggle that literature could not rely only on the reader's interest to get finances. There is a need of sponsors and an adequate cultural policy of the state.

In that natural way a new topic was outlined to be discussed on a new meeting which would gather the Open Writer's Society in Bulgaria again:

What are the relationships between the writers, the sponsors from the non-governmental and non-profit organizations as well as from the private business? What is the cultural policy of the Balkan governments?

This time our purpose is more ambitious. We want to provoke a dialogue not only between personalities but between institutions also. We will invite representatives from the responsible authorities for dispute at the meeting of the Open Writer's Society The Balkan Decameron. We would find representatives of the non-profit and non-governmental organizations from the Balkan countries. We would present official invitations to representatives of the cultural institutions of the Balkan governments.

Won't all these turn the meeting into a formal endeavor?

The guarantee is the individual qualities of the participants in the writer's brotherhood called Open Writer's Society The Balkan Decameron as established up to now. Unique is the individuality of the writer. He is usually in a permanent opposition to the government. But it happens that some writers govern the cultural processes in their countries. The present participants in the meetings would become a selective committee. They would suggest which non-governmental organizations and representatives of government to invite. In that way the discussion would transcend its narrow artistic purposes but at the same time the event would preserve its free nature of an open discussion, which has been the principle of all the previous meetings.

How did we choose the place of meeting:

Our first intention was to meet the Open Writer's Society in Assenovgrad. But a couple of reasons imposed Plovdiv as the center of the events:

• The intention of the organizers to establish the tradition of presenting at the stage a play written by a participant in the Open Writer's Society. In Gabrovo it was The Bodyguard by Trajche Katsarov. In 2003 the play Shengen-Mangen is forthcoming on the stage in Plovdov. Its author Ivan Golev is a member at the meetings of The Open Writer's Society The Balkan Decameron even from 1997. We find better to present the play before a broader theatrical audience.
• In 2000 Plovdiv became the capital of an European month of culture. The participation of the city in this program of the European Council integrated the city in the context of European Cultural Politics.
• Plovdiv is a city - center of an International Fair. A city with well developed business traditions and relationships. Plovdiv is also a city of people of art and patrons of art.
• The instantaneous reaction of the mayor of Plovdiv d-r Ivan Chomakov to give free of payment the premises of the ethnographic museum "The Balaban House" as well as the lodgings of the municipality of the Old Plovdiv for some of the participants ultimately determined Plovdiv as a center of the meeting. The last argument explains why the organizers suggest to change the previously planned dates of 31st January and 1st and 2nd February 2003 for the meeting of the Open Writer's Society in Assenovgrad for the 4th, 5th, and 6th April (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) to be adopted by the financing institutions.

Who are our partners

The organizers turn with gratitude and expectation to the Foundation "Pro-Helvecia". Thanks to the Bulgarian Department of Pro Helvecia the idea from 1997 for meetings of the Balkan writers which was forgotten for a while restored its actuality in 2002 in Gabrovo.

The Foundation Open Society in Sofia also traditionally confirms its interest in "The Balkan Decameron". A project would be presented to the International program "East-East" founded in Budapest.

The Ministry of Culture represented by the deputy minister Bissera Josiphova got to know the preliminary project, admired the meeting and will help the accomplishment of the contacts with the cultural institutions of the Balkan countries.

Within the context of the great topic on the relationships among artists, patrons of culture and the cultural politics of the state, the Department for Theatre at the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture joins the organizers planning to guarantee 50 % of the budget of the performance Shengen-Mangen amounting to 5000 leva.

For the first time the professional PR Agency In Communication joins as a partner of the meeting and gives its voluntary support for the presentation of the event in the media, as well as the preparation and accomplishment of the program and motivating some of their commercial clients to sponsor part of the intended events. It should be mentioned that the Public Relations Agency In Communication works in close co-operation with the Bulgarian Association of Regional Media so that this association can also be added to the partners of the project.

The picture of partnership would become even more interesting when we receive the proposals of the other participants at the meetings. Which non-governmental organizations from their countries would take part in the debate?

At a meeting with the organizers Mr Jordan Radev - a managing director of one of the greatest patrons of Bulgarian culture - the Plovdiv International Fair - gave his promise for co-operation.

Program and Proceeding of the Meeting

4th April 2003 (Friday) welcome of the guests in Sofia (Note: The guests from Turkey and Greece would possibly come directly to Plovdiv which is closest in geographical respect. They would be met there);

12-2 p.m. Lunch in Sofia
2-4 p.m. Travel to Plovdiv
4-5 p.m. Going to the hotel "Rodopi", free time
5-6 p.m. A meeting and discussion with Mr. Alek Popov winner of the Helikon Prize for best prose book of 2002 - Vazrajdane Gallery.
6 p.m. A Cocktail party - a host d-r Ivan Chomakov - the mayor of Plovdiv Annoucement of the winners of the prize of the name of Rasko Sugarev

5th April 2003 (Saturday) till 10 o'clock breakfast, free time

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Discussion: Literature as a prophecy of each balkan apocalypse "The Balkan House" in the Old Plovdiv (With a coffee-break)
1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Lunch
3 p.m. - 6 p.m. A meeting with writers, publishers and culture patrons from Plovdiv
6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Anubis Publishing House presents the third volume of Mrs. Vera Mutafchieva's biographical sequel "Bivalitzi" - Balabanov House.
8 p.m. Dinner

6th April 2003 (Sunday) till 10 a.m. Breakfast and free time
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. The final discussion
12 p.m. - 1 p.m. A trip to Assenovgrad and to Bachkovo
1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Lunch
4 p.m. Departure

The organizers plan to turn again for the services to TYR AD - the tour-operator who took part in the organization of the meeting in Gabrovo in 2002. This firm has a rich experience in organizing and proceedings of international meetings, symposiums, conferences etc.

Rashko Sugarev was a talented Bulgarian writer. Among his literary generation today the names of Georgi Velichkov, Ljuben Petkov, Dimitar Koroudjiev are well known.

The doctor-writer died because of a medical mistake. From 1998 his literary friends make a competition for young authors of prose. The laureates are announced at the beginning of April. The prizes are provided by the National Endowment Fund "13 Centuries of Bulgaria". Young authors from all over Bulgaria send their works for the competition.

The prize for short story of the name of Rashko Sugarev is being presented to the following authors up to now: Georgi Gospodinov, Alek Popov - a member of the Open Writer's Society, Jordan Ephtimov, Boris Minchev, Vassil Vidinski, Momchil Nickolov, Angel Igov.