Emiliyan Stanev is one of the most characteristic and controversial talents in modern Bulgarian literature. He entered the literary scene in the 1930s and instantly staked his claim as a serious artistic presence. He created a wide range of works--from urban and animal short stories and novellas with profound psychological insight to a variety of novels, some with a strong philosophic fervor. He also wrote for children. Stanev is among the Bulgarian writers who are widely known abroad. His books have been published in England, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Romania, Greece, the United States, Brazil, Japan, and other countries.

Emiliyan Stanev is the pseudonym of Nikolay Stoyanov Stanev, born in Veliko Turnovo on 28 February 1907 to a clerk's family. Both of Stanev's parents came from families with long traditions, strong patriotic feelings, and an abundance of colorful characters. Stanev finished secondary school in his...