He put a cross on the Soviet empire, withdrew Moscow’s control over Eastern Europe, opened the door to “perestroika,” and unlocked a market economy on the ruins of the Soviet Union. He just turned the story around. But he remained hated by many people whose lives changed. So far, they love him more outside Russia than inside the country.
Mikhail Gorbachev turned 90 on March 2 without much fuss or fanfare. The historical reformer and the last Soviet leader before the collapse of the USSR spent the holiday in quarantine in a hospital. I had the chance to be his translator when he was a guest on the “Show of Fame” on bTV on May 4, 2002. I remembered many things from my meeting with him. This is what Olya Al-Ahmed wrote, quoted by “Maritsa”.
Usually I met Slavi’s guests just before the broadcast in the dressing room. But this time the participant was special. Trifonov asked me to take over Mikhail Gorbachev from the opening of the car door. He arrived about 20 hours, half an hour before the start of the show, in a BMW, number C 3333 KA of NSO, accompanied by the escort of several cars with jars.
He was greeted by Alexander Tomov, dressed in a strict dark suit, who introduced me to Mikhail Gorbachev. The first words uttered by the leader of the USSR were: “Oh, what a beauty!”. After gasping with a deep sigh, the father of “perestroika” gave me a hand that was difficult to let go, hugged me and kissed me three times. On the way to the dressing room, Gorbachev stopped and opened a large armored suitcase.
He dug into it and took out presents for Slavi. In a preliminary conversation with the then head of the screenwriters Rosen Petrov Gorby shared moments from his life, such as the fact that his father was wounded during the Great Patriotic War. Slavi’s studio was crowded on that significant evening. NSO did not allow anyone in the dressing room.
About kisses and love
We talked for a long time before airing on various topics. You won’t believe it, but the main theme was love! Mikhail Sergeevich asked me if I had read his book. I said frankly: No, I haven’t read it, but one day I will probably get to it! He was not affected in the least, we continued to talk.
Then Tomov, at whose invitation Gorbachev was in Bulgaria, intervened in the conversation and said: She reads books about love, Mikhail Sergeevich! Gorbachev looked at him in bewilderment, looked at me, took my hand gently and said: “So, when I look at her, she does not waste her time reading about love, she is actively engaged in love!”. There was a sincere laugh. It was fun.
After the show ended, he got up and kissed me three times live. “You’re trying to distract me before the show, but so far no one has succeeded!” Gorbachev told me in the dressing room.
I boldly told him that I might be the first. When asked what he does in his free time, Gorbachev answered unequivocally: “In my free time I feel like a free person! I am free to rest in nature, I am free to communicate with various interesting people, I am free to recover from battles.
The show was launched to begin. It struck me that along with the photographers, a young, costumed and good-looking man was taking pictures … with his watch. There were no smartphones at the time.
Gorbachev was an interesting interlocutor. He was perfecting every phrase, every sentence. He spoke convincingly and enchantingly, calmly and approachably. Despite his calm tone, this was the most intense broadcast of my entire professional practice as a translator. As the visit of the father of “perestroika” was on the eve of May 9, “Ku-Ku band” performed for the special guest the famous song “Victory Day”.
Why did Mikhail Gorbachev cry?
As far as I remember, Mikhail Sergeyevich cried twice during the show. For the first time he wipes his tears at the memory of his wife Raisa. The chords of the song “Victory Day” sounded, Desi, the singer of “Ku-ku band”, sang in an incredibly clear voice. Gorbachev’s face changed. He closed his eyes for a moment. He cried, his tears flowing slowly.
“These guys touched my soul … This is really the best, most human performance I’ve heard on Victory Day.” I’ve always dreamed of this song without military trumpets and fanfare. On May 9 I am in a parade, then at a big reception. But the gift you gave me with this performance, however, cannot be compared to anything, “said Mikhail Sergeevich behind the scenes.
“How can we not perform the song well. I played this for two years in the barracks. I even thought of organizing a military choir. I am glad that it worked out “, shared the head of the band Evgeni Dimitrov – the Maestro. “You have a great band and I will prepare to sing with him when I visit you in 2005,” Gorbachev promised Slavi at the time.
“I was honored to have you as my guest, Mr. President,” Long said goodbye and stretched out like a soldier, then bowed to him. The audience in the studio rose to their feet as if on command to send the man who changed the world with applause and loud applause.
Family photo against the finger from Pleven
Five minutes before the show, leader Alexander Tomov did not know that Mikhail Gorbachev would give Slavi the only copy of a photograph from a valuable family collection. The photo showed his wife, his daughter Irina, his son-in-law Anatoly and his eldest granddaughter Ksenia. This photo was his favorite, but he gave it to Slavi with a caption.
“I only told him that it was customary to give something to the presenter,” were Tomov’s words. Slavi also invented his own gift for Gorbachev – an urn with soil from the Valley of the Dead in Pleven, burying thousands of Russian soldiers. On Easter, he and screenwriter Rosen Petrov walked around Panorama in the city. Slavi bent down and scooped up a handful of soil in a box. Thus was born the idea of an interesting gift with Bulgarian suffering land. Long and Gorby exchanged gifts with strong symbolism and personal sentiment.
Error instead of O’Shipka!
The conversation was in full swing. Gorbachev and Slavi forgot me. They were just talking, and I had to be able to translate their thoughts before they said them. It was getting more and more tense.
At one point Gorbachev said, “Oh, Shipka!” In a hurry, I translated it as “error”, which means “error”. Yes, it was a mistake in the translation on the air, I admit. But who benefited from this? After a while, a chain of pizzerias “O ‘Shipka” appeared.
A phonetic error led to a trademark! However, in the studio, the mistake was taken as a joke, and the story remembered it for better or worse, it no longer matters. The important thing is that when you go to eat something in the restaurants “O ‘Shipka”, you know who the godfather is!
At the farewell party in the make-up room, Gorbachev promised Slavi that he would sing with the band during his next visit to the show. He even admitted that he sang to Raisa all the time, without even knowing the note. Finally, he was loaded into the car and the motorcade quickly set off on Vitosha Blvd.
“We have a private meeting,” Alexander Tomov explained at the time. I was not taken to this top-secret meeting, despite the wishes of Gorbachev, who kissed me again for the third time in farewell. While everyone was signing his book, I demonstratively and with a slight hint handed him a whole unused sheet of light green coupons, with which we shopped in the 90’s … On them he wrote: “Olenke with love!” (“To Olya with love”).
He found our politicians interesting, “I have good impressions of your politicians, they are interesting,” Gorbachev said after a meeting with then-Parliament Speaker Ognyan Gerdjikov.
He had previously met with President Georgi Parvanov and Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. At the time, the father of “perestroika” was of the opinion that it was better for Bulgaria and Russia to go together towards the unification of Europe, but it is understandable if their speed is different. Russia’s associate membership in the EU should be sought, as well as a way for the country to participate in discussions on the issues that NATO is dealing with, Gorbachev reasoned.
The Sredets Hall of the Sheraton was cramped for those wishing to hear his lecture. From the very beginning, Zhelyu Zhelev spoke about him. Solomon Passy, Dimitar Popov, Lyuben Gotsev, Stoyan Denchev, Emil Kyulev, the widow of Petar Dertliev – Petya, the son of Andrey Lukanov – Carlo were present. In the end, everyone rose to their feet in honor of the man who changed the history and destiny of half of Europe.
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