182464 | 22 July 2025 | 16:21

Today, no one is saying that the Thracian treasure was already traveling around the world: it was in Japan, in New York, in London, even in Sweden, and I was with my mother during the presentation of these exhibitions, remembers Evgenia Zhivkova

On July 21, it has been 44 years since the death of Lyudmila Zhivkova.

 On the same day, her son Todor Slavkov, half-brother of Evgenia Zhivkova, put an end to his own life.

 I offer you a part of an interview with her from September 20, 2012, recorded in my book "Wounds of Power".

 - Geni, your grandfather was worried that your mother worked so much, that she was exhausted. He shared this with other people around him, and also told her. Why didn't she stop?

 - I don't know. She herself realized that she needed to work a little more calmly, not to strain herself so much. She would leave in the morning around 9, as I already told you, and come back late in the evening and continue reading, working, especially in the last few years. "I still remember, when she started the initiative with the assembly "Flag of peace", she told me that from now on she will work only for the children, so that the children in Bulgaria can be well, to develop. She even planned (which unfortunately could not be realized, as she passed away) to donate part of her salary to a fund that supports children with talents. She wanted it to be her personal initiative, personally financed by her, not by the government. Even then, with my childish mind, I thought: "Okay, she will give her money to others, but what will be left for us?"... Then everything changed. I felt the terrible absence of the mother. A 15-year-old girl and a younger boy were left without their closest person, without someone to confide in. Your whole life turns upside down. Do you become embittered towards someone?"

 How did the rumor of her suicide spread?

 − No, I'm not angry. I never believed she could commit suicide, because she was not the type of person to leave us like that. It went against her principles and beliefs. When we were told she had passed away, I wondered why she had left us. But she was not the person to do something like that. She had written me a letter regarding our childhood fights: "Do you think a person who wants to organize the "Banner of Peace" assembly for the children of the world doesn't love their own children?"

 - Have you ever mentioned that DS is following you? − No, she never mentioned it to me.

 But in 1980-1981 I was present during a conversation between her and my grandfather, when she told him that Murzhev was following her and reporting somewhere about what she was doing. She asked my grandfather to remove him from her security. ) My grandfather advised me to wait. Later, Murdzhev published a book about my mother, in which there are many lies. There are many things that are exaggerated. And I don't think it's right for people who have been in such positions to write about these things. It's not moral. (Dimitar Murdzhev worked for 20 years in the State Security Service, 13 of which were spent in the personal security of Todor Zhivkov and Lyudmila Zhivkova, and later in the personal security of Chudomir Alexandrov and Andrey Lukanov.) In the book "This is how I saw them," he tells about events and personalities related to the Zhivkov family, about General Kashev and General Milushev, about the nurse Ani Mladenova, about Petar Mladenov, Dechko Uzunov, Svetlin Rusev. The days of Lyudmila Zhivkova, from the car accident to her suicide, are described with special drama: the mystical interest in India, the communication with Dr. Dimkov and Baba Vanga, the fervent desire to open Bulgarian culture to Europe and the world, the premonition of the impending collapse... - b. a.)

 - Who told you about her death?

 - Ivan (Slavkov) informed us about her death. My brother Todor and I were in Varna and she was supposed to come visit us in a few days. Last night, I called and searched for both of them over the phone, first I searched for my mother, but I couldn't reach her. The woman who answered the phone told me she wasn't there. Then I started looking for Ivan, she told me he wasn't there either. I got a little worried - at 10 o'clock at night, no one to be found. I called two or three more times, but they didn't tell me anything else. The next morning, we were woken up early. We had two women looking after us - Aunt Tanya and Aunt Elena. We were with Aunt Tanya at "Evksinograd". I was with two of my friends. They woke us up and told us we had to go back to Sofia. They had sent a plane to pick us up. The atmosphere on the plane was heavy, but we didn't know anything. I could tell that something had happened, but I didn't know who or what. No one told us. We were immediately taken to the apartment of "Tolbuhin", there Ivan came and told us: "Your mother has passed away." That's it!

 - "Didn't you ask anything?"

 - "In that moment we didn't ask anything else." Todor started crying and hid in the kitchen, while I locked myself in the bathroom and also started crying.

 - "Have you tried to understand how the last moments, the last hours passed, have you recovered them for yourself?"

 - "She was in Borovets with my grandfather. She had taken a vacation and was resting there. This happened after her visit to Mexico, she had health problems. She went to Mexico on the day she returned from India. We didn't even see her, as we were at school. I only know that she took another suitcase with different clothes and immediately flew to Mexico. The time difference between India and Mexico is big." It is normal to feel unwell under such a workload. But it had been a few months and she had started to recover. Then she had taken a leave of absence and was supposed to come to us in Varna. We were waiting for her at "Evksinograd." She had just finished the International Meeting of Women Leaders of National Commissions for Working with Children.

 − She had returned to the villa in Boyana from Borovets. She had instructed the security to buy her two packages of sleeping pills... 

 - That's what Murdzhev claims. She didn't take any medication. They had barely convinced her to take some medicine related to the treatment she was undergoing. In general, she was treated with non-traditional methods, drank herbs, teas - that's how I remember her. After the disaster, when she started studying alternative medicine, not just philosophy, she began to treat herself with herbs. Even we were not allowed to take antibiotics or be treated with antibiotics, but these people who write books, they wouldn't know that, so I don't know what medication she was taking, let alone take more.

 - Have you spoken to Bogomil Gerasimov about his stories, that in Mexico your mother was in an inappropriate state for two days?

 - No, and I have no desire to talk. He was one of the smearers. It is not moral to talk about such things.

 - And where did the rumor start that she may have committed suicide. Who spread it?

 - I don't know, to be honest, where the rumor started.

 - And do you remember the funeral?

 - Yes, I remember, yes. "I didn't want to go to the funeral."

 - In your opinion, what was misunderstood about Lyudmila Zhivkova?

 She was misunderstood for devoting her life to the people, no matter how trivial it may sound. She was not able to realize her idea for a fund for talented children, and was not able to finish the ambitious work she began, which aimed to open Bulgaria culturally to the world. Few people know that a few days before her death, she met with Robert Maxwell, who was holding talks with my mother for a meeting between her and the Queen of England, and in this way to start closer contacts between the two countries. I believe that many people did not understand the strategy for quietly opening Bulgaria to the world. It is no coincidence that Nikolai Roerich is the artist and philosopher with whom the realization of the "Long-Term Comprehensive Program for Elevating the Role of Art and Culture in the Harmonious Development of the Individual and Society in the Construction of the Developed Socialist Society" begins. He is a Russian, but was not accepted in the USSR, while the global scope of his activities from Russia through India to America and Europe allows for a maximum range of my mother's work.

 - Todor Zhivkov when did he begin to recognize the failure of the socialist system in the family?

 - He openly shared with me during the period of 1985-1987. But before the July Plenum, he already told me about his specific intentions and plans - to separate the state from the party. He said it would not be easy and immediate, he believed there would be resistance from the people who had benefited, at the level of the Central Committee and above. He wanted to reduce the privileges enjoyed by this circle. He was convinced that the centrally planned economy should gradually be replaced by a market economy. That is why Decree 56 was developed and adopted. The Soviet Union and Gorbachev did not agree with his views. I cannot say that Gorbachev did not like him, but Zhivkov was definitely a thorn in his side. It irritated him that Zhivkov held a leadership position in the socialist camp, and his word was heard.

 - How did his conflict with Gorbachev arise?

 The problem was that my grandfather believed that there should be a different approach to reforming the communist system, and that the path towards opening up to the Western world and economies should be different. Zhivkov wanted to analyze the development of socialism in Bulgaria and choose the right path for change, rather than just talking about restructuring, which did not happen until the end of 1989. Simply put, socialism was not reformed and thus this system ended. Capitalism prevailed. My grandfather believed that we should have closer trade relations with developed countries. He wanted Bulgaria to become a mini-Japan, a mini-Germany. I know from eyewitnesses that they discussed with Josef Strauss, the chancellor of Bavaria, the possibility of our country joining the European economic zone. This is where the differences with Gorbachev began.

 Wasn't your mother the real reformer before him, but perhaps ahead of her time?

 - Yes, she was a reformer, but precisely because of her ambitions, she had problems with people from my grandfather's circle. They were plotting, claiming that she was deviating from the right path and ideology. I know from my grandfather that he was invited to Moscow by Brezhnev several times to be scolded for opening up Bulgaria to the sphere of culture, communication with the Western world, dissidents and emigrants. In Moscow, they believed that this was a threat to socialism, but the truth is that my grandfather was my mother's backbone. He supported her, defended her, even in the Politburo. These plotters were close to him, I don't want to mention names, he knew them. They sent contributions to Moscow and then they smeared him, even after my mother's death, they published books about her.

 - Did you know that you were being wiretapped?

 - Yes. All the phones at home were being tapped - unofficially, but in reality, completely officially. But at some point, you detach yourself, you can't live constantly with that thought. I adapted, I found ways to exist, to overcome all kinds of barriers. Those were tough days. They wanted to erase our names from everywhere. In 1990, the "Banner of Peace" assembly was closed, and the "Lyudmila Zhivkova" foundation was renamed to "Cyril and Methodius" to sever any "links" these two institutions had with my family. Vladimir and I were excluded as members of the foundation, even though we were its founders, without being informed. With Todor as donors, we had raised a large sum, collected from the fees of my mother. I was a member of the "Childhood" fund - I was excluded for political reasons from its management board. The "Flag of Peace" center was ransacked. The idea of ​​communicating with the world was shattered, and many important international contacts were lost. Despite the support of politicians and intellectuals from dozens of countries. The goal was to erase my mother's name as a contributor to our culture.

 No one says today that the exhibition with the Thracian treasure was shown in dozens of countries then. The Thracian treasure traveled almost the whole world: it was in Japan, in New York, in London, even in Sweden I was with it during the presentation of these exhibitions. She was still the Deputy Chair of the Committee for Culture when she went to Paris in 1975 with the idea of opening Bulgaria to the world. I was young, but I will never forget the respect with which international leaders treated the collection and Bulgaria in general. Not coincidentally, there were many celebrations around the world for the 1300th anniversary of the creation of the Bulgarian state. Everywhere we were received as equal partners. And now there is no national strategy or policy for promoting our culture, nor for education - regardless of who is in government. If something happens, it is placed in a different context. Back then, Bulgaria stood behind its talents - young and established.

 - Which issues did you argue with your grandfather about?

 - He supported me on these issues, he agreed with the way of action. But it wasn't easy. In a closed system dominated by the socialist bloc and a certain state policy, while taking into account the country's commitments, not everyone was satisfied with what my mother was doing. There was envy that Bulgaria was heading towards the West, that serious contacts were being made with Western countries. I remember an interesting dispute about the Assembly, which today may sound funny, but at that time I supported her. She did not want any pioneer ties for children during the "Flag of Peace" event. And she argued with my grandfather, who was held accountable for all the criticisms that would be directed towards the assembly. However, she did not give in from her position. My grandfather then said: "Please, let at least the pioneer ties remain, as we already endure criticism from here and there for being too open and having too many ties with the West." Her position, which she also explained to me, was to have no politics, no party affiliation when it came to the idea of world unity through creativity. This was the main goal.

 - She had serious opponents in the Politburo. Do you know who were the sharpest critics?

 - I don't know of anyone officially declared as her sharp opponent. She worked with Stanko Todorov and Grisha Filipov, who supported her in many aspects. There is one letter from her about the confirmation of the cultural policy that Bulgaria should adopt in the future. As a result, it became a decision of the Politburo and was signed by Petar Mladenov and Aleksandar Lilov as representatives of the new generation of politicians in the Central Committee, who would implement a new type of policy in various areas. She also signed many agreements with the United States for cooperation in the fields of culture, education, which are now forgotten or deliberately not talked about. Some of her ideas, especially those for opening up Bulgaria, were apparently not accepted by everyone in the Central Committee. Georgi Yordanov has told me that the former Minister of Culture in the Soviet Union, Pyotr Demichev, had a very good attitude towards my mother. When he came to Bulgaria after her death, he cried during the meeting with my grandfather. But in the higher political circles in Moscow, there was probably dissatisfaction that she was working towards opening up Bulgaria to the world. My grandfather used to say that he was pressured to have an influence, so he could act more carefully and gently. There were several indications from Brezhnev's side. I know this because our families were close - my mother communicated with Brezhnev's wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law. They had a human relationship. They would visit us, and we would visit them in Crimea. Maybe that's why Brezhnev shared with my grandfather what was the consequences of my mother's actions.

 - What did she not like about the system?

 - The Cold War that was being waged. My mother was fundamentally against war. That's why she raised the slogan "Banner of Peace" for unity in the name of peace and the preservation of cultural values and overall life values. I remember that when she started working more actively on these issues, she did not allow the purchase of toys that symbolize tanks, guns, and similar things. And she did not give such toys to other children, even if they were boys.

 -Do you think that if she wasn't Todor Zhivkov's daughter, she would have been able to realize her ideas?

 - Maybe not. Which means that she had the support of her father. They have, of course, argued about various issues, but the reason they have argued the most is her desire for everything to happen faster, right away. She did not spare herself in her work.

 - Explain to me the phrase "Think of me as fire."

 - There is no such phrase. She has shared that fire comes from Eastern philosophy, that fire burns, ignites, leaves a mark and is passed on to human relationships - in the same way something or someone can be followed. "Think of me as fire" is an interpretation after her death, which was used as the title of a book about her.

 - When did she first meet Vanga, who took her to Vanga?

- I don't know exactly when, maybe when she was still a student. Later their meetings were very frequent, Vanga would come to our house. That's when I met Vanga. As soon as she entered, she immediately knew I was in the room, and without anyone asking her, she said: "This girl will finish history." I was around 10 years old. Vanga did not come to make prophecies. She talked with my mother about the future of Bulgaria. When I was at the beginning of my pregnancy with Lyudmila, there was still no way for me to find out the gender of the baby. And I decided to try with Vanga. I knew she wouldn't tell me, but I went. I asked her, "If I give birth to a boy, how should I name him?" She replied, "When you give birth to a boy, then I will tell you. And if you give birth to a girl, will you name her Lyudmila?" It was her style. She treated me like a mother - she felt very close to me. A good person. In the 90s, I began to feel pain from her because of what was happening with the people of Bulgaria... Let's remember that she left everything she had to the state. She even built a church

 - But she did not predict the death of your mother. Have you spoken to Vanga about it?

 - Yes, but I didn't ask her why she didn't predict it. Vanga herself told me. Sometimes, she would make strong contact with my mother and worry that she would fall into a trance. During one such conversation, Vanga broke down in tears and said to me: "I could not predict this death." And she told me that the two of them had seen each other a week or ten days before the death.

 My mother told her about some dramatic dream she had, in which angry dogs were walking in the yard. However, Vanga couldn't understand exactly what it was about, she didn't even analyze the story. She told me that after my mother's death, she was also shocked by the death and remembered this dream, that it was not good and didn't predict anything good.

 Perhaps my mother had some kind of feeling...