Because of tuberculosis, he began to write, and was sought after by thousands of people because of his writing, but he was forced into exile because of his position on the work.
He pursued creative freedom, sang praises and praises in disgust, left the country because of violating political taboos, went overseas, settled in London, and was boycotted and suppressed by the state on the way to escape, but did not change his political position and insisted on writing.
After work, he repeatedly made "dangerous remarks" and eventually died of ricin, and 30 years later, the journalist Christov published a book announcing the results of the investigation into Markov's assassination.
He was the self-reliant writer Georgi Markov, an exile writer who did not trade material for freedom.
Today we will talk about the splendid but short life of this exiled writer.
Georgi Markov
As the most prestigious and promising young writer in Bulgaria at that time, Markov's remarks violated political taboos and eventually died because of an "umbrella".
What has happened to Markov from being "one of the most promising writers of the new generation in Bulgaria" to "one of the most dangerous enemies of the state"? Born in Bulgaria in 1929, Markov, like the average of us, after graduating from university, Markov found a job as a chemistry teacher at a technical school and lived peacefully.
However, in the face of events, Markov fell ill with tuberculosis, which shattered his peaceful life. In order to treat his illness, he was forced to travel to various hospitals, and it was at this time that Markov began to try to write and formed a lifelong relationship with him.
In 1957, Markov published his debut novel "Night of Celsius", which began to emerge in the domestic literary world. Five years later, he won the annual award of the Bulgarian Writers Association for his novel "Man", and then joined the Bulgarian Writers Association and became a famous young writer at that time.
After entering the Writers' Association, Markov enjoyed the privileges of membership and received generous treatment, so he could devote himself to literary creation. In the 1960s, this young writer successively contributed a series of praise-winning works, of which a large number of scripts were adapted into TV series, and for a time, Markov became a popular literary star in China.
The Bulgarian Writers' Association has a lofty position in the cultural circles, and those who are fortunate enough to be recruited into the Writers' Association are naturally listed as the elite of society, and they have no worries about food and clothing. In fact, after Markov entered the Writers' Association, he not only enjoyed the privileges of membership, but also worked in a well-paid publishing house, and a good life could have brought him a second peace, but it backfired.
During the Cold War, the countries of Eastern Europe followed the Soviet style everywhere, and their domestic ideologies had to be standardized. In Bulgaria at that time, literature and politics could not be separated, and the writers' association was the most influential cultural group in the country, and its creative content could not contradict the politics of the time, so Markov had to create "politically correct" literary works.
Unfortunately, Markov's work, which he had devoted a lot of effort to, could not be published for this reason, and he realized that the rules of "political correctness" were a kind of constraint, and the blows such as the suspension of novel printing and the ban on drama performances discouraged him, and eventually Markov left Bulgaria and went to Italy.
Although Bulgaria "banned" Markov's works, he initially had the hope of returning to his homeland after the works were lifted. But in the face of the refusal of the Bulgarian authorities to extend the duration of his passport, Markov remained in the West.
In fact, Markov would make such a decision. For a creator, freedom of thought and release of the mind are extremely important. However, at that time, Bulgaria infiltrated the political system and power into all aspects of society, and the writers' associations relied on government appropriations to survive, so writers needed to "unify their thinking" in creation, all in order to protect the authorities.
This is tantamount to putting a small shackle on the creator's soul. In the long run, the creativity of the creators will gradually wither, so Markov began to re-examine himself.
During that particular period, the politics of the countries of Eastern Europe fluctuated to a greater or lesser extent. Movements such as workers' demonstrations, the October events in Hungary, and the Prague Spring created enormous obstacles for the Supporting Soviet Union in Eastern European countries, and the intertwined images of events reflected the realities of people's lives.
In the face of this situation, those who stand at the top of the class in Bulgaria are not as heroic and fearless as before, enjoying the desire for power and money, political corruption, and extravagance. In stark contrast is Bulgaria's long-term economic backwardness and social closure.
Markov, who had been baptized by the new ideas, could not bear to blindly admire such a leader, recalling that he had been ordered to write a script celebrating the history of the party, but after consulting a large number of materials, he could not really write it.
Later, Markov settled in England and joined the BBC. Outside of work, Markov continued to write novels and screenplays, opening up popularity in the West. To show his political attitude, he made a strong attack on the Bulgarian leader, commenting on its cultural and political phenomena.
In the program "Report of Lost Consciousness", Markov made many sharp remarks against Todor Zhivkov, the first secretary of the Bulgarian regime.
The bold remarks, while earning him greater attention, also put him in danger.
The Bulgarian authorities were so enraged that they ordered Markov to be listed as "one of the most dangerous public enemies of the country," and he was seen by those in power as a thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh, and his work gradually disappeared. On the other hand, this writer is called "Solzhenitsyn of Bulgaria" by many Bulgarians, and his works are also well received in the Western world.
Through various sources of information, Markov learned that he had been included in the list of dangerous people throughout Bulgaria, and under the constant reminder of everyone, he had some restraint and became particularly concerned about his own safety. However, the most important one – don't break the Bulgarian political taboo again, and making inappropriate remarks has not changed in the slightest, which also laid the groundwork for his "accidental death".
In the early morning of September 7, 1978, Georgi Markov was assassinated, and three days later, the famous young writer passed away.
This morning, Markov walked across Waterloo Bridge in central London to work at BBC headquarters. Suddenly, he felt a tingle in the back of his thigh and turned around.
He turned back to see a long-handled pointed umbrella, and a tall and majestic strange man bent down to pick up the umbrella. He said "I'm sorry" to Markov in English with a thick foreign accent, and then hurried away and disappeared into the crowd.
Such an ordinary little thing would be thought by anyone as just careless and accidental, and Markov could not have imagined that this small accident would cost him his life.
In the office, the pain in Markov's leg was noticeably worsened, and at first he didn't care, but when he looked closely, he found that there was a red dot where the umbrella had just been pierced.
That night, he developed a high fever. The doctor conducted a thorough examination of Markov, but never found the cause of the disease, and eventually died. Due to Markov's special status, the British police conducted a detailed inspection.
Police found a metal globules with a diameter of 1.52 millimeters inside his skin, which contained ricin. And the usual umbrella is the assassination weapon wrapped in this deadly toxin.
When it comes to ricin, perhaps many people are not familiar with its horror. Put it this way, ricin is easy to damage the liver, kidneys and other parenchymal organs, can agglutinate and dissolve red blood cells, paralyze the cardiovascular and mental centers, only 0.2 mg can kill people.
Compared with those hidden weapons that seal the throat with blood, ricin is more like a delay in execution, and the poisoned person is still tormented by endless pain before dying. Such an investigation implicitly points to the fact that Markov's death was by no means an accident, but a deliberate murder!
According to the Speculation of the London Police, the black umbrella is not an ordinary umbrella, but a special machine that has been carefully designed to fire this metal ball in an instant, thus unconsciously killing the other party.
For 30 years, Markov's murders have been a mystery-like presence. Mysterious, bizarre colors have always surrounded it, and in 2008, on the 30th anniversary of Markov's death, the Bulgarian journalist Christo Hristov announced to the world the results of his investigation into the mysterious assassination.
It turned out to be a conspiracy of the Bulgarian authorities. The Bulgarian authorities tried to poison Markov twice, but neither succeeded, and the last time, the Danish Francesco Gulino carried an "umbrella gun" to London to carry out an assassination mission, and it is reported that Gulino was given two medals by the Bulgarian authorities.
Originally a smuggler, Gulino was arrested and became a spy under the Bulgarian intelligence agencies, disguised as an antique dealer, gathering intelligence for Bulgaria in various countries. Later, in an interview, Gulino firmly denied that he had been an agent and carried out the task of assassinating Markov.
Due to insufficient evidence, Gulino was released shortly after his arrest. Bulgarian law stipulates that the statute of limitations for criminal cases is 30 years, and Gulino's impunity means that the murder will always be an open case.
Markov's cemetery, in a rural area in the west of England, has four inscriptions on the tombstone: For Freedom. If Markov had concentrated on creating politically correct literature, he would still have been well received by the Writers' Association, and he would still be a hot young writer in Bulgaria.
However, in order to create freely and authentically, Markov preferred to go into exile. Years later, his daughter asked, "If Dad loves us, why write these things?" "I think the answer to this question has been engraved on the tombstone, which is the murmur of life: for freedom, not to live up to freedom."
This issue ends here, follow me, and continue to explore this vast world.
bibliography:
Jing Kaixuan. The Truth[J].Caijing, 2012(17):148.
Zhang Lusheng. Exiled writer Markov: It is better to be martyred for "freedom" than to be bought off by politics[N].Youth Reference, 2013-4-17(22).
Wang Tan. The Biggest Unsolved Case of the Cold War: Fugitive Writer Assassinated in London[N].Global Times, 2018-3-13.
Xiao Chen. A Bulgarian journalist reveals the "umbrella murder case"[N].China Youth Daily, 2008-10-01.
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