Twelve prominent personalities were honored with the title of “Ambassadors of Bulgarian Culture – 2024” at a solemn ceremony held at the Bulgarian National Radio on December 18, 2025. The award is part of an initiative of the Bulgarian public media that has been promoting creators whose activity transcends national borders and contributes to the international affirmation of Bulgarian culture for years.
Among those honored was Milena Selimi, a journalist, translator and playwright from Albania of Bulgarian origin, distinguished for her extraordinary contribution to the promotion of contemporary Bulgarian literature in the Albanian language.
"Radio is my first love. I started my professional journey in radio and I know very well the weight of words," Selimi told Radio Bulgaria after receiving the award.
In the interview for BTA, Selimi spoke about the richness of being part of two cultures – the Bulgarian and the Albanian – about what she has received and learned from her mother, about the role of the translator as a “borderlander”, who crosses the border, as well as about the joint task of translators to present the literatures of Bulgaria and Albania beyond national borders.
Asked what is the most important thing she has inherited from her mother, a Bulgarian woman who built her life in Tirana, beyond translation itself and in relation to Bulgarian identity, Selimi reflected on her personal path as a translator and the feeling of living between two cultures and two languages.
Thanks to her translations, Albanian readers have become acquainted with the works of renowned Bulgarian authors such as Georgi Gospodinov, Alek Popov, Kalin Terziyski, Milen Ruskov, Todor P. Todorov, Zllatimir Kolarov, etc. In 2024, Selimi was declared the "Best Translator" at the Tirana Book Fair for her Albanian translation of the novel "Kohëstrehim", and was also honored with the "At' Gjergj Fishta" award, one of the most prestigious awards for literary translation in Albania.
The "Ambassador of Bulgarian Culture" award was presented to Milena Selim by writer Georgi Gospodinov, winner of the International Booker Prize, who has held this title since 2021.
