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100
Valentina Vaseva
Conclusion
From the beginning of the twentieth century in the major Bulgarian cities of Bul¬
garia the tradition of building a posthumous positive image of important figures
with a contribution to society began to assert itself. It formed a group of the "other
dead"— those who are selected to serve as an example for future generations. After
1944, a communist regime with a new ideology was established in the country,
which reguired profound changes in all areas of life, including culture. Ihe urban
tradition of paying homage to drugite martvi (‘the other dead’) was used as com¬
munist propaganda to build the image of “the immortal leader of the people”.
This happened in the first decades of socialism, after the deaths of political leaders
who established a cult to their personalities while still alive. The construction of
the propaganda image of the “immortal leader of the country” was accomplished
by means of the written word, widespread on the pages of newspapers, through
photography; and with the increasing participation of documentary cinema. Part
of this new trend was the construction of mausoleums, in which the bodies of dead
politicians were laid for honouring and the “eternal” rendering of posthumous
tribute. These images quickly collapsed after the fall of the communist regimes in
Eastern Europe. As a result of the fall of the regime in Bulgaria, the body of Georgi
Dimitrov was taken out of the mausoleum for cremation in 1990 and the mauso¬
leum building itself was demolished nine years later in 1999.
Sources
Dnevnik = Jneenux (‘Daily’), issue 1663, February 27, 1907; issue 5455, April 26, 1918.
Mir = Mup (“The World), issue 635, January 20, 1899; issue 636, January 23, 1899; issue 948, March 24,
1901; issue 962, May 1, 1901; issue 5410, April 26, 1918.
Svoboda = Ceo6o0a (‘Freedom), issue 306, October 4, 1889.
Utro = Ympo (‘Morning’), issue 1587, June 27, 1915.
Rabotnichesko Delo = Pabomnuuecko Jeno (‘Worker's Work’), issue 179, July 9, 1949; issue 68, March 9,
1953.
References
Constant St. 1991 = Koncraur Cr. 1991. Depounan0 Jlucuyama (‘Ferdinand the Fox’). Codbua:
Ysaareacr8o “Bnc Brraauc”.
Gadjeva K. 2016 = l'auxesa K. 2016. Bomonopmpem cec cmepmma (A Photo Portrait with Death’).
http://www.phototreyman.com/articles_katerina_gadjeva.php?a=Fotoportret_sus_smartta (last accessed
on: February 20, 2016).
Kovachev P. 2003 = Kogaues II. 2013. Muxcpr na ucropusra. Momrupar kaapu OT cpmam 3a cMbprra
Ha wap Bopnc 888 duam 3a morpeöchnero na Tcopru Anmurpog ("Ihe Mix of History. Footage
from a Film About the Death of King Boris is Being Assembled in a Film for the Funeral of Georgi
Dimitrov’). 24 uaca, September 6, pp. 14-15.