In a poem called An Air Kiss, he said that he wanted to spread drawing pins on the floor pointing up and to kneel on them. Then, with arms outstretched beseechingly, he wanted to extract a whisper from the depths of his soul, pleading: "Let us love one another... Let-us-love-one-a-no-ther..."

Konstantin Pavlov, who died on September 29 2008 aged 75, was to literary critics something like the last crusader, an enlightener who often touched on the mystical but without stepping into the realm of superstition. Pavlov had a reputation of putting under close personal surveillance the times he lived in, using only his senses and the strength of his spirit.

But when the dark times of communism gave way to something indefinable but often described as the time of a quest for democracy, Pavlov already knew - all times were mediocre by nature.

He must have realised long ago that essential loneliness was what every individual was predestined to dwell in, loaded with the burden of solving his/her existential puzzle.

Born on April 2 1933 in the village of Vitoshko, near Pernik, Pavlov briefly attended Sofia University to study law.

During the communist regime he was primarily translated and published abroad, while to the public at home, he remained virtually unknown because of his refusal to comply with the imposed ideology of "building the bright socialist future".

He had been publishing poetry since the 1960s and had his work organised in 10 volumes.

Throughout the years, Pavlov also wrote scripts for feature-length and documentary films. He worked as an editor at Radio Sofia, later at the Bulgarski pisatel (Bulgarian Writer) publishing house and for a short time, at the literary newspaper Literaturen front (Literary Front).

Only in recent years was he acknowledged for his contribution to modern Bulgarian poetry and literature. In 2000, he was awarded the Nikola Fournadjiev national poetry award, and in 2005, he received the Hristo G. Danov national literary award that honors efforts in building civil society in Bulgaria.

Pavlov's works have been translated into French, English, Spanish, German, Russian, Polish and Hungarian.

Regarded as one of the most influential Bulgarian poets of the 20th century, Pavlov's poetry prompted remarkable Russian poet Anna Ahmatova to exclaim: "This is the greatest Bulgarian poet I have ever read!"