Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2026 All Rights Reserved

A novel by Ilko Minev is a bestseller in Brazil

Photo: BTA/Personal archive

The novel "Onde estão as flores" ("As Flowers Go: Escape to Homeland Amazonia") by Bulgarian writer Ilko Minev ranked second in the list of best-selling books in Brazil for the period 20-26 March 2023, the website Ploshtadslaveikov reported. 

The novel's protagonist, Licco Hazan, is an elderly man born in Bulgaria who settles in Amazonia. The book recounts the little-known and intensely intriguing story of how 50,000 Bulgarian Jews were rescued from the gas chambers during Nazi domination of Europe, details the flow of Jewish immigrants to the country's sparsely populated northern Manaus region and advocates, without ideologizing, a world without war, the book's synopsis in the ranking states.

In a 2018 interview with Radio Bulgaria's Albena Bezovska, Ilko Minev tells how he ended up in Brazil: 'In 1969, something happened in my life that surprised me and turned me into a dissident. In fact, a very good friend of mine became a dissident and the State Security did not believe that I was not involved. It became difficult for me, it was clear that I had no future in Bulgaria. The opportunity arose to leave the country and I went to Belgium, where I studied economics, and in 1972 I went to Brazil. Soon after my arrival I went to Manaus for three months and I have been there for 46 years now."




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

Sylvia Tomova – Leading Stara Zagora State Opera’s multinational ballet company

Sylvia Tomova, a star of the Bulgarian stage, received her training at the Vaganova State Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg. Her career has been closely linked to the National Opera and Ballet, where, as a prima ballerina, she has performed over 90..

published on 10/23/25 4:39 PM
Petar Boyadzhiev and Daniela Zekina

Canada-based Bulgarian artists Petar Boyadzhiev and Daniela Zekina will present joint exhibition in Chicago

Canada-based Bulgarian artists Petar Boyadzhiev and Daniela Zekina will present their joint exhibition “AlterEgo” in Chicago on November 1 . Their new paintings with graphics and paintings will be exhibited at the “Bagrena” Gallery at the Bulgarian..

published on 10/23/25 10:32 AM
Photo: Consulate General of Bulgaria in New York

Bulgarian-English co-production “Devil’s Play” wins award at Chelsea Film Festival in New York

The Bulgarian-English co-production “Devil’s Play” won the Best Cinematography Award at the prestigious Chelsea Film Festival in New York, announced the Consulate General of Bulgaria in New York on Facebook. The film was screened as part of the..

published on 10/21/25 11:24 AM