Comedy writer Mihail Veshim will present his new book, "The Chemistry of a Joke," today at 6pm at the Writer's House in Burgas. The event, called "An Evening of Smiles," is part of the Autumn Literary Festival and is run by the Sea Crabs club.

This follows our earlier report on the opening of the Autumn Literary Festival in Burgas, which started on October 1. Entry to all events is free until October 30.

"The Chemistry of a Joke" is one of Veshim's latest books. It's autobiographical and brings together stories from more than 40 years of his writing career.

"This book is autobiographical. As a humorist, I was tempted to follow the example of Mark Twain and Branislav Nušić," Veshim told Bulgarian National Radio. Like them and other humorists who wrote funny accounts of their own lives, he admits he's not in their league, but wants to stand alongside them.

The stories in the book cover Veshim's years at the satirical weekly Starshel, where he worked first as a staff writer and later as editor-in-chief, as well as his meetings with other well-known humorists. "I'm bringing back names that have been forgotten," he says.

The book takes readers back to the grinning kid who laughs the moment someone wags a finger at him. He says the knack for finding something funny in everything has stayed with him to this day.

A separate piece is devoted to two people from Burgas who left their mark on the genre of humour: Boris Aprilov, known as "Ahoto", and Petar Neznakomov.