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The eminent Bulgarian translator Zdravka Mihaylova was awarded this year's Greek State Prize for Literary Translation, reported the Greek news agency ANA-MPA. After unanimous vote the jury decided to honour her translation of selected poems by Yannis Ritsos titled Writings of the Sighted. The poetic anthology is published by Malina Tomova’s publishing house Stigmati.

After the first round of assessment translations into Arabic, Italian, Serbian, Albanian and two translations into German have been nominated. Along with state awards for novel, poetry, essay, short story and children's book, the State Prize for translation is the highest award of the Greek State for contribution to the literary life of the country and the promotion of Greek fine writings abroad.

Zdravka Mihaylova is the first Bulgarian translator of prose awarded the highest Greek prize. The eminent translator graduated from the Department of Journalism and Mass Media at Sofia University Kliment Ohridski and has been a longtime employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. Many publications of hers appear in the pages of the LIK magazine, BTA’s edition for literature, art and culture. GRReporter readers know her for her numerous analysis of cultural life in Greece and the series of interviews with the most prominent representatives of the Greek intellectual thought.

The award has not escape the noticed of the Greek press.

In its issue of March 1 Ta Nea newspaper published a note of the literary critic Manolis Pimblis entitled Greece in Bulgaria, which says: "To a praiseworthy translator who by all means has helped promote Greek literature" was awarded this year's State Prize for translation of Greek literary work into a foreign language. This is the Bulgarian Zdravka Mihaylova and her translation of Yiannis Ritsos’ Writings of the Sighted into Bulgarian. Zdravka Mihaylova graduated from the Department of Journalism and Mass Media in Bulgaria and International Relations in Greece. She worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and had several terms in the Embassy in Athens. She translated many Greek authors and two years ago was again in the list of nominees for the same award for her translation of Thomas Skasis’ novel The Embalmed Cat. The prize for translation from foreign language into Greek was awarded to Athena Dimitriadou for her translation of Indignation by Philip Roth (published by Polis).

GRReporter team heartily congratulates Zdravka Mihaylova for this highest honour and wishes her the flair to defend and impose her creative searches.