Dora Gabe

Dora Gabe
Dora Gabe, before 1939
Born	(1886-08-28)28 August 1886 Dabovik, Bulgaria
Died	16 November 1983(1983-11-16) (aged 97) Sofia, Bulgaria
Occupation	Poet
Language	Bulgarian
Nationality	Bulgarian
Alma mater	Sofia University, University of Grenoble, University of Geneva
Genre	Poetry

Dora Petrova Gabe (Bulgarian: Изидора Петрова Габе, 28 August 1886 – 16 November 1983) was а Bulgarian Jewish poet. She published poetry for adults and children as well as travel books, short stories and essays. In her later years, she also did extensive work in translation.

Dora Gabe was the daughter of Peter Gabe, an immigrant from Russia, who became the first Jew to be elected to the Bulgarian National Assembly. When he was barred from taking office, he turned to journalism and became a well known public figure in Bulgaria. Dora attended high school in Varna, and then pursued a degree in Natural Sciences at Sofia University (1904). Later, she studied French Philology in Geneva and Grenoble (1905–1906). She taught French in Dobrich (1907). From 1911 to 1932, she resided abroad in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, The Czech Republic, France, The United Kingdom with her husband Prof. Boyan Penev. In the 1920s and 1930s, she gave numerous lectures on political and cultural issues such as the development of Bulgarian literature and the fate of the Dobruja region.

In 1925, the Ministry of Education in Bulgaria assigned Dora Gabe to edit the series "Библиотека за най-малките" ("Library for the youngest"). She also served as the editor of the children's magazine "Window" (1939–1941).

Dora Gabe was one of the founders of the Bulgarian-Polish Committee (1922) and the Bulgarian PEN Club (1927). She served as a longtime president for the latter. She was counselor for cultural affairs at the Bulgarian Embassy in Warsaw (1947–1950), and a representative of Bulgaria in the International Congress of PEN clubs.