معرفی
Prof. Albena Bakratcheva is a distinguished Professor of American Literature at New Bulgarian University in Sofia, Bulgaria. She serves as Chair of the Master's Program of American and British Studies, which she founded and teaches entirely in English. Her academic home is within the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures, specifically in the Department of English Studies. She teaches a wide range of courses including American Cultural History, Early American Literature, Modern American Literature, and 19th and 20th Century American Poetry.
Prof. Bakratcheva's research focuses primarily on American Transcendentalism, with special emphasis on Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Margaret Fuller. Her scholarly work explores the intersections of American literature, philosophy, and environmental thought, particularly examining Thoreau's concept of 'wildness' and its relevance to contemporary ecological concerns. She has made significant contributions to the understanding of the American Renaissance period and its connections to European intellectual traditions.
Her research output shows a clear trajectory of deepening engagement with Thoreau's works, moving from broader studies of American Transcendentalism to increasingly nuanced examinations of specific texts like 'Cape Cod' and 'Wild Apples.' Her recent work demonstrates a growing interest in spatial theory, chronotope analysis, and transnational perspectives on American literature, while maintaining her foundational commitment to Thoreauvian studies.
- The Walter Harding Distinguished Service Award for excellent literary scholarship (2014)
- Highest Award of the Bulgarian Translators Association for her entire work as a translator of literature and philosophy (2024)
Prof. Bakratcheva has secured significant international research funding throughout her career, including a Fulbright Research Grant to Harvard University in 2024, previous Fulbright grants to SUNY (1993-94), and a John F. Kennedy Institute Fellowship in Berlin (1992). Since 2008, she has served as an Erasmus Lecturer at the University of Macerata in Italy. She is an active member of several scholarly organizations including the Thoreau Society, Margaret Fuller Society, International American Studies Association, and the Bulgarian Translators Association.
