| Dora Gabe | |
| Birth Date: | 1888 8, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Dabovik, Bulgaria |
| Death Place: | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Occupation: | Poet |
| Language: | Bulgarian |
| Nationality: | Bulgarian |
| Genre: | Poetry |
Dora Petrova Gabe (born Isidora Petrova Peysakh, 16 August 1888[1] – 16 November 1983) was а Bulgarian Jewish poet, writer and translator.[2] She published poetry for adults and children as well as travel books, short stories and essays. In her later years, she also did extensive work in translation.
Dora Gabe was the daughter of Peter Gabe, an immigrant from Russia, who became the first Jew to be elected to the Bulgarian National Assembly. When he was barred from taking office, he turned to journalism and became a well known public figure in Bulgaria.[3] Dora attended high school in Varna, and then pursued a degree in Natural Sciences at Sofia University (1904). Later, she studied French Philology in Geneva and Grenoble (1905–1906). She taught French in Dobrich (1907).
In 1925, the Ministry of Education in Bulgaria assigned Dora Gabe to edit the series "Библиотека за най-малките" ("Library for the youngest"). She also served as editor of the children's magazine "Window" (1939–1941).
Dora Gabe was one of the founders of the Bulgarian-Polish Committee (1922) and the Bulgarian PEN Club (1927). She served as a longtime president for the latter. She was counselor for cultural affairs at the Bulgarian Embassy in Warsaw (1947–1950), and a representative of Bulgaria in the International Congress of PEN clubs. In 1968, she was awarded the title "Honorary citizen of the city of Tolbuhin".
She is widely regarded as one of the most successful Bulgarian poets and is beloved by Bulgarians not only for her work but for her deep respect for all arts and her charitable spirit.
In 1900 in Shumen, she published one of her first poems called "Spring" in the literary journal "Youth". Soon after, she published a series of poems in the magazines "Thought", "Democratic Review" and "New Society" in 1905–1906. This marked the start of her literary career. In the 1920s-30s, she published poetry for adults and children, travelogues, stories, essayistic fiction, impressions, theater reviews, articles on issues of foreign and Bulgarian literature, biographical sketches of poets and writers in magazines such as "Contemporary Thought " Zlatorog, "Polish-Bulgarian review", "Democratic Review," "Falling Leaves", "Dobrudjanski review", "Art and Criticism", "Slovo", "Age", "Journal of Women", "Free Speech," "Dawn," "Women's Voice", "thought", "Contemporary", "Journal of newspapers", "Dnevnik", "Fireworks". She contributed to various in children's periodicals such as "Firefly", "Children's joy," "Children's World", "Drugarche", "Children's Life", "Iveta", "Nightingale ","Merry band", "Window" and others. After 1944, she was widely published in the most popular Bulgarian newspapers and journals, as well as in the children's magazine "Nightingale", "Squad" "Children, art, books," and others. "Violets", Gabe's first lyrical poetry book, demonstrates Secession sentimentalism and a deep understanding of symbolism.
Her works have been translated in Argentina, Austria, Great Britain, Vietnam, Germany, Greece, Canada, Cuba, Lebanon, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, France, Czech Republic.
From 1917 to the end of her life, Dora Gabe actively engaged in translation. She translated the works of Adam Mickiewicz, Maria Konopnicka, Stanisław Wyspiański, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Juliusz Słowacki, Władysław Reymont, Jan Kasprowicz, Henryk Sienkiewicz, B. Leader, Adolf Dygasiński, L. Staffan, A. Slonimsky, Julian Tuwim, K. Alberti, I. Volker, F. Fletch, Vítězslav Nezval, Karel Čapek, G. Jian, Y. Seifert, A. Slutsk, V. Bronevski, C. Imber, Samuil Marshak, E. Kamberos, R. Bumi-Papa, M. Lundemis, Yiannis Ritsos and many others. She was fluent in Polish, Czech, Russian, French, and Greek. Her most renowned translation works include: