Anton Donchev

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Anton Donchev at a protest rally by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences on May 19, 2010

Anton Nikolow Donchev ( Bulgarian: Антон Николов Дончев ; born September 14, 1930 in Burgas ) is a Bulgarian writer. He is the author of the historical novel Време разделно , published in German as "Oath under the Crescent". Donchev is a member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences .

Life

Since Donchev's father worked for the Bulgarian post office, the family moved often and lived in Burgas , Tsarevo , Pomorie and Veliko Tarnovo , among others . His mother suffered from tuberculosis , which is why he grew up mainly under the care of his grandmother Srebra. In addition to this fact, his childhood was characterized by his extreme nearsightedness , which led to a strong isolation, because he refused to wear glasses until he was twelve and until then had only vaguely perceived his surroundings.

He finished high school in 1948 Veliko Tarnovo and then enrolled at the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia for law one. After successfully completing this degree in 1953, he turned down a position at the court of Veliko Tarnovo and instead turned to writing.

Works

Donchev deals primarily with events from Bulgarian history in his novels . His work also includes short stories , plays , scripts , poems and science fiction novels .

Пробуждане ( awakening , 1956)

In his first novel Пробуждане (in German roughly "awakening"), Donchev describes the revolt of the brothers Iwan and Peter Assen against Byzantine rule over Bulgaria, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1186-1393).

Сказание за времето на Самуила ( Legend about the time of Samuil , 1961)

This likewise fictional novel, in German roughly "Legend about the time of Samuil", deals with the circumstances that led to the fall of Bulgaria under Byzantine rule and thus to the end of the First Bulgarian Empire (681 to 1018). It is noteworthy that Donchev, in Bulgaria, which was then ruled by totalitarianism, addressed taboo subjects such as the influence of charismatic leaders on historical developments.

Време разделно ( Oath Under the Crescent , 1964)

Donchev's greatest literary success to date is based on the traumatic experiences of the inhabitants of the southern Bulgarian mountain range of the Rhodope Mountains under Ottoman rule. The story, set in 1668, is told from two different perspectives; on the one hand from the perspective of the monk Pop Aligorko, who as a child witnessed the crucifixion of his own father by the troops of the Ottoman usurpers. The French aristocrat Venezianez, who was initially captured during the fall of Crete and later - meanwhile converted to Islam - joined the Turkish troops, conveys a different point of view . The subject matter of the descriptions of the two narrators often overlaps, with neither of the two characters being granted an exclusive claim to the true representation of the events.

The novel reports in a drastic narrative about everyday reprisals and assaults, about arbitrary shootings, rape, forced Islamization and the so-called boy reading , in which Bulgarian boys were torn from their families in order to join the so-called Janissary corps - after an education in Turkish families and training to become elite soldiers to be used, often against one's own compatriots. These traumatic experiences still have a very high emotional value in Bulgarian society, which is why the novel is repeatedly used by left and right-wing national circles for their own ideology.

The book, which has been translated into 33 languages, also made Donchev internationally known. The script for the film of the same name was written by the same author.

The German translation of the novel was published in the GDR under the title "Oath under the Crescent", while the book was sold in the West as "Manol and his Hundred Brothers".

The book is said to have been nominated twice for the Nobel Prize for Literature and has been a figurehead of Bulgarian literature of the 20th century since its publication. Recently, there has been some harsh criticism.

Donchev is particularly accused of tendentious portrayal of historical events, criticizing not only the portrayal of the Ottoman usurpers, but also that of the Bulgarians, who are described either as compliant and fearful servants or as vengeful fanatics.

Further allegations are aimed at the fact that the novel was written on behalf of the communist regime at the time. The Bulgarian journalist Daniela Gorcheva, who lives in the Netherlands, quotes Donchev, who was confronted with this allegation, as saying:

“I wasn't given an order myself. I decided to write this book after Stefan Dischew and Andrej Gupjaschki refused. I was an unknown author at the time. And they gave me 75 leva expenses, with which I traveled across the Rhodope Mountains for 15 days . I had never been there before. "

The accusation is all the more serious since the book was used as part of a propaganda campaign that accompanied the violent expulsions of members of the Turkish minority and the Roma ethnic group in the years 1964–1972. The film version from 1982, for which Donchev contributed the script, in turn preceded the renewed reprisals against these population groups initiated by Todor Zhivkov in the 1980s.

Book editions in German translation
  • Anton Dontschew: Oath under the half moon , novel (original title: Vreme razdelno , translated by Egon Hartmann), New Life , Berlin (East) 1969 DNB 456480072 .
  • Anton Dontschew: Manol and his hundred brothers , Roman (original title: Vreme razdelno , translated by Egon Hartmann), Govert, Stuttgart 1969 DNB 456480080 (The "West German version" of the same title, a licensed edition of the Berlin publishing house Neues Leben for the Federal Republic of Germany, Switzerland and Austria).
Movie

The book was filmed in 1988 in Bulgaria with great effort on original locations, but the five-hour film has not yet been shown in German and is also not available in a German version on DVD: Original title Vreme na Nasilie (Time of Violence), English: Time of Violence (original sound in Bulgarian with English subtitles, 4 hours, 48 ​​minutes).

Other works (excerpt)

  • Калоян ( Kalojan , screenplay 1963)
  • Сказание за хан Аспарух, княз Слав и жреца Терес ( saga of Khan Asparuch , 1982–1992)
  • Глутницата ( The Pack of Wolves , screenplay 1972)
  • Изгори, за да светиш ( Born to Be a Light , TV series 1976)
  • Завръщане от Рим ( Return from Rome , TV series 1977)
  • На другата страна от огледалото ( From the Other Side Of the Mirror , screenplay 1977)
  • Милионите на Приволов ( Privolov's Millions , TV series 1983)
  • Време разделно ( Time Of the Parting , film script 1988)
  • Деветте лица на човека ( The Ten Faces of Man , 1989) ISBN 984-483-119-9
  • Легенда за двете сърковища ISBN 954-739-703-6
  • Странният рицар на свещената книга ISBN 954-739-500-9
  • Николай Рьорих - Ярило слънчицето и Бога агни ISBN 954-739-226-3

Awards

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ Родно, дясно и ляво: Антон Дончев. (PDF; 3.1 MB) In: Литературен вестник. 19.-25. March 2008, pp. 9-16.
  2. ↑ a b Антон Дончев в Европа.
  3. ^ Review in the FAZ of June 16, 1970, p. 31, PDF
personal data
SURNAME Donchev, Anton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Donchev, Anton Nikolow; Антон Дончев
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bulgarian writer
DATE OF BIRTH September 14, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Veliko Tarnovo