"Zadochni Reportaji" 


Georgi Markov (1929-1978)


    'Dve protivopolojni jelaniya sa me sqprovojdali prez celiyami pqt, otkakto predi shest godini vidyah za posleden pqtslqncheviya grqb na Vitosha, do tuk, kqdeto sega prozorecqt migleda v tiha londonska ulica. Ednoto e jelanieto da zabravyavsichko, koeto e bilo predi - i dobro, i losho. Da zahvqrlyaminaloto kato tejqk i nenujen tovar, da otseka tvqrdo i s edinzamah napqlno nova kniga, na nov ezik i s novo sqdqrjanie. Vinagime e privlichala ideyata za pqlnoto prerajdane, koeto mozhe bi eprisqshto ili na mnogo stradalite, ili na mnogo greshilite. Tovajelanie mi kazva: "Kakqv smisql imashe da napuskash Bqlgariya,ako shte prodqljavash da jiveesh s tova, koeto e ostanalo zadgqrba ti, ako shte zaselvash bqdeshteto s prizracite ot minaloto,ako volnite i nevolni sravnenya prevqrnat nastoyashtiya ti zhivotv liturgiya za predishniya? Ako shte se otdavash na santimentalnipreuvelicheniya po otdavna-otdavna otminala krasota, ako shtedirish opravdanie na vsichko segashno i bqdeshto v minaloto?" Tovajelanie mi povtarya G'otevata misql, che moyata rodina e tam.kqdeto mi e naj-dobre, i me tlaska da se dvija iz novi strani, dasreshtam novi hora, da ucha nov ezik, da se opitvam da mislya ijiveya po nov nachin.  A drugoto jelanie e tova na momcheto ot prikazkata za carTrayan c kozite ushi. Tova e trudno udqrjimiyat, pochti boleznenporiv na chovek da se izprikaje, da izgovori dokraj vsichko,koeto godinite sa natrupali u nego, da go izlee navqn, syakash togo dushi, zashtoto prinuditelno e stoyalo vqtre. Jelanie, koetomi kazva, che minaloto e po-realno ot nastoyashteto, zashtoto vnego sqm se rodil i chrez svyat, az vse oshte nepokqtnato sqm sitam - kraj Vitosha. I vsichko tam e po-jivo, po-zvuchno, po-cvetno ot tova, koeto tuk okolo men. Jelanie, koeto mi zapovyadvada ne otstqpvam moyata Bqlgariya na onezi sluchajnite hora, koitosluchajno sa se rodili v neya, sluchajno jiveyat tam i sluchajnoshte si otidat, zashtoto nito ya poznavat, nito ya obichat, nitogi e grija za neya, zashtoto sa slepi i prosti slugi na chujdavolya i chujda strana. Jelanie, koeto mi povelyava, che imasmisql da sqm tuk samo ako prodqljavam da bqda tam, che imamprivilegiyata i zadqljenieto da razkaja za onzi jivot - takqv,kakqvto e. Tova jelanie mi sochi umqrtvenata Bqlgariya,predstavena ot bezlichieto na oficialnite pisaniya na rejima i ototchajvashtata posredstvenost na tezi, koito govoryat ot nejnoime. kakto i falshivata Bqlgariya, predstavena ot negramotnostta iprenebrejenieto na chujdite pisaniya. Vseki pqt zad narisuvanatakartina na bezlichno sqshtestvuvane, na lisheno ot sqbitiyasqvremenno istorichesko jivurkane, zad provincialnoto spokojstviena gogolevska zaddunajska sqvetska guberniya sqznanieto miprotestirashto vijda osven hlestakovci i gradonachalnici, hora isqbitya, vqplqtili po yarqk, biblejski nachin haraktrera navremeto, nesravnimo po-bogati i po-mnogocvetni ot oniya, koitochujdiyat gospodar e postavil na socialisticheskata vitrina....  Pred men sa tqjnite ochi na baj Ivan Matricharya, kojtokazvasche: "Kogato te boli, zapochni da sqzdavash neschto - i shteti mine." Oshte chuvam altoviya glas na Yuliya, koyato mipovtarya: "Tova, che nyakoj e podlec i otrepka, ne e osnovanie inie da postqpvame taka|" Vijdam lizata na studentite ot brigadatapri Mal'ovica, kogato me pitaha: "Kak sqchetavate ubejdeniyata sis privilegiite, koito polzuvate?" I satirichnoto lice na Radoj:"Chovek za choveka e brat - razbrali be, gad|" I naludnotoizrajenie na bivshiya starshi lejtenant B., kojto placheshe predmen: "Ti ubival li si vqrzan chovek? Kakvo znaesh ti|" I Hristo,kojto kazvashe, che edinstveniyat nachin da se protivopostavish ekato pri vseki povod obyavyavash publichno poziciyata si... Isreshtata s momichetata-prostitutki, sqbrani za moralen razgovor vDirekciyata na miliciyata: "Che to tyaloto, drugaryu, ne e naj-vajnoto, nali?" ... I srednoshtnata "Shumi Marica", pyata zaVqlko Chervenkov... I raztreperaniyat glas na baj Kos'o Kisimov:"Zashto ne pishete za majka Bqlgariya, brej|...  Predi da napusna Bqlgariya, tryabvashe da izgorya dnevnicitesi, vodeni v prodqljenie na 15 godini, no mnogo neshta saostanali v glavata mi sveji i yasni, kato che li sa se sluchilivchera. Podchinyavajki se na vtoroto si jelanie, az shte seopitam da razkaja vsichko tova, zashtoto edin den nyakomu mojeda e nujno moeto svidetelstvuvane.'    izUvodanaGeorgi (Ivanov) Markov:Zadochni reportaji za Bqlgariya.Profizdat, Sofiya, 1990.  P.S.:"Georgi Markov paid for these memoirs with his life. He was one ofBulgaria's leading novelists and playwrights, his work knownthroughout the Eastern bloc; he was a member of a privilegedelite; he was feted by the Prezident, Todor Jivkov. In 1969 hedefected. Settling in London, he began to write his memoirs forRadio Free Europe. They were brodcast weekly over two and a halfyears, reaching five million people, more than half of Bulgaria'stotal population. Markov received messages that Jivkov wasenraged by the broadcasts; he was warned that if he did not stopwriting for Radio Free Europe he would be killed. Hi continued. On7 September 1978 he was shot by an assassin on a London bridgewith a miniscule pellet full of a rare and exceptionally deadlypoisson which, four days later, killed him. This book provides amotive for the murder.  The devastating memoirs that caused the assassination of`Bulgaria's Soljenitsyn`GEORGI MARKOVThe Truth That KilledFirst published in Great Britain in 1983 byGeorge Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited  In 'The Truth That Killed' Georgy Markov offers a devastatingcritique of a Communist Party riddled with corruption anddecadence, of a leader utterly controlled by his Russian masters.Looking further back, to his experience as a student and engineer,he captures the humiliation, absurdity and heroism of ordinaryBulgarian life. In a book of great power, subtlety and humour,Markov creates a gallery of characters who begin to take on ahaunting, symbolic significance: the secret policeman who getsdrunk every night and interrogates imaginary prisoners, the minorParty official who orders his fellow factory workers to guard avat of vaseline. Most telling of all, he described a series ofmeetings with the President, Todor Jivkov; it was thesedescriptions, many now believe, which let to his assassination.  This is first dissident work to come out of Bulgaria, a countryabout which astonishingly little is known, a country wheredissidents are mot allowed to exist. Georgi Markov was killed fortelling the truth.  Georgy Markov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, (on March, the 1st) in1929. He was imprisoned for his political beliefs while a student,he survived tuberculosis and meningitis, and he worked as achemical engineer before recognition of his talent as a writercame 1961 with the publication of two volumes of short stories.The following year his novel 'Men' mad him famous overnight; itwon the year's top literary prize, was translated througoutEastern Europe and made into a film, later shown in Britain. In1963 Markov made his debut as a playwright with `The CheeseMerchant's Good Lady`. By now, acclaimed as the most original ofthe younger generation of Bulgarian writers, he was leading a veryprivileged life and knew many Communist leaders personally.Throughout the sixties Georgi Markov maintained an enormouscreative output, and in his novels 'Portrait of My Double' (1966)and 'The Women of Warsaw' (1968) and his play, 'The Assassins', heexamined the problems of contemporary life under a Socialistregime. But the cultural thaw which had prevailed when he firstachived recognition was over; and he was becoming more and moreoutspoken against the system. A novel, 'The Roof', was banned, andin 1969, just as a new play, 'The Man Who Was Me', was about to bestopped, Markov defected.  In 1971 he came to England, whrere he joined the BBC's BulgarianService and four years later began to write his memoirs to bebroadcast on Radio Free Europe. He adapted old plays - `Let's GoUnder the Rainbow` was staged in 1974 - and wrote new ones. 'TheArchangel Michael', his first work after coming to the West, wonan award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1974. A satirical novelabout British politics, 'The Right Honourable Chimpanzee', writtenwith David Phillips, was accepted by a British publisher; Georgiregarded this as his crucial breakthrough as a writer in the West.He did not live to see its bublication. Georgi Markov married hisEnglish wife, Annabel, in 1975; he leaves a daughter, Sasha."