Sofia, Jan 23: Bulgarian writer Yordan Radichkov, famous for his parodies of human nature and of the Communist regime, died Wednesday, his family said. He was 75.
Radichkov died in his Sofia home of multiple ailments following a stroke five years ago, his son, Dimitar, told The Associated Press. One of Bulgaria's most prolific writers, Radichkov wrote short stories that were translated into all European languages. His play Lazaritsa tells the story of a man who wants to kill his dog after it faithfully served him for years, an allusion to the Communist Party's persecution of intellectuals who later criticized the regime. The human yearning for freedom inspired his landmark play An Effort at Flying and the 1968 film The Tied Balloon, which was banned by the Communists. The ban was lifted shortly after communism collapsed in 1989.
Radichkov started out as a journalist and later worked for several national newspapers.

In 1971, he took a government job as an adviser on cultural heritage. Despite being a member of the Communist Party, he wrote parodies of the regime.

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Radichkov was among a group of Bulgarian intellectuals who met French President Francois Mitterrand during his 1989 visit to Bulgaria at a "dissidents' breakfast," one of the signs that preceded the collapse of Communism.
The following year, Radichkov was elected to the first post-Cold War parliament on the ticket of the Socialist Party of former Communists, but he later resigned.

Radichkov's early collections of short stories attracted readers and critics with their lyricism and directness. Gradually, his works were overwhelmed by parody and the grotesque, with abundant folkloric elements. He painted a tragicomic picture of his Balkan land's transition to modernity under Communism.

"I'm convinced that disorder is the world's natural state," he said in a 1999 interview. "We are the ones who make the mistake of trying to set things straight. People want to organize the universe, while they have enough trouble putting order into their own lives." Besides his son, he is survived by his wife and a daughter. The funeral will be held Friday in Sofia.
Bureau Report