Georgi Dimitrov: A Biography

Georgi Dimitrov burst onto the international scene in 1933 as one of the Comintern operatives in Germany accused of the Reichstag fire. The Bulgarian Communist’s spirited self-defense in the resulting Leipzig Trial made him a celebrity among Communists worldwide, particularly in the Soviet Union, where he became Secretary General of the Comintern after his acquittal. This lucid and fascinating biography--the first in English--reveals a more multifaceted treatment of Dimitrov, highlighting especially the deep complexity of his relationships with his two greatest political allies: Stalin and Tito.Using new and unpublished sources, Marietta Stankova brilliantly reconstructs the dilemmas that Dimitrov faced throughout his long and varied political career. This definitive and long-overdue biography makes a major contribution to the history of Bulgaria and of the Balkans as a whole, as well as to the field of Communist Studies.