Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

2003: Blaga Dimitrova - integrity in times of political disgrace

Author:
Photo: archive

„I have heard Blaga Dimitrova being described as a misunderstanding – a woman, and a poetess at that and so very rational. Critics who often reproach her of being ‘notional’ also blame her for a knack ‘to invent’.” These are words of celebrated Bulgarian-French philosopher Julia Kristeva showing how critics used to treat the creative work of one of the foremost poetesses in modern Bulgarian literature.

The rational and notional quality in Dimitrova’s work were the labels that official critics during communism attached to her accusing her of constant deviation from the tenets of socialist realism and from a truthful description of reality.

Even before the democratic changes in 1989 and later till the end of her life, Blaga Dimitrova stubbornly maintained a course aside of the matrix in both political affairs and literature. In 1988 she decided it was time for her to leave the comfortable occupation of writing and to engage actively in public life. She was among the founders of the Committee for the Ecological Protection of the City of Rousse and of the Club for Support of Publicity and Reforms. She was invited to join the famous breakfast with French President Francois Mitterrand at the French Embassy in Sofia together with other Bulgarian dissidents. The poetess was high on the list of the inconvenient brainworkers whom the communist nomenclature was trying to silence as the need of reform grew in the 1980s.

In the aftermath of 10 November 1989 that gave the start to political changes, Blaga Dimitrova was among a few intellectuals who supported the Union of Democratic Forces in its efforts to steer Bulgaria to a road to democracy. The UDF was the embodiment of the hopes for genuine and irreversible change, a reevaluation of the past and demanding accountability for those responsible for the disaster in the country.

In 1991 Blaga Dimitrova was elected UDF MP in the 36th National Assembly and a year later was elected Vice President to President Zhelyu Zhelev. Before accepting the vice presidential nomination she sought advice from her friend Maria Antonova who encouraged her. Later in her memories about their friendship Antonova wrote that as an honest person Blaga could not bear for long the poisonous atmosphere of political affairs.

Here is what Blaga Dimitrova herself said responding to accusations of new blue totalitarianism promoted by her party UDF which had adopted the blue as its party colour to oppose the communist red:

“Dear compatriots, I have not spoken up to make election propaganda, to reply to taunts and slander or to condemn or attack anybody or anything. The only thing that I cannot pass in silence is the encroachment on the pure and holy hopes of the people, the hopes for a revival of Bulgaria. Some have dared to cast a shadow over our young freedom with accusations of blue totalitarianism. I am asking you – who has been killed today without trial as was the case with thousands of victims after 9 September (on 9 September 1944 a pro-Soviet government was established in Bulgaria). Who has been displaced from their home so that new masters could get in? Who has been exiled to a concentration camp today like thousands of martyrs who lost their lives, health and family during that cruel regime? Whose children today have had their future destroyed because the name of their parents has been blackened? So where is this blue totalitarianism today?”

In the summer of 1992 a rift undermined relations between Blaga Dimitrova and Zhelyo Zhelev following a press conference where the president openly criticized the government of Philip Dimitrov. Loyal to her friends from UDF Dimitrova warned that a plot was underway to overthrow the government though the prime minister did not believe in that. After a failed vote of confidence and the appointment of the Luben Berov cabinet, Blaga Dimitrova stepped down as vice president. Here is what President Zhelev said on that occasion:

“I think she made a big political mistake maybe because she is a woman of literature, a poetess with a different attitude. She let the UDF National Coordinating Council turn her into a political puppet. I think we could have done many other things for Bulgarian democracy. As to our friendship, I believe we will keep it intact in the future too.”

The friendship between the two leaders though was never restored. The author of the novel Face left politics for good in 1999 disgusted by its hypocrisy. On 2 May 2003 Blaga Dimitrova lost the battle with cancer and her modesty and integrity remain as a great example of how a life should be lived.

English versione: Daniela Konstantinova



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Alexander Alexandrov, Viktor Savinikh and Anatolyi Solovyov oboard the Soyuz TM-5 spaceship

1988: Bulgaria – World's 6th Space Country

Do spacemen dream the way all people on Earth do? The positive answer to that seemingly simple question came neither easy nor quickly – that happened in 1988 and within the framework of the Shipka scientific program, carried out onboard..

published on 6/13/15 10:15 AM

1987: Public protests against gassing of Ruse kick off

A red scarf-tying ceremony took place in front of the Monument to Freedom downtown Ruse on 23 September 1987 for the pioneri-to-be children aged 9. At the same time the cloud with the suffocating smell of chlorine was crawling from the Romanian..

published on 6/6/15 9:00 AM

1986: How care-free childhood passes by

The year was 1986. After three years spent in film-making and many difficulties, the TV series Vasko Da Gama ot Selo Rupcha (Vasko Da Gama from the village of Rupcha) was shown by the Bulgarian National Television. Film director Dimitar..

published on 5/30/15 10:25 AM