Legend of the white eagles comes as an attempt to create a piece rich in story lines and adventure. Yet here too, we can hear a recognisable voice, art has no pretence, everyday life gently intertwines with the higher messages and the magic, nature is a beautifully inspiring helper of the wise while above all, quietly but almighty, is God's love.
The writing is very true to life and very colourful at the same time. The landscapes are so vivid that we can almost sense the fresh mountain breeze always accompanying the strong characters to remind them of hope and that is the main message, delicate and confident.
Hristo Al. Santulov was born on Oct 30th in the ancient town of Plovdiv (Philipopolis) in 1940. He is a young child during the harsh post-WWII years. Time and place made their mark on him. Young Hristo is fascinated by the vibrant fast developing town full of characters of all nationalities. Its famous seven hills are the home of numerous children's games and dreams.
But above all are the picturesque Rhodope mountains whispering their legends. That's why his first book of fairy tales is called The Magy of the Mountains.
Far from being autobiographical or moralizing, Hristo shares the deepest values, ideas and impressions, the beauty of places and people that preserved the child born to a family of illiterate parents that still remembers the hunger and the bread tickets of post-war times. This kid grows up to be a pater familias, a philosophy doctor, an entrepreneur and a writer in his eighties, as fresh in his mind and tales as the mountain breeze he loves to describe so much.
The Magy of the Mountains, a collection of fairy tales by Hristo Santulov, was published by Booktrail agency, New York, January 2023. The book was presented at the London book fair this year and can be found on Amazon.
