[[Slavisk kultur]] var i en stor del af middelalderen centreret i både det første og andet bulgarske rige. [[Preslavs litterære skole|Preslav]], [[Ohrids litterære skole|Ohrid]] og [[Tarnovos litterære skole|Tarnovo]] havde alle litterære skoler, der udøvede en betragtelig kulturel indflydelse over den østligt-ortodokse verden.<ref>{{cite book |title=An Introduction to post-Communist Bulgaria: Political, economic and social transformation |last= Giatzidis|first=Emil|year=2002 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=0-7190-6094-X |page=11 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=MUVgsK_GfxYC&pg=PA11&dq=bulgaria+slavic+culture#v=onepage&q=bulgaria%20slavic%20culture&f=false|access-date=20. december 2011|quote=Thus, with its early emphasis on Christian Orthodox scholarship, Bulgaria became the first major centre of Slavic culture}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Readings in Russian Civilization |last=Riha |first=Thomas |year=1964 |publisher=University of Chicago press |isbn=0-226-71853-0 |page=214 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=_Bkddxc600IC&pg=PA214&dq=bulgaria+slavic+culture#v=onepage&q=bulgaria%20slavic%20culture&f=false|access-date=20. december 2011|quote=And it was mainly from Bulgaria that a rich supply of literary monuments was transferred to Kiev and other centres.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Rise of the West |last=McNeill |first=William Hardy |year=1963 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-56141-0 |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=_RsPrzrsAvoC&pg=PA449&dq=bulgaria+slavic+culture#v=onepage&q=bulgaria%20slavic%20culture&f=false|access-date=20. december 2011|quote=Accordingly, when Bulgaria was converted to Christianity (after 865), bringing massive Slavic-speaking populations within the pale of Christendom, a new literary language, Old Church Slavonic, directly based upon Bulgarian speech, developed for their use.}}</ref> Mange østeuropæiske og asiatiske sprog anvender det [[kyrillisk]]e alfabet, som blev opfundet af Preslavs litterære skole omkring det 9. århundrede.<ref>{{cite book|title=Toward understanding Europe: A political précis of continental integration |last=Ertl |first=Alan W |year=2008 |publisher=Universal Publishers, Inc. |isbn=1-59942-983-7 |page=436 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=X9PGRaZt-zcC&pg=PA436&dq=preslav+school+cyrillic#v=onepage&q=preslav%20school%20cyrillic&f=false|access-date=20. december 2011|quote=At the beginning of the 10th century a new alphabet – the Cyrillic alphabet – was developed on the basis of Greek and Glagolitic cursive at the Preslav Literary School.}}</ref> De middelalderlige udviklinger indenfor kunst og bogstaver stoppede brat med den osmanniske erobring af landet, hvor mange kunstværker blev ødelagt, og kunstneriske aktiviteter lå herefter stille frem til den [[bulgarske nationale genfødsel]] i det 19. århundrede.<ref name="Cultural life">{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/84090/Bulgaria/42715/The-arts |title=Bulgaria – The arts |year=2011|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=20. december 2011|quote=The early impetus of Bulgarian traditions in the arts was cut short by the Ottoman occupation in the 14th century, and many early masterpieces were destroyed.&nbsp;... the foundations were laid for later artists such as Vladimir Dimitrov, an extremely gifted painter specializing in the rural scenes of his native country&nbsp;... At the beginning of the 21st century, the best-known contemporary Bulgarian artist was Christo, an environmental sculptor known for wrapping famous structures}}</ref> Efter befrielsen begyndte bulgarsk litteratur hurtigt at anvende europæiske litterære stilarter såsom [[romantikken]] og [[Symbolisme (stilperiode)|symbolisme]]. Siden begyndelsen af det 20. århundrede er flere bulgarske forfattere, såsom [[Ivan Vazov]], [[Pentjo Slavejkov]], [[Pejo Javorov]], [[Jordan Raditjkov]], og filosofferne [[Julia Kristeva]] og [[Tzvetan Todorov]] blevet kendt uden for landets grænser.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/84090/Bulgaria/42715/The-arts |title=Bulgaria – The arts |year=2011|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=20. december 2011|quote=World classics and modern foreign dramas are typically produced, as well as both modern and traditional Bulgarian plays, including those by Ivan Vazov and poet Peyo Yavorov&nbsp;... These included poets such as Pencho Slaveykov, Yavorov, and Dimcho Debelyanov&nbsp;... More recent authors of note include poet Atanas Slavov, Yordan Radichkov, and Blaga Dimitrova.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=French-Bulgarian Theorist Tzvetan Todorov Wins Top Spanish Award |url=http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=94265 |date=18. juni 2008 |newspaper=Novinite |access-date=20. december 2011}}</ref> I 1981 fik den bulgarsk-fødte forfatter [[Elias Canetti]] [[Nobelprisen i litteratur]].<ref name="litenc">{{cite journal|last=Lorenz|first=Dagmar C. G.|date=17. april 2004 |title=Elias Canetti|journal=Literary Encyclopedia|publisher=The Literary Dictionary Company Limited|issn=1747-678X|url=http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=725|access-date=20. december 2011}}</ref>
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