120th anniversary of the birth of Elias Canetti

Friday, 25 July 2025

Ruse will mark the memorable anniversary with a number of events

July 25 marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Elias Canetti – a Nobel laureate who linked his life and work with Ruse. On the occasion of the anniversary, several events will take place in the city, organized by the Municipality of Ruse, the International Elias Canetti Society and the Austrian Library, which bears the name of the talented writer.

The celebrations will begin on July 29 /Tuesday/ at 6 p.m. in front of the monument to the Austrian born in Ruse. The chairwoman of the international society, Prof. Penka Angelova, will recall the importance of the writer’s work for world culture. Traditionally, she will introduce those present to curious moments from the Nobel laureate’s biography. Flowers will be laid on behalf of Mayor Pencho Milkov and the grateful citizens of Ruse.

That evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Canetti House / Blvd. "Slavyanski" 12/ will screen the film "Elias Canetti. The Vienna Years". The film is the work of director Robert Neumüller, who is also its screenwriter. The film was shot in 2005 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Canetti's birth and covers a key period of his life (1924–1938), when ideas that underlie "Mass and Power" were born. Viewers will see personal memories of his relatives and rare archival materials that reveal both the creative and human aspects of Canetti.

The duration of the film is nearly an hour, and the film has Bulgarian subtitles. Admission is free.

The culmination of the events to mark the 120th anniversary of the writer's birth will take place on the eve of the Day of the People's Awakeners - November 1. Then, at a solemn ceremony, the names of the nominees and winners of the 11th edition of the Elias Canetti National Literary Award will be announced. The award was established by the Municipality of Ruse and the International Elias Canetti Society in 2005 on the occasion of the writer's 100th anniversary. The award is presented to Bulgarian authors in the field of fiction and drama for contemporary works, published and realized for the first time in the last 2 years, which correspond to the spirit and ideas of the cosmopolitan humanist Elias Canetti.

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