She studies Natural Sciences at the Sofia University (1904), then French Philologie in Geneva and Grenoble (1905-1906). In 1911-1932, together with her husband prof. Boyan Penev, repeatedly travel abroad - Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, France, where she translates.
Dora Gabe is a founding member of the Bulgarian-Polish Committee (1922), the Bulgarian PEN International (1927) and its longtime chairwoman. In the 20s and 30s of the last century she lectures in Bulgaria and abroad on the problems of Bulgarian literature and the fate of Dobrudza. She is a representative of Bulgaria in international meetings of writers, translators and cultural figures.
For the first time Dora Gabe published as a student in Shumen the poem "Spring" in a journal ""Youth"" (1900). But her real artistic debut are poem cycles featured in the "Misul" magazines," "Democratic Review" and "New Society" in 1905-1906.The first collection of poems of Gabe - "Violets" (1908) is composed with the active intervention of the editors Peyo Yavorov and Boyan Penev. Then she published poetry, short stories, aesthetic fiction, travelogues and articles in magazines “Modern Thought", "Zlatorog", "Journal of Women", "Listopad", "Literature voice" and others. In 1926 together with Simeon Andreev she edited the series "Library for children" and in 1939-1941 the children's magazine "Window". Gabe published books of poetry "Ground Road" (1928), "Troubled times" (1957), "Wait, sun" (1967), "Invisible Eyes" (1970), "The compressed silence" (1973). She published short stories "Once" (1924), the poems "The Lunatic" (1933), "Vela" (1946) and others.
Her children books are part of the classic children's literature heritage - "Little Dobroudjan" (1927), "Silent Heroes" (2 parts 1931-1940) "For us the smaller" (1967), "For all children" (1969 ). From 1917 to the end of her life Dora Gabe translated from Polish, Czech, Russian, French and Greek works of famous poets and writers. The largest translation in her work is the anthology "Polish poets" (1921) composed together with Boyan Penev. Some of the books of Gabe are translated in Austria, Argentina, UK, Germany, Poland, Romania, Russia, France, Czech Republic and other countries.
For her rich creative activity she received numerous honors and awards, among which stand out "Golden Cross of Merit" (Poland), Prize of the Union of Bulgarian Writers (1963), the title of "People's figure of Culture" (1969), medal "Georgi Dimitrov "(1966)," Hero of socialist labor "(1976) and others.
Dora Gabe died of old age on November 16, 1983 in Sofia.
