Aleksandar Teodorov-Balan

Aleksandar Stoyanov Teodorov-Balan (

bibliographer

.

Balan was born in the village of Kubey in the

Slavic ethnography and dialectology and history of the Bulgarian language, since 1893 head of the Bulgarian and Slavic literature department of the High Pedagogical School (the future Sofia University). On 29 January 1889, he was elected the first rector

of the university and reelected several times (1896–1897, 1902–1903); he was also dean of the Faculty of History and Philosophy (1899–1900, 1904–1905).

In the late 19th and early 20th century, he was secretary of the

Masonic Lodge

of Bulgaria.

Works

Among his most important scientific contributions ranks his work on Bulgarian grammar, the peculiarities of Bulgarian phonology, his struggle against loanwords (linguistic purism), the enrichment of the language using dialectal words. He also published works in the field of literary history. Some of his publications (including posthumous) include:

A study on Slavonic-Bulgarian History, Plovdiv, 1898
Sophronius of Vratsa, Sofia, 1906
Cyril and Methodius
. Passionals, Sofia, 1920
New Bulgarian grammar, Sofia, 1940
Struggle for modern orthography (1921-1923), Sofia, 1924
New Bulgarian grammar for everyone, Sofia, 1958
Selected works, Sofia, 1987
A book about myself, Sofia, 1988

Balan's scientific legacy amounts to 886 titles, including books, studies, articles and notes, of which 310 devoted to the Bulgarian language, as well as many successful neologisms. Despite his numerous contributions, Balan lived in relative poverty, with his French wife often suffering from tuberculosis. Balan survived to almost centenarian age, he died in Sofia on 12 February 1959.

Memory

Balan Ridge on Alexander Island in Antarctica is named after Aleksandar Balan,^[1] as is the Sofia Metro's Akademik Aleksandar Teodorov - Balan Metro Station in the Mladost district.

References

^ SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica: Balan Ridge.

Грашева, Лиляна; et al. (2003). "Теодоров-Балан, Александър Стоянов". Кирило-Методиевска енциклопедия (in Bulgarian). София: изд. на БАН, Институт за литература; акад. издателство "Марин Дринов", т. IV (допълнения). pp. 44–47.
ISBN 954-430-949-7
. (АИ)(Т. IV); (ИЛ при БАН).

"Александър Теодоров-Балан" (in Bulgarian). Bibliotheca Slavica. 2008-08-03. Archived from the original on 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
Веселинов, Д., А. Ангелова, Ст. Пинтев. Александър Теодоров-Балан. Книжевни залиси. Книгопис (лична библиография). Хроноложки показалец на статии, бележки, вести, оценки и книги. София, Университетско издателство „Св. Климент Охридски“, 2011, 228 с. ISBN 978-954-07-3005-9

[1] SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica: Balan Ridge.

[1]