"A book filled with lots of humour, but also truths that can be painful" - Peter Georgiev Ray opens the curtain on his new novel "The Day My Virginity Was Taken." The premiere will take place on October 6 at Gallery Bulgari in Sofia.

Behind the provocative title, the author recreates his impressions of the contemporary young generation, as the main character plays the role of its spokesperson, who "reveals the layers of his sexual desires, youthful dissatisfaction, flaws, disappointments and desires", according to the announcement for the book.

"A generation that is losing its direction, a generation overwhelmed by apathy, disinterest, narcissism and focused on its own appearance,” Peter G. Ray adds. “Opportunism is what mainly guides young people and social networks push them towards commercial thinking, towards goals and ideas related only to the material. Of course, there are also wonderful boys and girls - intelligent, sensitive and dedicated, and one should not make generalizations."

After the first breaths of freedom with the fall of the Berlin Wall, Peter G. Ray left behind his career as a budding actor and headed for a world with long-established values. An overheard conversation while filming a small role confirmed his intention to leave.

"During one of the breaks, Ivan Andonov, Konstantin Kotsev, Kosta Tsonev and Vasil Mihaylov - the most monolithic figures in our theatre and cinema - were talking next to me,” the artist recalls. “At one point, one of them said: ‘If I were young, I would definitely emigrate’. I jumped up and told myself that since these people, who have achieved so much in their profession and are loved by people, want to emigrate, I must leave immediately, because even if I reach their level someday, I would be dissatisfied. That was the moment when I made the decision."

In Canada, where he settled in 1991, a life of an emigrant awaited him - washing dishes, depression, the feeling that "there is a loaded gun to your head". "I told myself that if my work wasn't related to art, I would return to Bulgaria," he says.

"When a person has strong artistic talent, under certain circumstances they can change their direction,“ Peter G. Ray says. „I participated in short student films, I had access to a camera, actors, directors in Hollywood productions, but I quickly realized that with my accent I would always be on the bench. Gradually I started thinking that I had to change my way of artistic expression and poetry was the first thing that came to me. Then prose and painting came by themselves. It was painting that saved me."

Looking inward and searching for new talents is measured today by 60 exhibitions, four novels, a collection of poems, a play. A meeting with American critic Kenworth Moffett and the recognition for "the most original artist to emerge in many years" opened the doors of prestigious galleries around the world for him.

"This person highly appreciated my paintings at the beginning of my artistic career and this gave me courage and strength to continue,” Peter G. Ray says. “I had to fight skepticism. There were people who predicted disaster for me, and told me that as an artist I would be doomed to poverty. As for my paintings, I would not say that they are entirely abstract. According to Ken, I have further developed abstract art, as in my visual expression there is also a story and not just an impression, a colour scheme."

Although he developed his talents in a foreign and extremely competitive environment, the artist believes that sooner or later they would have manifested themselves in his homeland. Today, Peter G. Ray is increasingly staying in Europe, where he would like to have a more active creative expression, and his stay also brings him closer to Bulgaria, where, following the example of many representatives of the first wave of emigrants, he wishes to return someday. He points out that in Canada there are many successful compatriots - doctors, teachers, engineers, dentists, real estate agents, but he does not ignore a national phenomenon.

"Bulgarians are very forward-thinking and focused people, but not as a community,“ he says. „We are independent fighters who fight alone on our front and succeed. This is partly due to an inferiority complex that many of us have to some extent towards our homeland, because when you say that you are Bulgarian, that you are from Eastern Europe, after the good impression made, there is always a slight lowering of the bar. For example, many parents prefer that their children do not speak Bulgarian, which I think is terrible."

Author: Diana Tsankova

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: Diana Tsankova, Facebook /Peter Georgiev Ray, rayart.ca