Viktor Paskov
Encyclopedia
Viktor Marinov Paskov was a Bulgaria
n writer, musician, musicologist and screenwriter.
Paskov was born in the capital Sofia
and finished high school in the city. He graduated from what is today the Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre
in Leipzig
, East Germany in 1976 and was part of several jazz
bands. Viktor Paskov was in Germany
as a composer, opera singer and critician until 1980, when he became literature and music editor with the Sofia Press publishing house, a position he held until 1987. In 1987, Paskov joined the Boyana Film Studio as an editor and screenwriter.
The years from 1990 to 1992 Paskov spent in Paris
, France
. He also worked as director of the Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Berlin
from 2002 to 2004. Paskov died from lung cancer
in Berne
, Switzerland
, aged 59. He was buried in the Central Sofia Cemetery
.
Paskov's early poems were published in the Rodna rech magazine in 1964. His first book Nevrastni ubiystva (Juvenile Murders) was released in 1986. Viktor Paskov has also written five other books and four screenplays.
His second and probably best known book, Balada za Georg Henih (A Ballad for Georg Henych), published in 1987, won the foreign literature award at the Bordeaux
book exhibition. In the novella
set in 1950s Sofia, the quasi-autobiographical character Viktor tells the story of an elderly Czech emigre, master luthier
Georg Henych. Destitute and lonely, rejected by his Bulgarian former apprentices but embraced by Viktor's family, the skilled violin
maker passes on to young Viktor the values of art, faith and love, virtues severely lacking in the financially and culturally impoverished Sofia neighbourhood in the early years of communism.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n writer, musician, musicologist and screenwriter.
Paskov was born in the capital Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and finished high school in the city. He graduated from what is today the Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre
Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig is a public university in Leipzig . Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatory of Music, it is the oldest university school of music in Germany....
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, East Germany in 1976 and was part of several jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bands. Viktor Paskov was in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as a composer, opera singer and critician until 1980, when he became literature and music editor with the Sofia Press publishing house, a position he held until 1987. In 1987, Paskov joined the Boyana Film Studio as an editor and screenwriter.
The years from 1990 to 1992 Paskov spent in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He also worked as director of the Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from 2002 to 2004. Paskov died from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, aged 59. He was buried in the Central Sofia Cemetery
Central Sofia Cemetery
The Central Sofia Cemetery or the Orlandovtsi Cemetery is the main cemetery in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The cemetery has several chapels used by various Christian denominations, such as a Bulgarian Orthodox church of the Dormition of the Theotokos, a Roman Catholic chapel of Saint Francis...
.
Paskov's early poems were published in the Rodna rech magazine in 1964. His first book Nevrastni ubiystva (Juvenile Murders) was released in 1986. Viktor Paskov has also written five other books and four screenplays.
His second and probably best known book, Balada za Georg Henih (A Ballad for Georg Henych), published in 1987, won the foreign literature award at the Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
book exhibition. In the novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
set in 1950s Sofia, the quasi-autobiographical character Viktor tells the story of an elderly Czech emigre, master luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
Georg Henych. Destitute and lonely, rejected by his Bulgarian former apprentices but embraced by Viktor's family, the skilled violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
maker passes on to young Viktor the values of art, faith and love, virtues severely lacking in the financially and culturally impoverished Sofia neighbourhood in the early years of communism.