The love and hate of criticism

Veselin Yosifov has already written dozens of reviews, articles and critical notes, and has published a number of reports and talks. Written on different occasions and at different times, scattered across many newspapers and magazines, prefaces to publications, etc., in their entirety they outline a temperamental creative physiognomy, diverse interests and literary culture. And here, after so many years of work in the literary and critical field, he presented to the reader a very small part of them in a book entitled "Articles for Bulgarian Writers". Whether this is the best thing written by a critic is difficult to judge, but in any case it must confirm and illustrate his understanding of literature and criticism. I have heard it said about Yosifov that he has a sharp pen. And this is undoubtedly true. Because there are few of our critics who affirm or deny as sharply as he does. In all his works, "hate" and "love" are clearly visible. Therefore, for a critic like Veselin Yosifov, it seems to me, the words of S. S. Smirnov from his article "Notes on Criticism" are precisely appropriate: "The profession of criticism is perhaps the most ungrateful of all literary professions. Writers usually treat critics like drivers treat traffic police inspectors - they either respect them or fear them, but rarely love them."