Iliyan Kuzmanov
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| Native name | Илиян Кузманов |
| Born | Pazardzhik, Bulgaria |
| 🏡 Residence | London, UK |
| 🏳️ Nationality |  Bulgaria Canada |
| 🏫 Education | Histroy and Economics |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Concordia University, Montreal |
| 💼 Occupation | in London, UK |
| 📆 Years active | 2012- present |
| 🏢 Organisation | Angel Social Group |
| Known for | writer, public figure, journalist, and social entrepreneur |
| Works | If You Meet Buddha Kill Him!(2021), The Devil I Know Him(2022) |
| 🏅 Awards | Amazon Top 20(2021), Titan Book Prize, Readers Favourites, Person of the Year 2021 Bulgaria, The Sexiest Writer Alieve 2021, The Writer with Greatest Potential 2022, New York Weekly Book of September 2022, Talk Radio Writer for December 2022- 9700 votes, Golden Key for Social Contributions Bulgaria |
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 | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in български. (May 2022) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Iliyan Kuzmanov is a Bulgarian-born British-Canadian writer,[1] [2] public figure,[3] journalist,[4] and social entrepreneur.[5] [6] His work often combines magic realism [7] with political and historical fiction and primarily deals with totalitarianism and the struggle for freedom.[8] With his debut book ''If You Meet Buddha, Kill Him!'' (original title: ''If You Meet Buddha Kill Him!'') - he became the first Bulgarian author to enter Amazon's Top 20 best-selling titles (15th place)[9]. Iliyan's second book, "The Devil I Know Him!"[10] has become an extremely controversial literary project designed to eliminate the stigmas and social stereotypes in Bulgaria. Kuzmanov is the founder of Project Ezo(part of Angel Social Group, London, UK). Its social activities in Bulgaria are in support of women victims of violence and trafficking,[11] refugee children,[12] improving conditions in prison system,[13] fighting against corruption and injustices. Owner of an independent media company with a focus on political analysis, human rights,[14] liberal ideas, and lifestyle.
Biography[edit]
Born on 3 February 1979 in Pazardzhik, Iliyan Kuzmanov is a descendant of an ancient family from Kalugerovo,[15] Pazardzhik Region, Bulgaria. For their contribution to Bulgarian history and the local community, the family of Iliyan Kuzmanov is honoured with a memorial. The family built community centres, schools, and churches and served the local community before the communist regime came to power.[16]
Kuzmanov studied law in Plovdiv,[17] Bulgaria. In Canada history and economics at Concordia University, Montreal.[18] In 2011 he moved to London, England, where he created the social business Angel Social Group. In 2014, he founded the social project - Ezo, in the borough of Newham, London.[19] He established the Art Angel Foundation in Bulgaria in 2019.[20] In 2022 creates with like-minded politicians and activists[21] a forum for citizens' discussions.[22] The goal of the platform is to create a dialogue between citizens and institutions to talk about the problems of people who return or want to leave Bulgaria. [23] Iliyan Kuzmanov is temporarily sheltered in London, UK for security reasons since July, 2022. [24]
Social Activism[edit]
Canada[edit]
In Canada Ilian Kuzmanov is part of a social project for the integration of immigrant children. Also Kuzmanov is part of the Liberal Party, where he works as a personal assistant to Montreal mayoral candidate José-Marie Mastmonaco.[25]
United Kingdom[edit]
Kuzmanov's Project Ezo is a social business initiative in London, UK. The social business works with homeless people,[26] and exhibits and sells art by homeless. A legacy was later transferred to Bulgaria, through which Iliyan tries to challenge the communist paradigm that art is elitist. A heretical concept that clashes with the traditional post-communist society based on art financed by the state and working for state propaganda.[27] [28] Project Ezo maintained its own independent, free library of over 3000 titles. It also provides free courses for the local disadvantaged community. [29] Ezo has been named "one of the few remaining places with soul in the UK" by cultural portal Londonist, part of TimeOut, [30] hits the charts as 'one of East London's eight hidden gems' [31] and one of the best places to work. [32] Iliyan Kuzmanov's Ezo Project is included in the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences publicationBcalled "ulgarian Cultural Heritage in Migration." [33]
Bulgaria[edit]
In 2020, Ilian Kuzmanov established the Art Angel Foundation to address issues he personally encountered on his return to Bulgaria, as well as to protect other returning Bulgarians. The main battles of the Foundation are against domestic violence, human trafficking and corruption. [34] Creates the Open Cultural Space "Esoligencia", serving as a multicultural hub for people of different communities, ethnicities, beliefs, and sexualities.[35]
Art Angel's causes include the Maria Project and the Prison Social Business Development Project. The Foundation's prison project starts in 2020 and borrows models from England, Norway and the United States of America. It has been declared a precedent in Bulgaria [36] as the largest and most significant self-financing social entrepreneurship project in Bulgaria. It also raises questions about corruption in Bulgarian prisons. [37] Project Maria is named after a Latvian Muslim woman who was trafficked, leading to the unraveling of an entire human and drug trafficking network [38] and asks 100 [39] questions about the NGO sector in Bulgaria, its level of effectiveness and corruption in the countryside. Project Maria served to initiate an international literary prize with participants from Bulgaria, France, the UK and the USA. [40] The Pakistani academia is using Ilian Kuzmanov's projects as a model to tackle corruption and malpractices.[41]
Iliyan Kuzmanov is a prominent human rights lawyer fighting through his work and social projects against Putin's chauvinism and traditionalism taking over Bulgaria. He created an entertainment and education center for the Afgan children of the Military Ramp refugee camp [42]; uses art as a language to communicate with children in minority areas; [43] Iliyan also helps talented poor athletes;[44] At the beginning of the COVID Crisis supports adults, artists and teachers in Bulgaria;[45] helps during COVID the Emergency Department at the Pazardzhik Public Hospital.[46] Some of the Iliyan Kuzmanov social public awareness campaigns [47] include causes such as banning sport hunting, vaccinating against COVID-19, fighting racism, domestic violence, [48] human trafficking and homophobia.[49]
The struggle against corrupt societies is a major theme in Ilian Kuzmanov's work, but it is based on the writer's personal social battles. In 2022 "Art Angel", together with the National Library Network and the municipality of Pazardzhik, announces an initiative to preserve digital archives related to the ethnology and culture of the place where Iliyan Kuzmanov was born, by collecting and digitizing old photos. This is part of a series of initiatives by Ilian aimed at demonstrating that digitalization and the penetration of technology in institutions is the main way to tackle the pandemic levels of corruption and inefficiency in Bulgaria.[50] On Christmas Day 2022, Ilian Kuzmanov launched a new initiative to digitize the book content of the National Library, thus creating a single online library. The initiative identifies the problems and demonstrates an effective model for tackling corruption and malpractice in the country's library network, printing houses, and publishing houses.[51] Angel Social Group, which oversees all of Ilian Kuzmanov's business ventures, is a member of Social Enterprise UK - a network of social businesses in England, as well as the British-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, integrating the best Western practices according to the Bulgarian environment.[52]
Journalism and media[edit]
Iliyan Kuzmanov also works as a journalist-activist, author of international analyses and investigations, and writes on topics such as political analysis and coverage of major events. with a primary focus Russia and East Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, human rights and personal development, lifestyle, tourism and travel, social entrepreneurship and social activities.[53] [54] Gives publicity to corruption patterns in the NGO sector in Bulgaria and in Bulgarian regions. [55] [56]
Writing, Awards and Activities[edit]
Kuzmanov's debut book, If You Meet Buddha, Kill Him! (2021),[57] was originally published in English (If You Meet Buddha Kill Him) and became the first book by a Bulgarian writer to enter Amazon's Top 20 [58] [59] for best-selling titles (reaches 15th place).[60] His inspiration was a noble journey in Asia.[61] For two years he travelled and resided in Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, China and Malaysia.[62] In India he visited the Dalai Lama and his personal doctor, and spent a period in Dharamsala, the place where the Dalai Lama lives. Events earned him hatred among the Bulgarian Communists. Kuzmanov describes his book as a "deep and honest spiritual journey".[63] The book has won awards in the USA [64] as well as a finalist in numerous book competitions. Named "Sexiest Living Writer of 2021" by popular culture media (with over 2 million daily readers) Film Daily,[65] writer with "the most potential for 2022" by the British "Essex TV" together with the cultural portal Art Daily, as well as for "Person of the Year" by Career TV [66] (TV Evropa, today Euronews).[67] A member of Mensa UK, he is one of the most intelligent Bulgarians, with an IQ well above that of Einstein.[68] For his social activities in Bulgaria he was awarded the honorary "Golden Key".[69]
In 2021, Iliyan Kuzmanov realized an international Balkan Book Rock Tour, aiming to demonstrate that non-propaganda literature can be an ambassador of good relations in a region full of hatred and prejudice, in Turkey, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia|Republic of North Macedonia.[70]
At Christmas in 2021. Ilian Kuzmanov is providing his book free of charge in electronic format in Bulgarian "as a gift for Bulgarian readers."[71] [72] [73] [74]
In September 2022, Iliyan's second book, The Devil I Know Him!, was published. A provocative fictional novel following the traditions of Goethe, Dante and Bulgakov, which tells through the techniques of magical realism what freedom means. The book is an anti-totalitarian scandal in Bulgaria, saturated with violence, sex, LGBT characters in which the main allegory being Putin's regime compared to an atheistic Anomaly.[75] The novel is presented on the book tour - Mission London, aimed at showing that the promotion of Bulgarian culture can be done without the use of state budget and corruption.[76] [77] In September, 2022, Iliyan Kuzmanov's book was selected as a New York Magazine Book of the Month.[78] The book The Devil I Know! in UK Talk Radio's best book list, beating out names like Stephen King and John Grisham to take first place in December, 2022.[79] The electronic version of the book "The Devil-I Know Him" is free in Bulgarian.[80]
References[edit]
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