Letter to Petya Dubarova

Just like the brief life and oeuvre of iconic Bulgarian poet Petya Dubarova, every page of this short novel pulsates with feelings.

In Letter to Petya Dubarova, South African poet and writer Abigail George weaves a text shaped by the form and imagery of the sea. Petya is a mirage, a beacon, a hand to reach for when the waves of emotion are at their wildest – as the narrator addresses lovers and family members, diving into layered currents of memory and desire, struggle and elation, love and loss.

In places a prose poem, in other places a kaleidoscope of narratives, George deftly shifts viewpoints and personas with every turn of the page, and creates an arresting and evocative map of relationship and inner experience.

Praise for Letter to Petya Dubarova

‘In condensed, arresting fragments, the author bridges time and place, finding fragile refuge from isolation in the timeless enterprise of poetry and the abiding power of the sea.’

— Sydney Morning Herald/The Age