Blaga Dimitrova (1922–2003)

Blaga Dimitrova was born in the small town of Byala Slatina, Bulgaria. Her parents were a teacher and a lawyer. The family lived in Veliko Tarnovo and then moved to Sofia. After finishing high school in 1942, she studied Slavic philology at the University of Sofia, graduating in 1945. She joined the editorial staff of the monthly magazine of the Bulgarian Writers’ Association. In 1965, she published her first book, Journey to Oneself. Although her work was recognized by the Communist regime in the early part of the career, she received reprimands

in the 1970s, when her her writing became more critical of the government. The four poetry collections she wrote during this period -- Fireflies Fading, Rubber Plant, Questions, and Hobbyada -- were all rejected by the state publishing houses. The first two volumes of her cultural history of 20th century Bulgaria were banned and the third was not published at all. In the 1980s, she was prevented from publishing the poem Waking for the Poplars, the collection of satires Laming, and the science fiction novel Urania. Her novel Face was first rejected and then published in 1982 after extensive censorship. Reading her work came to be a political statement in Bulgaria.

After the fall of Communism, Face was restored to its original version and republished twice. Dimitrova, by now one of the most popular and beloved writers in the country, was elected to Parliament and served as vice president in the first democratic Bulgarian government in 1992-1993. Her books were translated into more than 20 languages, and she was awarded numerous literary prizes, including the Herder Prize, the Hristo G. Danov Prize,and the Krugge Prize. She also received the French Ordre national du Mérite (Medal of Merit for Freedom). Dimitrova was married to Jordan Vasilev, a literary critic, and adopted a Vietnamese orphan in 1967, after visiting the country several times as a journalist. Dimitrova was the inspiration behind John Updike's short story "The Bulgarian Poetess."