About the Author

Alek Popov (born in Sofia, Bulgaria, 1966), graduated from "St. Constantine Cyril Philosopher Lyceum for Ancient Languages and Cultures" and later received MA in Literature from Sofia University "St. Clement of Ohrid". Popov's short stories have been published in German, Polish, Czech, Serbian, Turkish, Italian, English, Croatian, Slovenian etc. Alek Popov is author of the novel "Mission London" based on his colourful impressions as Cultural Attache at the Bulgarian Embassy in the UK. "Mission London" was translated into 14 languages to date. The film after the novel became the most frequented Bulgarian movie for the last 20 years. It won the Unbribable Award of Transparency International Croatia's program "Culture against Corruption" in 2011. Popov's second novel "The Black Box" appeared in German, Serbian, Turkish and Polish. His most recent play - "Blacksmiths" was put on stage in 2012 and was nominated for the Askreer Awards. The story after the play was included in the anthology Best European Fiction 2011 (Dalkey Archive Press). Popov's third novel "The Palavei Sisters" was published in spring 2013. For his literary works Popov has received numerous awards including Elias Canetti Prize 2007; the Helikon Prize 2002; the National Drama Award Ivan Radoev etc. In 2012 Alek Popov was elected a corresponding member of Bulgarian Academy of Science in the field of Arts. He is member of the board of the Bulgarian PEN Centre and member of the editorial board of Granta-Bulgaria magazine.

Reviews

"This is a true European comic novel in the best tradition of P.G. Wodehouse, Roald Dahl and Tom Sharp. An excellent narrative, a great awareness for detail, a fresh sense of humour and most importantly - a sense of moderation. The situations are typically Bulgarian, yet the irony brings a taste of Englishness." 24 hours "Finally a novel has appeared that, in my opinion, is the long awaited revenge for all the humiliations experienced by Bulgarian citizens in their relations with the Bulgarian authorities abroad. A grotesque and dazzling flight over habits, left to us from the recent past. I fervently recommend the book - the sardonic laugh is the only defense we have at that moment." Sega "The novel Mission London is the funniest book in contemporary Bulgarian Literature. So funny that in the end the reader feel like crying - After several books of short stories bursting with black humour, Alek Popov proved his talent as novelist." Gueorgi Tzankov "Mission London is not only a very entertaining read, it also gives insight into the sensitivities prevalent in the Balkans at the beginning of the 21st century. Alek Popov succeeds with his fulminant debut novel. With great wit he presents a grotesque story that, in its exaggeration, sharpens one's view of the essential." Neue Zuricher Zeitung "Alek Popov presents a magnificently unmasking satire of European East/West relations. With competence he toys with cliches and truths, then lets them merge into one another. A multitude of interesting characters are gathered around ambassador Dimitrov. They are all filled out very well, and they all - from the East and from the West alike - succumb to the absurdities of everyday life. Mission: London" is worth the read for many reasons. Last but not least, apart from all the comic, linguistic virtuoso descriptions like this: The vodka was ice-cold and smooth like a snowflake on Christmas day". - 3sat, Christina Merklenbach