The first biography of Pope John Paul II in Bulgarian is already out on the market. The life of Karol Wojtyla takes an unexpected turn after a tragic accident, which makes him become fully aware of his call to the priesthood. This episode along with many other unknown facts of the life of Karol Jуzef Wojtyla, known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, are included in the book, entitled just “Karol’s Biography” and written by an Italian of Polish origin - GianFranco Sviderkoski. The book reaches the Bulgarian public thanks to Montecchi Editore publishing house and the translator Neli Radanova, which will also comment the National Television live reports of the Papal visit to Bulgaria (www.popeinbulgaria.com). She is also the person to assist the Holy Father in case he forgets some of the Bulgarian words in the message he will convey.

In the words of Radanova the Pope’s worldly life passes against the background of the monstrosities of the Second World War - he survives the Nazi occupation and communism in Poland, while many of his friends, most of whom Jews, died in the concentration camps. His mother died in 1929. His eldest brother Edmund, a doctor, died in 1932 and his father, a non-commissioned army officer died in 1941. He made his First Holy Communion at age 9 and was confirmed at 18. Upon graduation from Marcin Wadowita high school in Wadowice, he enrolled in Cracow's Jagiellonian University in 1938 and in a school for drama. The Nazi occupation forces closed the university in 1939 and young Karol had to work in a quarry (1940-1944) and then in the Solvay chemical factory to earn his living and to avoid being deported to Germany. In 1942, aware of his call to the priesthood, he began courses in the clandestine seminary of Cracow, run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, archbishop of Cracow. At the same time, Karol Wojtyla was one of the pioneers of the "Rhapsodic Theatre," also clandestine. Later on he is author of many books, which Radanova describes as deeply philosophical. None of them have been translated in Bulgarian so far.

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