Nikola Kazanski
Giordano Bruno In Stalinist Bulgaria: Slavi Boyanov – The First Dissident Philosopher and Italy
Etudes balkaniques (Sofia) 2016 N 4
Abstract: The Communist rule in Bulgaria from 1944 to 1990 represents one of the harsh totalitarian regime in the Eastern Europe. By the end of October 1944 were killed approximately 30 000 people without any court sentences. Every potential form of resistance has been crashed ruthless by all possible and cruelest means. The vigilance was extremely rigid in the “holy of the holies” of the totalitarian ideology – a Marxist-Leninist philosophy.
Slavi Boyanov (1915-2011) was not only the first dissident philosopher in communist Bulgaria, but also one of rare oppositionist who abides by his democratic and humanistic views to the very end. The foundations of his anti-totalitarian Weltanschauung were the ideas of the Italian Rinascimento and especially the philosophy of Nicolaus Cuzanus and Giordano Bruno. A French trained and a fervent adherent of Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev he nevertheless substantiates his defense on Italian civilization, culture and notorious humanism. Namely his impeccable anti-nazi activity (he was also one of the saviors of Bulgarian Jews) and his devotement to Giordano Bruno (Il Nolano) that literally saved his life and above all his soul. So it is not haphazardly that from his first publication abroad (1973) to his last commemoration as the oldest alive anti-Stalinist dissident in 2003 it was Italy in the role of the good fortune.
The author of the study has only just lately a chance to work in the recently open archives of the Bulgarian Communist State Security and in Slavi Boyanov’s personal records in Paris.
Keywords: Communist Rule in Bulgaria, Totalitarian Regime, Intellectual Opposition, Dissident Philosopher, Slavy Boyanov