Pavel Vezhinov


Pavel Vezhinov , born Nikola Delchev Gugov, was a Bulgarian novelist and scriptwriter, with an interest for social and ethical issues and one of the first Bulgarian authors to use elements of fantasy in his fiction. Vezhinov is best known for his novels The Barrier and In the night riding the white horses, both later adapted for screen, as well as the screenplay for the Bulgarian film classic Three Reservists.

Life

Pavel Vezhinov was born on November 9, 1914 in Sofia. In the early 1930s he wrote for several magazines, including Жупел, РЛФ, Щит and Изкуство и критика. From 1938-1944 he studied philosophy at Sofia University. In 1938 he also published his first collection of stories, Улица без паваж, followed in 1943 by Дни и вечери. He joined the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1944.
Beginning in 1944, Vezhinov participated in World War II as a war correspondent and editor-in-chief of Фронтовак. He later used his war experiences in stories like Златан and Втора рота. In 1950 and 1951 he was awarded the for his war stories.
From 1947 to 1951 Pavel Vezhinov was assistant chief editor of the satirical journal Стършел, and from 1951 of the journal Септември. From 1954 to 1972 he worked for Българска кинематография first as a scriptwriter and later as assistant General Director. In 1972 he became an editor-in-chief of the magazine and a member of the Buro of the Steering Council of the.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s he published several crime stories and novels such as Следите остават, Произшествие на тихата улица, Човекът в сянка, Прилепите летят нощем, as well as writing travel accounts of Bulgarian athletes at the Olympic games : Знамена по стадионите, На Олимпиада в Хелзенки and До Мелбълн по въздух и море. He served as a chief officer of the boxing section.
He was one of the first Bulgarian authors to use fantasy in his writing as a means to convey parable or metaphor. In 1956 he wrote a satirical story Историята на едно привидение, and in 1965 the stories Сините пеперуди and Моят пръв ден. In 1973 he published a novel Гибелта на Аякс.
In 1963 a collection of short stories Момчето с цигулката came out and marked a new direction to his writing, when he became concerned with the moral and ethical issues of modern life: Дъх на бадеми, Звездите над нас and Малките приключения followed.
The novel Нощем с белите коне first appeared in the literary journal Септември. In 1976 it was followed by Бариерата, for which he received another Dimitrov Prize. Each of the several years that followed was marked by another work: Белият гущер, Синият камък, Езерното момче.
His last finished novel was Везни, in which the author continued reflecting on philosophical and psychological problems and the complexity of human existence. His last story Дълъг летен ден was printed in the journal "Съвременник" shortly before his death.
Vezhinov died suddenly on December 20, 1983.

Awards

Collections of stories