Anjel Vagenstein
Encyclopedia
Angel Raymond Wagenstein (born October 17, 1922) is a Bulgaria
n film director
and author. Wagenstein was born in Plovdiv
, Bulgaria
, but spent his childhood in France
where his Sephardic Jewish family emigrated for political reasons due to their leftist politics.
Angel Wagenstein returned to Bulgaria due to an amnesty, and as a student at a lyceum, where he joined an anti-fascist group. For his acts of sabotage, he was arrested and condemned to death in 1944, and it was the invasion of the Soviet Red Army that saved him from execution.
After completing a degree in 1950 in film screenwriting at the S. A. Gerasimov All-Union State Institute for Cinematography in Moscow, he worked as a screenplay writer for the Bulgarian Cinematography Center and for the DEFA Film Studio (the former East Germany Cinematography Center). He is author of over fifty screenplays for film
s, documentaries
and cartoon
s. He became famous with his movies about Bulgarian Communists, especially guerrillas.
His film Stars
, shot in 1959 by the German
director Konrad Wolf
, was awarded the Special Jury Prize
at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival
. In 1980, he was a member of the jury at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival
.
His fiction includes the triptych Петокнижие Исааково (Isaac's Torah), Далеч от Толедо (Far from Toledo) and Сбогом, Шанхай (Farewell, Shanghai), which have been published both separately and together not only in Bulgarian but also in French, German, Russian, English, Czech, Polish, Macedonian, Spanish, Italian and Hebrew. Far from Toledo was awarded in 2002 the Alberto Benveniste annual prize of the Sorbonne, while his novel Farewell Shanghai received the Jean Monnet Prize of European literature in 2004. The French government awarded Angel Wagenstein the high distinction of Chevalier of the French Order of Merit, and later Chevalier of Arts and Literature. He is also the bearer of the highest Bulgarian distinction – the Stara Planina Order. In 2009 he was made honorary citizen of the city of Plovdiv.
He is married to Zora, with whom he has two sons, Raymond Wagenstein and Plamen Wagenstein.
"Isaac's Torah"
"Far from Toledo"
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 film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and author. Wagenstein was born in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Bulgaria
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...
, but spent his childhood in 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...
where his Sephardic Jewish family emigrated for political reasons due to their leftist politics.
Angel Wagenstein returned to Bulgaria due to an amnesty, and as a student at a lyceum, where he joined an anti-fascist group. For his acts of sabotage, he was arrested and condemned to death in 1944, and it was the invasion of the Soviet Red Army that saved him from execution.
After completing a degree in 1950 in film screenwriting at the S. A. Gerasimov All-Union State Institute for Cinematography in Moscow, he worked as a screenplay writer for the Bulgarian Cinematography Center and for the DEFA Film Studio (the former East Germany Cinematography Center). He is author of over fifty screenplays for film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s, documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s. He became famous with his movies about Bulgarian Communists, especially guerrillas.
His film Stars
Stars (film)
Stars is a 1959 film directed by Konrad Wolf. It tells the story of a Nazi officer who falls in love with a Greek Jewish girl while escorting Jewish prisoners through Bulgaria to a concentration camp. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Sasha Krusharska -...
, shot in 1959 by the German
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...
director Konrad Wolf
Konrad Wolf
Konrad Wolf was an East German film director, son of Friedrich Wolf, brother of Markus Wolf....
, was awarded the Special Jury Prize
Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)
The Jury Prize is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival. It is considered the third most prestigious prize at the film festival, after the Palme d'Or and the Grand Prix....
at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival
1959 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Marcel Achard *Antoni Bohdziewicz *Michael Cacoyannis *Carlos Cuenca *Pierre Daninos *Julien Duvivier *Max Favalelli *Gene Kelly *Carlo Ponti *Micheline Presle...
. In 1980, he was a member of the jury at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival
30th Berlin International Film Festival
The 30th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 18 to February 29, 1980.-Jury:* Ingrid Thulin * Betsy Blair* Mathieu Carrière* Alberto Isaac* Peter Kern* Károly Makk* Alexander Mitta* Alexandre Trauner...
.
His fiction includes the triptych Петокнижие Исааково (Isaac's Torah), Далеч от Толедо (Far from Toledo) and Сбогом, Шанхай (Farewell, Shanghai), which have been published both separately and together not only in Bulgarian but also in French, German, Russian, English, Czech, Polish, Macedonian, Spanish, Italian and Hebrew. Far from Toledo was awarded in 2002 the Alberto Benveniste annual prize of the Sorbonne, while his novel Farewell Shanghai received the Jean Monnet Prize of European literature in 2004. The French government awarded Angel Wagenstein the high distinction of Chevalier of the French Order of Merit, and later Chevalier of Arts and Literature. He is also the bearer of the highest Bulgarian distinction – the Stara Planina Order. In 2009 he was made honorary citizen of the city of Plovdiv.
He is married to Zora, with whom he has two sons, Raymond Wagenstein and Plamen Wagenstein.
Prizes and nominations
"Farewell, Shanghai"- Jean Monnet Prize of European literature 2004
- Shortlisted for VIKVikVik is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Vik is the village of Vikøyri.-General information:...
2004 annual prize - Nomination for the international literary prize of Haus der Kulturen in Berlin
"Isaac's Torah"
- Hristo Botev annual prize 1998
- Adei Wizo Literary Prize 2010
"Far from Toledo"
- Bulgarian Writers Association annual prize 2002
- “Alberto Benveniste” annual prize for Sepharade literature 2003
External links
- Brief Biography
- Brief Biography
- Film credits
- Reference on the Bulgarian Writers' Union website
- S. A. Gerasimov All-Union State Institute for Cinematography Всероссийский государственный университет кинематографии им. С.А. Герасимова
- http://www.colibri.bg/resultsb.php?book=412
- http://www.colibri.bg/resultsb.php?book=43
- http://www.colibri.bg/resultsb.php?book=44