Internationally acclaimed French pop singer of Bulgarian-Hungarian descent Sylvie Vartan has again visited Bulgaria to present her latest book “Maman…”. Vartan has 40 million sold albums, 1300 songs, 2000 magazine covers, six films and thousands of music shows across the world, and more recently also two autobiographical books. The first one, "Between The Shadow And The Light" recounts the story of her childhood. At age 7 she left Bulgaria with her parents, and ten years later recorded her first song in Paris. She also recounts of her love affair with Johnny Hallyday and of Darina, a Bulgarian child adopted by Vartan and her husband Tony Scotti, a famous American producer and manager. In her second biographical novel “Mot à mot” released in 2014 Sylvie tells the story of how a girl from a modest family of immigrants can pursue a successful career adopting the cultural values of a country like France. Back in 2014 Vartan gave a big concert in Sofia's National Palace of Culture to present the album “Sylvie in Nashville”to her numerous fans. The association „Sylvie Vartanfor Bulgaria“ which she set up in 1993 has been supporting a range of projects in child healthcare in this country. More about the premiere of her book “Maman…”, from Sylvie Vartan:

„Every time I come to Bulgaria I feel great excitement. My most tender and most frail memories are from Bulgaria. I am grateful to Colibri Publishers for the good translation of two of my books and for having made accessible the narrative about my mother who used to be the essential pillar of our family. Her name is Ilona and she was born in Hungary. When in 1990 for the first time after our exile I prepared mycomeback to Bulgaria, I asked her to accompany me, but she refused, because it would have been an ordeal for her to be back to the country that she loved so much. It was hard for me too, I cried a lot… After so many years I saw the house where I had grown up, the people of my childhood - overall, this first stay in Bulgaria is unforgettable.”

„Maman…“ is a book written with plenty of love and with deep gratitude to the woman with whom Sylvie Vartanhad a very strong relationship. „There is nothing more powerful and stronger than maternal love. This is self-denial, the perfect love. My relationship with my mother was a weld of sorts, something immanent for both of us', says Sylvie Vartan.

„I was lucky to grow up in an exceptionally close-knit family. Later, when I had children of my own, I realized what great role my mother had had in my life. She was an exceptional woman, generous, noble, elegant, very courageous - and she never showed even a hint of weakness. She toiled for our sake all her life but she never showed even a hint of tiredness. She had dignity. Her love for us was her only mission.”

Talking about her family,Sylvie Vartan revisits her childhood in Bulgaria. She tells us about her paternal grandfather, about the days spent in the village of Totleben and about the feeling that this wonderful life would go on forever. „Often, when I have difficult moments, I return to the garden of my grandpa”, she says. She also admits that her artistic life actually started in Bulgaria. „In 1950 when I was 6, I acted in the movie'Under the Yoke' by Dako Dakovsky. The movie was shot in Koprivshtitsa. My part was insignificant. With the money I earned, my mother bought me a pair of brown shoes with laces. Wearing them I reached Paris…”

With her book „Maman…”Sylvie Vartan conveys a message to children to know their roots, to love and respect their parents - and to grow up with love.

In Bulgaria Sylvie Vartan is widely acknowledged as a diva of French pop music with millions of admirers across the globe due to her big talent, elegant stage presence and nobility of spirit.

English Daniela Konstantinova