Todor BikovTodor Bikov

(12 December 1956 – 24 May 2016)

Todor Bikov was born on 12 December 1956 in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria. He graduated the Theological Seminary St John of Rila” and holds a Master of Diplomacy and International relations. Resided and worked in Plovdiv since 1983. Bikov was a widely published poet, publicist, political scientist, and art critic. He was a lecturer at Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski”. He worked in the 42nd National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria (2013-2014) as a senior expert in the Committee on Religions and Parliamentary Ethics; also worked as a freelance journalist and associate in the "Literature, Art, Culture" section of Radio Plovdiv, head of the "Society" and "Culture" department in the Plovdiv News (Пловдивски новини) newspaper and editor of the Glas (Глас) regional newspaper.

Bikov was founder and editor-in-chief of the Art Club (Арт клуб) newspaper (1994-2004). In 2003 along with Ivanka Yankova he co-founded the Haiku Club-Plovdiv (HCP) and later in 2005 he compiled and edited the bilingual anthology Прагове/Thresholds published by HCP and the Club of Cultural Figures in Plovdiv. In 2005 he participated in the 3rd World Haiku Association (WHA) Conference in Bulgaria and organised the delegates’ visit to Plovdiv and meetings with the HCP members. He was also an active member of the Union of Bulgarian Writers and five terms chairman of the Club of Cultural Figures in Plovdiv.

Bikov’s poems, articles, reviews, studies, etc. have been published in national anthologies (the most significant being his inclusion with five poems in the Anthology "Bulgarian Poetry of the XXI Century", published in 2015), in the Bulgarian and international press, in scientific collections and publications, broadcasted on Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, Radio Plovdiv and many other electronic media. He has published six collections of poems (1990-2016) incl. Стихосложения: цикъл хайку (Stihoslozheniya: Haiku Cycle, Sofia, 2012). His last poetry book was published shortly after his untimely death on 24 May 2016.

Selected haiku:

a storm is raving, then subsiding –
a shadow
cast by yet another shadow

a high and slender poplar –
a heron standing tall
is building a nest

cheerful warbling fills
the lover’s nests
it’s springtime

(Прагове/Thresholds, bilingual anthology, Plovdiv, 2005)

*

tidal wave
the land recedes
in front of the fish

thunder in broad daylight
ball lightning
chokes the throat

in the winter I read
and wrote a lot – a snowman ...
no, a bookman

dragonfly over the river -
a sunny walk
on the ridge of the day

(Стихосложения: цикъл хайку (Stihoslozheniya: Haiku Cycle), Sofia, 2012)

*

a shadow hides
under the bird’s wing
July day

a floppy wheat ear
the smell of bread
floats around

frozen sunset
over the river
at home – embers

(Отвъд думите/Beyond Words, haiku anthology, Farago, Sofia, 2018)

Sources:

https://bikov.wordpress.com/

https://sbp.bg/%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%8F%D1%82-%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80-%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2/

https://haikupedia.org/article-haikupedia/todor-bikov/

https://haikupedia.org/article-haikupedia/haiku-club-plovdiv-%d1%85%d0%b0%d0%b9%d0%ba%d1%83-%d0%ba%d0%bb%d1%83%d0%b1-%d0%bf%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%b2%d0%b4%d0%b8%d0%b2/

https://e-lit.info/autors/1105-todor-bikov.html