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Boris Aprilov
Montage of a photo of Boris Aprilov with his new book in the hand, taken in his home in Sofia 1975, his yacht "Ahasfer" on a trip in the Black see 1986, and the surface of the Dead see, Israel 1992.
Resting place	Carmel Hayfa, Israel
Occupation	Novelist, Short story writer, Dramaturge,

Boris Aprilov (Bulgarian: Борис Априлов) (March 21, 1921 – April 10, 1995) was a Bulgarian writer, playwright, satirist and humourist, dramaturge, well known for his novels, plays and screenplays, and mostly for his children's literature.

Also known as: Ahasver^[1], Aho, Ahoto, and other aliases in the humorist journal “Sturshel” ("Hornet").

“Boris Aprilov” is the pseudonym of Atanas Vassilev Djavkov, born March 21, 1921, in the small Bulgarian town Malko Tarnovo, where his parents’ families found shelter after the banishment of Bulgarians from the historical Bulgarian lands, left over as Turkish after the Russian-Turkish war - so called Thracian Bulgarians. His fathers Vassil's family lived on welfare in Lozengrad until the liberation of Bulgaria from the Turkish occupation. His mother Nanka was an analphabet orphan from a peasant family, given at a very young age to a much older war invalid in an arranged marriage.

Soon after Boris Aprilov was born, his family moved to the big seaside town Burgas, where his brother Georgi was born.

Boris Aprilov got his education in Burgas, where since his early school years he started publishing short stories, satiric essays, poetry and prose in local newspapers.

In 1945 Boris Aprilov married Shela (Rachel) Abraham Cohen, born in Burgas (06.12.1918 - 09.02.1996, Tel-Aviv). They met in the Burgas town library, brought together by their shared passion for literature. They lived together until their last days, had two daughters: Djina Vassileva – fine artist, born in Burgas 15.11.1945, and Laura Vassileva ^[2] - writer, born in Sofia (30.05.1950 - 09.02.1991 Hayfa, Israel).

In 1947 Boris Aprilov was invited by the poet Radoy Ralin to work as a columnist for the satiric journal “Sturshel”, and the family moved to the capital of Bulgaria - Sofia, where they remained for the rest of their life.

In 1956, the midst of the cold war, Boris Aprilov traveled to London and Western Europe with his wife. This trip cost him his career as a journalist at “Sturshel”.

An anonymous letter from an unknown envier pointed Boris Aprilov out. It said that from a young age “Nasko” had been working as a British spy, that he sang aloud famous hits from English and American movies, and choose to travel to London instead of Moscow. For the communist regime in Bulgaria in those times that was enough. Fortunately Boris Aprilov was warned on time by Chelkash, the leading editor of the Journal, and decided to resign before he was fired. As a result of this incident, Boris Aprilov was blacklisted by the authorities. Unable to find any employment as a journalist or editor, he lived exclusively from his literature work...

From 1959-1963 Boris Aprilov served as a lead dramaturge and screenplay editor in the Bulgarian State circuses.

Between 1977-1980 he served as a lead dramaturge of the Sliven's Theater for Drama, earning the right to a pension.

This sums up his work as an employee.

Boris Aprilov was awarded many prizes and honorable medals by festivals for his work, puppet theater plays, literature and other.

Boris Aprilov, with his wife, spent the last three years of his life in Tel Aviv, Israel, with their daughters, who fled the communist regime three months before its fall.

In 1991 his younger daughter passed away after a long disease. Shortly after that, Boris Aprilov became sick himself. He died on 10.4.1995, in a Tel-Aviv hospital. His wife also passed away a few months later in Tel Aviv.

They have two grand-daughters and one grandson: from Djina: April - 08.2.1977, Gabriella - 15.8.1982, from Laura: Maxim - 8.12.1983

[*]

His beloved book as young boy

[**] Laura Vassileva (May 30, 1950 Sofia, Bulgaria – February 9, 1991 Hayfa, Israel) is the younger daughter of Boris Aprilov. She had a very successful debut in the genre of Modern stories and Children literature. One of the two short novels she published in the Bulgarian cultural journal “Plamuk” 9/1982 (сп. “Пламък” 9/1982), capture “Debuts” (Дебюти) was reproduced in the Russian journal for culture and art “Литературная газета” in the next year, and got the first prize for foreign short novel out of 12 authors. Her only children's book is “Gold Dust on the Eyelashes” (1983, publisher “Otechestvo” “Отечество”; 2002, publisher “FYUT” "Фют".) Her first radio play “The little green crocodile” received a first prize for radio plays for 1988. She wrote some screenplays for children's TV. She didn’t finish any additional works...

(waits for translation)

• “Worries”. Humorous stories and feuilletons. 1953. („Тревоги“. Хумористични разкази и фейлетони. 1953);
• “The Peak of Impertinence”. Humorous stories. Publisher “Sturshel”. 1957. („Върхът на нахалството“. Хумористични разкази, библиотека „Стършел“. 1957);
• “ The Adventures of Foxy”. Humorous novel. 1957. („Приключенията на Лиско“. Хумористична повест. 1957);
• “Knock-out”. Humorous stories. Publisher “Sturshel”. 1959. („Нокаут“. Хумористични разкази, библиотека „Стършел“. 1959);
• “The Sea is Everybody's”. Modern stories. 1963. („Морето е на всички“. Разкази за възрастни. 1963);
• “Pirate Romance”. Humorous stories. Publisher “Sturshel”. 1964. „Пиратска романтика“. Хумористични разкази, библиотека „Стършел“. 1964);
• “A Touch”. Modern stories. 1965. („Докосване“. Разкази. 1965);
• „A Ball in the Sea“. “Fairy tale”. 1965. („Топка в морето“. Приказка. 1965);
• “The Foal Poncho”. “Fairy tale”. 1967. („Кончето Пончо“. Приказка. 1967);
• “The Boss' Muffin”. Humorous stories. Publisher “Sturshel”. 1968. („Кифлата на началника“. Хумористични разкази, библиотека „Стършел“. 1968);
• “The Love-bird and The Butterfly”. Fairy tale”. 1968. („Папагалчето и пеперудката“. Приказка. 1968);
• “The Adventures of Foxy at Sea”. A novel for children and adults. 1968 (1982) (2001)(„Приключенията на Лиско по море“. Роман за деца и възрастни. 1968. (1982)(2001);
• “Autumn Dunes”. Modern stories. 1969; („Есенни дюни“. Разкази. 1969.);
• “An Incident". Play. 1969; („Произшествие“. Пиеса. 1969.);
• "One Small White Cloud". Fairy tale. 1970; („Едно малко бяло облаче“. Приказка. 1970.);
• “Selected Stories and Novels” . 1971. („Избрани разкази и повести“. 1971.);
• “The New Adventures of Foxy”. Novels for children. 1973. („Новите приключения на Лиско“. Повести за деца. 1973;
• “The Latest Adventures of Foxy”. Two novels for children. 1975. („Най-новите приключения на Лиско“. Привидението и Голямата награда. Повести за деца. 1975.);
• “Foxy with the Square Beings”. A novel for children. 1975. („Лиско при квадратните същества“. Роман за деца. 1975;
• “The Six Little Pinguins”. A novel for children. 1978. („Шестте пингвинчета“. Повест за деца. 1978.);
• “A Story with a Swan”. Humorous stories. Publisher “Sturshel”. 1979. „История с лебед“. Хумористични разкази, библиотека „Стършел“.. 1979;
• “Ten Adventures of Foxy”. Chosen children novels. 1981. („Десет приключения на Лиско“. Избрани творби за деца. 1981;
• “The Deffence Of Sparta”. Modern stories and novels. 1982. (“Отбраната на Спарта“. Разкази и новели. 1982.);
• “Four Novels”. 1984. “Четири повести“. 1984;
• “The Hour of the eastern breeze”. Stories and novels. 1986;(„Часът на източния бриз“. Разкази и новели. 1986.);
• “A Sensitive Mood”. Stories and novels. 1986; („Деликатно настроение“. Разкази и новели. 1986.);
• “Far navigation”. Novels. 1988; („Далечно плаване“. Повести. 1988.);
• ”The Hawaii Islands”. Novel published posthumously in 1997. („Хавайските острови“. Роман издаден посмъртно в 1997.);
• “Traverstown”. Unfinished story ... („Траверстаун“. Недовършен роман…)

(wait for translation)

• "The Adventures of Foxy in the Forest". „Приключенията на Лиско в гората“ (1957)
• "The Adventures of Foxy at Sea". „Приключенията на Лиско по море“ (1968)
• "The New Adventures of Foxy". „Новите приключения на Лиско“ (1971) Съдържа повестите:
  • "Do not Touch the Suitcase". „Не пипай куфара“
  • "Chimmy". "„Чими“
  • "The Watch". „Часовникът“
  • "The Little Red Riding Hood". „Червената шапчица“
  • "The Hole". „Дупката“
  • "The Python". „Питонът“
• "The Adventures of Foxy with the Square Beings". „Приключенията на Лиско в страната на квадратните същества“ (1975)
• "The Newest Adventures of Foxy". „Най-новите приключения на Лиско“ (1975) Съдържа повестите:
  • "The Apparition". „Привидението“
  • "The Grand Prix". „Голямата награда“
• "Ten Adventures of Foxy". Containes the previous eight novels, and two new: („Десет приключения на Лиско“ (1987) Съдържа осемте повести от предните книги, както и две нови:)
  • "The Wall". „Стената“
  • "The Blue Flamingo". „Синьото фламинго“

• „A Ball in the Sea“. “Fairy tale”. 1965. („Топка в морето“. Приказка. 1965);
• “The Foal Poncho”. “Fairy tale”. 1967. („Кончето Пончо“. Приказка. 1967);
• “The Love-bird and The Butterfly”. Fairy tale”. 1968. („Папагалчето и пеперудката“. Приказка. 1968);
• "One Small White Cloud". Fairy tale. 1970; („Едно малко бяло облаче“. Приказка. 1970.);
• “The Six Little Pinguins”. A novel for children. 1978. („Шестте пингвинчета“. Повест за деца. 1978.);

Greatly fascinated in playwrighting, Aprilov wrote many drama and puppet plays, for both children and adults. Many of them have been played abroad. With a grate popularity is the puppetplay "Chimi", played in many theaters around the world for decades. It was made a movie "Thimi" in the DDR.

The next movies are made over his screenplays:

• Petimata ot "Mobi Dick“ (1970)

... aka "The Five from the Moby Dick" - Europe (English title)

• Zdrachavane (1989)(1970) 1 2

... aka "Dusk" - Europe (English title)

• Byagstvo v Ropotamo (1973)

... aka "Flight to the Ropotamo" - Europe (English title)

There are some cartoons made from his children stories:

• Opera za edin leshnik (1974)

... aka "Opera for a Hazelnut" - Europe (English title)

• Vazdishka na oblekchenie (1982)

... aka "Sigh of Relief" - Europe (English title)

• Timmi(1985) (TV) (play)

...aka Chimi.

many of them published in the cultural journals and newspapers:

• "The Climbing" (BG)

(more to come)

(more to come)

• for literature:
• for puppet theatre plays:
• others:

(in Bulgarian)

• "The Adventures of Foxy at Sea" (1968)(BG)
• "Ten Adventures of Foxy" (1987)(BG)
• About Boris Aprilov
• Boris Aprilov: The lost Atlantis of the Bulgarian youths literature.
• Boris_Aprilov
• Boris-Aprilov-filmografie
• Boris Aprilov at IMDb
• About Boris Aprilov (BG)