About this episode

Oggy Boytchev shares his personal story of growing up in Cold War Bulgaria under the shadow of his father's persecution.

Oggy Boytchev is a former BBC journalist with more than three decades of experience reporting from conflict zones across the Middle East, the Balkans and the former Soviet Union. Born in 1955, Oggy grew up under the shadow of a family secret. His father had been branded an “enemy of the people” and interned without trial in a remote Bulgarian town, where he spent years under police supervision and forced labour. Even after his release, the family lived under the constant fear of surveillance, informers and political persecution. From secretly listening to the BBC World Service through crackling radio signals to navigating a school system steeped in communist ideology, he shares what it was really like to come of age in one of the Soviet bloc’s most tightly controlled societies. Along the way, he reveals the lasting psychological impact of growing up unable to speak freely, the privileges and pitfalls of studying among the children of communist elites, and the shockwaves caused by the 1978 murder of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in London. This is a remarkable story of resilience, caution and quiet resistance—offering a deeply personal perspective on everyday life in Cold War…

People in this episode

Host: Ian Sanders

Guest: Oggy Boytchev

Topics covered

• Cold War
• Bulgarian history
• political persecution
• family secrets
• journalism
• resilience

Keywords

• Cold War
• Bulgaria
• political persecution
• Oggy Boytchev
• Georgi Markov
• BBC
• journalism
• family secrets

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC

Books & works: The Istanbul Connection

Places: Bulgaria, Middle East, Balkans, Soviet Union

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