Geo Milev
Encyclopedia
Geo Milev (January 15, 1895, Radnevo
- after May 15, 1925, Sofia
), born Georgi Milev Kasabov , was a Bulgarian
poet
.
and later in Leipzig
where he was introduced to German Expressionism
. His university thesis was on Richard Dehmel
. Beginning in 1916 he fought in the World War I
, where he was severely injured. After recuperating in Berlin
he began to collaborate with the magazine Aktion. Upon his return to Bulgaria he started to publish the Bulgarian modernist magazine Везни (Scales), in Sofia. He contributed as a translator, theatre reviewer, director and editor of anthologies.
On May 15, 1925 Geo Milev was taken to the police station for a "short interrogation" from which he never returned. His fate remained unknown for 30 years. In 1954 during the trial of General Ivan Valkov and a group of physical executioners one of them confessed where and how the reported missing had been executed and buried. Geo MIlev was strangled and then buried in a mass grave in Ilientsi, near Sofia after the reprisals following St Nedelya Church assault
. The repressive government used that as an excuse for murdering progressive intellectuals. His skull was found in the mass grave. His body was identified due to the glass eye he was wearing after he lost his right eye in World War I.
.
in the South Shetland Islands
, Antarctica are named after Geo Milev.
Radnevo
Radnevo is a town in southern Bulgaria, part of Stara Zagora Province, located in the eastern Upper Thracian Lowlands close to the Maritsa Iztok Complex. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Radnevo Municipality...
- after May 15, 1925, 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...
), born Georgi Milev Kasabov , was a Bulgarian
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Life
Geo Milev studied in SofiaSofia
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 later 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...
where he was introduced to German Expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
. His university thesis was on Richard Dehmel
Richard Dehmel
Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel was a German poet and writer.- Life :...
. Beginning in 1916 he fought in the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where he was severely injured. After recuperating 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...
he began to collaborate with the magazine Aktion. Upon his return to Bulgaria he started to publish the Bulgarian modernist magazine Везни (Scales), in Sofia. He contributed as a translator, theatre reviewer, director and editor of anthologies.
On May 15, 1925 Geo Milev was taken to the police station for a "short interrogation" from which he never returned. His fate remained unknown for 30 years. In 1954 during the trial of General Ivan Valkov and a group of physical executioners one of them confessed where and how the reported missing had been executed and buried. Geo MIlev was strangled and then buried in a mass grave in Ilientsi, near Sofia after the reprisals following St Nedelya Church assault
St Nedelya Church assault
The St Nedelya Church assault was an attack upon St. Nedelya Church in Bulgaria. It was carried out on 16 April 1925, when a group of the Bulgarian Communist Party blew up the roof of the St Nedelya Church in the capital Sofia. This occurred during the funeral service of General Konstantin...
. The repressive government used that as an excuse for murdering progressive intellectuals. His skull was found in the mass grave. His body was identified due to the glass eye he was wearing after he lost his right eye in World War I.
Works
He published his most famous poem September in his magazine Пламък (Flame) in 1924. It describes the brutal suppression of the Bulgarian uprising of September 1923 against the military coup d'état of June 1923September Uprising
The September Uprising was an armed insurgency staged in September 1923 by the Bulgarian Communist Party under Comintern pressure, as an attempt to overthrow the Democratic Accord government of Bulgaria that had come to power with the coup d'état of June 9. Besides its communist base, the...
.
Selected bibliography
- Жестокият пръстен (1920), The Cruel Ring
- Експресионистично календарче за 1921 (1921), A Little Expressionist Calendar for the Year 1921
- Панахида за поета П. К. Яворов (1922), The Commemoration Ceremony for the Poet P. K. Javorov
- Иконите спят, (1922), The Icons Sleep
Honour
Milev RocksMilev Rocks
Milev Rocks is the group of rocks off the north coast of Robert Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, situated east of Henfield Rock, south-southwest of Orsoya Rocks and southwest of Mellona Rocks, and extending in east-west direction and in north-south direction.The rocks are named...
in the South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
, Antarctica are named after Geo Milev.