Септември

by Geo Milev

Genres: Poetry, Bulgarian Literature, Classics, School, Bulgaria, Read For School

61 pages

First published January 1, 1924

About the author

Geo Milev studied in Sofia and later in Leipzig where he was introduced to German Expressionism. His university thesis was on Richard Dehmel. Beginning in 1916 he fought in the World War I, where he was severely injured. After recuperating in Berlin he began to collaborate with the magazine Aktion. Upon his return to Bulgaria he started to publish the Bulgarian modernist magazine Везни (Scales), in Sofia. He contributed as a translator, theatre reviewer, director and editor of anthologies.
On May 15, 1925 Geo Milev was taken to the police station for a "short interrogation" from which he never returned. His fate remained unknown for 30 years. In 1954 during the trial of General Ivan Valkov and a group of physical executioners one of them confessed where and how the reported missing had been executed and buried. Geo MIlev was strangled and then buried in a mass grave in Ilientsi, near Sofia after the reprisals following St Nedelya Church assault. The repressive government used that as an excuse for murdering progressive intellectuals. His skull was found in the mass grave. His body was identified due to the glass eye he was wearing after he lost his right eye in World War I.
He published his most famous poem September in his magazine Пламък (Flame) in 1924. It describes the brutal suppression of the Bulgarian uprising of September 1923 against the military coup d'état of June 1923.

Reviews

[Plamena]

Не знам защо, но повечето хора я намират за отегчителна и неприятна,но за мен това е любима творба!

[Uroš Đurković]

Ovo je remek-delo ne samo bugarske književnosti! Geo Milev je napisao poemu koja se u epohalnoj snazi utiska susreće sa 'Oblakom u pantalonama' i 'Oklopnjačom Potemkin'. Obuzimajuća revolucionarna jeka donosi 'krvlju obliveni zemaljski šar', bubnjanje juriša dobošara i suncokrete pale u prašinu, koji poručuju da je neposustajanje mera borbe. I dok je za bogove svaka smrt razonoda, čovečanstvo je krvožedno krdo, masa kojoj je jedino ostala pobuna: rušenje nametnutih izjednačavanja i krajnje osvajanje neba. Ako su bogovi ravnodušni, ljudi nisu, pa svet i treba urediti po meri onih koji žive. S tim u vezi, nije slučajno što, kao i Blokova 'Dvanaestorica' i 'Septembar' ima 12 celina. Od njih sedma je najkraća i glasi: 'Počinje tragedija!'

[Slavena Langerholc]

Fragmented and symbolic. This poem works strongly on the level of the subconscious by inducing associations.

[Kristýna]

Земята ще бъде рай -
ще бъде!

[CivilWar]

This fantastic poem was written in the aftermath of a failed revolution - in September 1923, after a vicious right-wing coup deposes the centrist agrarian government in Bulgaria, a veritable communist revolution unleashes, led by the Bulgarian Communist Party, where peasants and workers' power is declared in the insurgent towns.

Due to a variety of mistakes the Bulgarian revolution failed - the Bulgarian tragedy of 1923 has an even worse sequel in the German October of 1923. Tragicomically, the reverse happens in Poland: In November of 1923, a [i]successful[/i] insurrection breaks out in Krakow and workers take over the city, but the social-democratic leadership turns this into a political defeat.

This poem gives life to these events - the uprising of the working people, the terrible white terror that came afterwards, and ends with a wonderful verse that poetically brings forth Marx's word on the Paris Commune - an assault on heaven. It is moving, it makes excellent use of imagery, and masterfully switches between tones - the exaltation of the insurrection vs the horror of the white terror.

The Bulgarian original makes incredible usage of rhyming and if you can read in it it is highly recommended.

[Magi Metodieva]

Гео Милев е един автор, който е успял в рамките на безгранично словесно богатство да изгради образа на един народ, искащ да въстане срещу несправедливостта сполетяла го. Със завладяващия си начин на изразяване разкрива идейните, ценности нрави на вълнуващото го тогавашно време. Един поглед, без които нямаше да знаем какво е отзвукът на народа спрямо действия на аристократите в страната.

[Елвира]

За мен Гео Милев е най-големият мой идеал. Мнението ми за лириката и лирическата му проза тук: https://theblogforculture.wordpress.c...

[Бранимир Събев]

Не и не. Навява ми едни спомени от училище, така от възможно най-неприятните.

[Boyan K]

Само Гео и Далчев!! Други български поети няма!!

[Georgi Arnaudov]

ДОЛУ БОГ!

хвърляме бомба в сърцето ти,
превземаме с щурм небето

ДОЛУ БОГ!

---

минус 1 звезда, защото ми напомня за даскало

[elitsa]

"Всичко писано от философи, поети - ще се сбъдне!
- Без бог! без господар!
Септември ще бъде май. "

The lower rating i am giving this poem is because of Geo Milev himself. I don't like the fragmented writing and after every other page i started getting tired and was left unsatisfied from all the naturalism. However it did make me think, mostly about the idea of the gods betraying the human believes. That the soldiers are left uterly alone, and as well as betraying their own, their motherland, the gods are also doing it by being apathetic towards human's destiny and possible pogrom or even kathabasis. They are still left with the hope and honesty even the mindset that whatever is happening up there, god's help will come. However the gods stay neutral and don't even care - for them all this is a "кървав курбан", a sacrifice in the name of the conservative order and world. And the bulgarians realise this. So they turn against all of it (whilst making a reference to Achilies and viewing him as a violent and killing slave of the old ways which i found very interesting) and they are left with the idea of the new beginning. A new hope. A spring in september. Where the world is led by justice and happiness. And not by violence and murder that only become more with every one (because violence itself leads to even more violence).
As i studied this poem in my literature class, even though i do not entirely agree with the ideas of the Avant-garde movements (although they are of course the product of the time and all the teror back then) i must say that they are very interesting to read and i understand them.

[Hristo Stoynov]

Всичко писано от философи, поети —
ще се сбъдне!
— Без бог! без господар!
Септември ще бъде май.
Човешкия живот
ще бъде един безконечен възход
— нагоре! нагоре!
Земята ще бъде рай —
ще бъде!

[Magdalena]

3.5-4☆

[Deni]

Geo Milev fue asesinado por el contenido de este poemario.
habla de gente hambrienta en una revuelta.
habla del pueblo bùlgaro, el pueblo compuesto por campesinos revelàndose ante el gobierno fascista bùlgaro de 1923.
relata una tragedia.
la enumera.
comenta la èpica muerte del Pope Andrey, un sacerdote de la Iglesia Ortodoxa unido al reclamo: ¡grandioso / sublime / inigualable!
relata una derrota.
lo màs terrible.
se pregunta:
¿Quièn / engañò nuestra fe?
ABAJO DIOS, termina gritando.

[Vanessa Princessa]

Написано от висш интелект.

[Zoë]

I didn't think a sunflower would make me want to cry.

[hrisa]

5,0

[Cristina]

Curioso poema épico.

Encantada.

[Atanas Dimitrov]

Нощта ражда из мъртва утроба
вековната злоба на роба:
своя пурпурен гняв -
величав.

Дълбоко сред мрак и мъгла.

…

Скоро септември отново ще бъде май, скъпи народе, скоро драги управници и разсипници на народа.

Гео Милев ви е казал как стоят нещата: духът е над материята, а словата му са смразяващи. Или както констатира Дейвид Бейли, в чийто сборник с поезия е включен и „Септември“ (а сборникът е част от поредица на ЮНЕСКО), поемата „е може би най-великата епическа революционна поема на ХХ век, а Гео Милев – един от най-забележителните поети свързани с експресионистичното движение в Централна и Източна Европа след Първата световна война“.

Титан е Гео Милев. Поет, писател, театрален режисьор, художник, есеист и публицист, критик и издател, преводач на 53 книги, лингвист. А всичко, което постига, го прави до 30 годишна възраст. Духът е водещ.

…

Последно четох поемата в гимназията преди емнайсе години, препрочетена през 2024 г.

[Simon Bostock]

3.5 Stars.

This is a poem that breaks down the September Uprising that happened in Bulgaria in 1923. After fascists stage a military coup and take over, the Bulgarian Communist Party takes up arms and attempts to fight back and after 2 weeks, the uprising was quashed.

The poem doesn't shy away from the bloodiness of the conflict, and is even critical the fact that some of the insurgents try to appear like they were carrying rifles, when they were carrying sunflowers

And when the troops' volleys rang out
The sunflowers tumbled in dust.

The poem paints a raw and unfiltered retelling of the uprising, that was ultimately quashed, and ends with references to the Illiad, and a call for the people to leap into heaven and strike down God and take over heaven.

I normally don't read poetry but enjoyed this one, and the vivid picture it painted.

[Pitagor2]

Actual greatness. Pog in book form

When I looked up to the sky a tear came to my eye,
for what crossed my visage, but pogs as far as a person could see.
I raised my arms high into the aether to grab the dear pogs,
And I was happy.

[Mimi]

И земята ще бъде рай...

Красиво четиво, през цялото време си представях как Гео Милев е в ментална криза и крещи текста пред някое огледала. С извинение ако прозвучи грозно, но в главата ми беше като трагична драма.

[Krissi]

Много
съм
-объркана.

[gosho seksa]

Five stars cause it's Geo Milev.

[Kristiyan Lichev]

An unrivaled work of poetry. Had it been written in English, French, German or Russian it would be known and adored worldwide

[Lea]

i was forced to read this

[Gabs]

“Септември ще бъде май.”
<3

[Rado]

Възможно най-доброто произведение писано на български, с гениално изградена символика, безпрецедентна структура и несравнимо богат език. Една от малкото ни поеми, да не кажа единствената, достойна да се нареди до големите творби на западния модернизъм от началото на ХХ век.

[Данаил Ланджев]

Нямам думи! Най - великото българско произведение. Читателите обаче, трябва да знаят, че тази книга би подействала доста на хора с по чувствителен и подтиснат характер, понеже съдържа изключително негативни и тежки описания, характерни за епохата на Експресионизма!

[Yona Racheva]

Не беше зле, но не съм особено впечатлена.