In Petrich, among Belasitsa, Struma and the city radio station, the story of Evtim Evtimov begins - the poet whose poems become books, songs and memories for several generations. Born on October 28, 1933, he would have turned 93 today.
His first poem was published in 1951 in the newspaper “Pirinsko delo“. A year later, Evtimov graduated from the Institute for Primary Teachers in his hometown and worked as a teacher for a decade. Later he was the head of the local radio station and secretary of the community center “Bratya Miladinovi“.
From Petrich to literary life
In 1966, Evtim Evtimov settled in Sofia and began working at the “Narodna mladezh“ publishing house. In the following years, he held editorial positions in the magazine “Plamak“, the newspaper “Literary Front“ and the magazine “Rodolyubie“. He writes poetry and prose, and his work gradually unfolds in more than 40 books.
Among his most famous titles are “Pirinski baladi“, “Obich za obich“, “Gorchivo vino“, “Prichastie“ and “Wine and Love“. Love is the center of his lyrics, but his poems also feature his homeland, memory, loneliness, wine and human guilt.
“The fire of love is maintained with love“, says Evtim Evtimov in an interview preserved in the Bulgarian National Radio archive.Poems that continued their lives in music
Part of his greatest fame comes from song lyrics. His poems are behind popular titles such as “High“, “If you go away for a moment“, “Bitter Wine“, “Sinner of Love“ and “Love for Love“. They were performed by Lili Ivanova, Yordanka Hristova, Margarita Hranova, Veselin Marinov, the duet “Riton“ and Georgi Hristov.
Thus, Evtimov remains both in literary libraries and in the memory of the radio. His poems have not just been set to music – they have received a second life in the voices of singers and have reached an audience that may never have opened a poetry collection.
Distinctions and memory
In 1983, the poet received the Ivan Vazov Prize, and in 2006 he was awarded the “Stara Planina“ Order. Evtim Evtimov died on June 8, 2016 at the age of 82.
In Petrich, his memory continues to have a specific address – square and monument, on which the poet is depicted sitting with a book in his hand. And his short motto "Love for love" remains the most accurate summary of his work: poems in which love is at the same time a theme, a test and a way to recognize life.
Sources: new.bnr.bg, archives.bnr.bg, bta.bg