Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The doyen of Bulgarian illustration Lyuben Zidarov passed away

The oldest working artist in Bulgaria was 99 years old

4
Любен Зидаров
Photo: Ани Петрова

Master illustrator Lyuben Zidarov passed away on January 3, 2023 before he turned 100, the Union of Bulgarian Artists reports. "We say goodbye to one of the brightest personalities in Bulgarian art over the past century," the union said. 
Zidarov has illustrated the works of about 200 authors. He has been awarded numerous national and international prizes. Several generations of Bulgarians grew up with books with his magnificent illustrations. 
Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
Among the most significant of these are Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, Scheherazade's Tales, Bulgarian Folk Tales, Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales and many others. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.
He has been chosen by JK Rowling to illustrate the complete Bulgarian edition of the Harry Potter novels, published in 2019. "The illustrator must keep his own face, but he cannot go entirely out of the author, because he illustrates the writer's work. He has to get closer to his world, to his concepts, of course with his own soul and his own plastic vision. ...I have been more concerned with these problems, which have led me to interpretation, than with grafically recreating the literary work." This is how the artist introduced us to his creative laboratory in 2014 in an interview with Julia Petrova of BNR's Hristo Botev programme. 






Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

Gallery

More from category

National Social Security Institute: The social security income in Bulgaria is 888.63 EUR

The average social security income for the country for February 2025 is 888.63 EUR, the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) has reported. Compared to the previous month, there is a rise of 2.42 EUR. In the period March 1,..

published on 4/11/25 10:56 AM

Fewer road accidents reported in Sofia, pedestrians - risky participants in traffic

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a trend of decreasing traffic accidents on the territory of Sofia, as well as the number of people killed and injured in them compared to 2024, Commissioner Nikolay Krusharski, Head of..

published on 4/11/25 10:16 AM

Snowfall and strong winds cut off electricity in over 100 villages in Northeastern Bulgaria

Snowfall and strong winds in Northeastern Bulgaria caused power outages in more than 100 villages in the regions of Ruse, Silistra, Shumen, Targovishte, Dobrich and Varna. Hurricane-strong wind knocked down a 50-meter crane..

published on 4/11/25 9:12 AM