Featured Interview With Ognian Georgiev
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My entire live is connected with the capital city of Bulgaria – Sofia. I am living in one of the quietest districts, named on our national hero Vasil Levski, with my girlfriend Ralitza and our little daughter Valeria. In the last 14 years the profession that is bringing food on my table is journalistics. I am writing about sports.
My job gave me a chance to see the world and to meet some of the most unique personalities. I covered the last two Summer Olympics in Beijing and London for my editions as many other international events.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
During the communism we’ve got one very interesting state policy, called “Book Post”. At the end of each year you’ve got a chance to subscribe and to pay in advance for a selection of novels that are going to be published next year.
My mother was an avid reader. She ordered a lot of books and always was adding to her list adventure novels. This is how I met Karl May, Emilio Salgari and Jules Verne.
We don’t have internet, cable tv or many other distractions for the kids during 80-s. So the reading was great joy for some of us. This is the reason that I became part of the magic world of books.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love non fiction history or sports books, like biographies. Fantasy and crimes are also warmly welcomed to my book shelf. Raymond Feist, Gay Kavriel Kay and Neil Gaiman are some of my favorites. Michael Connelly is always fun to read.
I love also to check new indie authors, who are writing genres near my favorite ones.
The inspiration is a very strange thing. I decided to write my book, which is a non fiction, because of the real life events. One day the main character Galabin Boevski returned surprisingly to our country. It was a shocker for the society, because he was sentenced for a long period in Brazil. Nobody knows why and how he was able to get back home.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski’s secret story” is a novel about a legendary weightlifter, who won everything – Olympic, World and European title. He was a hero in his country and was recognized around the planet. Several years after the end of his career, the news breaks that he is arrested in Sao Paulo’s airport with 9 kg of cocaine. He is with his daughter, a talented tennis player. Both are arrested. After a short trial Boevski is sentenced for 9 years and 4 months.
The book mixes the most interesting moments of his career – Olympic glory, doping scandals, betrayals etc. and the fight for survival in the Brazil prison.
The events on the book are reproduced, thanks to numerous interviews with Galabin’s relatives, friends, former colleagues from national team, coaches, journalists and many others.
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