Today we mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of academician Valeri Petrov - poet, novelist, screenwriter, playwright and translator.

Born in Sofia on 22 April 1920 under the name of Valeri Nissim Mevorakh, he graduated in medicine from Sofia University. He worked as a doctor for some time. In the autumn and winter of 1944 he worked for Radio Sofia. After World War 1, he was one of the founders and deputy editor-in-chief of the humour and satire newspaper Starshel ("Hornet"). He wrote lyrical and satirical poetry, but also children's books.

Valery Petrov's work is characterised by gentleness, delicacy, sincerity, wisdom and sweet-bitter irony. His mastery of the written word was more than brilliant. "Writing is difficult, it takes a lot of effort. But it is a happy effort," the poet said in an interview with Radio Bulgaria.

The poet Valeri Petrov was also a true virtuoso in the art of translation. His translations of William Shakespeare are unparalleled - a monumental achievement that brought the entirety of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets to Bulgarian audiences. He also translated Goethe's Faust and works by Rudyard Kipling, Jacques Prévert, Boris Pasternak, Gianni Rodari and many others.

A number of songs have been based on his poems, including Song of the Flying People from the late 1970s, performed by the actor Asen Angelov Kisimov. The author of the music and arrangements is Georgi Genkov.