Bulgarian writer Kalin Terziyski dies aged 55

Kalin Terziyski, one of Bulgaria’s leading contemporary writers, has died aged 55. His death was announced by his brother, Svetoslav Terziyski, in a Facebook post.

Terziyski was born on 22 March 1970 in Sofia. He graduated from the National High School of Mathematics and, while still a pupil, wrote his first surrealist poetry cycle, Poems in the Dark. He later studied psychiatry and worked until 2000 at the St Ivan Rilski State Psychiatric Hospital in Kurilo. Over the years, he also held a range of other jobs, including carpenter, pollster, hospital orderly and nurse.

Terziyski was the author of several poetry collections, numerous short story volumes, and a number of novels, including Alcohol, Madness, Soldier, and The Love of a 45-Year-Old Man. In 2011, he was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature for his short story collection Is There Anyone to Love You?, which brought him international recognition and led to translations of his work into other languages.

Literary critics often described Terziyski’s writing as highly personal and autobiographical, with a strong focus on the inner lives of his characters and the paradoxes of contemporary society. He also worked as a screenwriter for numerous television and radio programmes and was widely known for his sharp satirical sketches. In addition, he was a visual artist, holding four exhibitions, three of them solo shows.

Bulgaria has lost one of its most original cultural figures. A psychiatrist, poet, writer, painter and screenwriter, Kalin Terziyski will be deeply missed.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov

Edited and posted in English by E. Radkova