Mihail ‘Mišo’ Petrov Georgiev (Михаил Петров Георгиев, 1968–2011) was an Erli Romani activist, poet and narrator born in the Sofia neighbourhood of Fakulteta. He was one of the three sons of the activist Peter Georgiev, who, as a member of the Bulgarian Communist Party, worked over decades for the educational and social advancement of the Fakulteta Romani community.

During the 1990s Georgiev established the Fakuleta-based organisation ‘Romani-baxt’, which engaged in projects focused on educational desegregation, anti-discrimination and human rights violations but at the same time served as a community centre for Roma in Sofia that dealt with administrative issues and other matters.

Mišo wrote poetry in Romani as a hobby and was encouraged to publish his work by Hristo Kyuchukov, who translated (into Bulgarian) and edited his first poetry collection. Some of Mišo´s verses became the lyrics of popular songs performed by Romani musicians. Today they form the oral folklore of the Fakulteta Romani community.

Mišo was a talented narrator of stories inspired by real-life events, community gossip and beliefs. Unfortunately, his oral narrations were neither recorded nor, unlike his (published) poetry, set down in writing.

Selected bibliography

Petrov, Mihail. 1996. Mo Vogi / Душата ми.[Dušata mi] Sofia: Balkanikani Fondacijape Interkulturake Edukacij ‘Diversity’.

Georgiev, Mihail. 2004. Лъжовни очи / Xoxavne jakha. София: Иктус Принт ООД. [Sofia: Ictus Print]

Petrov, Mihail. 2008. Лъжовните ти очи изгориха душата ми / Te xoxavne jakha tharde mo vogi. София: Дими 99. [Lăžovnite ti oči izgoriha dušata mi. Sofia: Dimi 99]

Petrov, Mihail. 2016. Mire gilja. Sofia: Paradigma.