In January 2026, we were delighted to publish The Bulgarian for ‘I Love You’, by Martina Mustafova. Martina’s exquisite, nuanced essay brings together the death of her father from COVID-19, and the birth of her first daughter, in a finely honed meditation on death, loss and legacy.
What does it mean for those you love to outlive you, or to outlive those you love? Mustafova’s masterful essay draws a thread between generations—a bond of kinship and love that does not negate death and grief, but that nevertheless redeems life, even in the face of our loss.
Here is a small extract:
Yes, I want to stay forever, to never leave, to see and witness everything, to be an eternal source of love. But even more than this, when I think of the days after I’m gone, I don’t want my daughter to keep looking back in pain. I want her to feel alive. I want her to keep breathing in the wind, admiring how it rustles the leaves on the trees. I want her to keep smiling at birds as they fly past, basking in the warmth of a patch of sun. I want her to know that life goes on, wildly and beautifully, and that, like my own father, and his ancestors before him, my love for her will continue beyond my death.
Martina Mustafova (www.martinamustafova.com) is a writer and cultural consultant, exploring psychology, collective and ancestral memory, intergenerational patterns, and cultural identity. Her work examines the interplay between the inner life and collective histories, with a particular focus on the roots of racism and social violence. She also co-runs The Sky and Earth Know, a platform dedicated to Romani culture.
Martina’s essay is published as part of our Wind&Bones Digital Short series, and you can download it for just £3.50 as a beautifully designed PDF and accompanying EPUB edition.
We have lots more scheduled for our publishing list in 2026, including essays, curiosities and fiction we love—things too strange, too wayward, or too fine to find a home elsewhere.
