George Blagowidow, founder of Hippocrene Books, died on September 18. He was 90.
Blagowidow was born in Poland and, after surviving the Nazi occupation of the country during World War II, eventually escaped to eastern Europe. After studying in Belgium, Blagowidow came to New York, ariving in the city in 1951.
After holding various executive roles at Doubleday, Macmillan and Reader's Digest, Blagowidow launched Hippocrene Books in 1970. Hippocrene specialized in translations and, today, is best known for its foreign-language dictionaries.
In addition to being a publisher, Blagowidow was also an author, and wrote The Last Train from Berlin (Doubleday, 1977) and In Search of the Lady Lion Tamer (Harcourt Brace,1987).
In an announcement from Hippocrene about Blagowidow's death, colleague and friend Jacek Galazka said: "No one came closer in my experience to his brilliance, his sheer brains. He could see further, cope better, help faster. A friend in need was a challenge he would not fail to meet. With all his brilliance he was intensely human. No one was like him; he was very special.”
