A unique Bulgarian talent has left us. He passed away yesterday, on the typically Bulgarian feast called ?Babin Den? (i.e. Midwives? Day), the day we always celebrate as glorification of life itself? As always, everything connected to Radichkov is so symbolic?
The traditional feast Midwives? Day, and its contemporary analogue ? The Day of the Maternity Care, is celebrated on January 21st, according to the ?new style? (the Gregorian calendar). It is the traditional celebration day of midwives and gynecologists ? all those who help the new life come out. It is always a pity to lose life on such a day, especially if it is one of the liveliest and most talented figures of our time. Radichkov has helped his nation live with a new self-confidence for being capable of giving birth to world-famous talents?
He was born on October 24th, 1929, in the village of Kalimanitsa, Montana district (in the northwest of Bulgaria). He graduated high school in the town of Berkovitsa. He started his literary career as an editor of literary magazines. Later he published articles and short stories in various magazines and literary newspapers, until in 1959 he released his first book of short stories called ?The Heart Beats for People? ? those early collections of short stories attracted readers? and critics? attention with heart-touching lyrical elements combined with straightforwardness. Gradually, the lyrical and the romantic in his works made its way to the parody and the grotesque, embraced in the wonderful atmosphere of folkloristic elements, featuring folk fantasy and unique humor.
Yordan Radichkov was among the nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature but due to some dark omen that has haunted our literary talents ever since Pencho Slaveykov, he did not live to receive such a Prize. But it might just be the other way round ? maybe the Nobel Prize had not been able to reach him, since, with his ?theatre of future? as the French Society of Critics defined his works, Radichkov had always been far ahead of his time?
We would like to present to our readers an excerpt from Radichkov?s address to Pope John Paul II, on May 24th, 2002, during his visit to Sofia (in the National Palace of Culture):
"We have lived here, in our lands, for more than a thousand years now, and we believe that when a child is born, God spreads His benevolence over that home and sends down His angel to it. While travelling around our country, you will probably meet a lot of parents, walking around their little angels or coming to church with their little angels.
The large Aristotle?s passage for migrating birds runs high above us. Two times a year, from the south to the north and later back from the north to the south again large flocks of birds come and go. Unlike us, the humans, birds do not push one another and never stay in each other?s way. In the winter, when the ground is frozen, water birds fly low over the rivers and small water basins. Those water basins breathe vapors and water in there never freezes. People tenderly call them ?warm spots?. Birds land on the surface of these warm spots to get some rest during their long way and to find some food. Living under that passage in the air, we constantly see the way God had taken care of everything. And we see that nothing in this world could happen without God?s benevolence.
Your Holiness, I would dare to tell you a very personal story of mine. My childhood took place in a tiny poor village in the northwest of Bulgaria. We had a small icon of the Holy Mother with the Infant at home . That home icon was highly respected by all of us. Each year, on my name day ? the Yordanovden (Epiphany) Feast, I used to go back to my home village, and at dawn I took water out of the well, and carefully washed the faces of the Holy Mother and the Infant. My hands used to get frozen in the January biting cold, but the reminiscence of my washing the face of the Holy Mother has warmed my heart ever since.
Finally, Your Holiness, allow me to make a bow to you and to tell you from the depth of my heart: ?Welcome to the land of Bulgaria?. Our country is small in territory but our heart is large enough, and there is always some place in it for everyone that God has sent to us??.