Bulgarian literature
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Bulgarian literature is literature written by Bulgarians or residents of
Notable modern Bulgarian works of literature are The Peach Thief by Emiliyan Stanev, September by Geo Milev, Under The Yoke by Ivan Vazov, The Windmill by Elin Pelin, and Depths by Dora Gabe. The book Wild Stories (Диви разкази, Divi Razkazi) by Nikolay Haytov is included in the UNESCO Historical Collection.[1]
Middle Ages
With the Bulgarian Empire welcoming the disciples of
As the Bulgarian Empire was subjugated by the
Medieval Bulgarian literature was dominated by religious themes, most works being hymns, treatises, religious miscellanies, apocrypha and hagiographies, most often heroic and instructive.
Early Ottoman rule
The fall of the Second Bulgarian Empire to the Ottomans in 1396 was a serious blow for Bulgarian literature and culture in general. Literary activity largely ceased, being concentrated in the monasteries that established themselves as centres of Bulgarian culture in the foreign empire. The religious theme continued to be dominant in the few works that were produced.
The main literary form of the 17th and 18th century were instructive sermons, at first translated from Greek and then compiled by Bulgarians.
A literary tradition continued to exist relatively uninterrupted during the early Ottoman rule in northwestern Bulgaria up until the
The
Bulgarian National Revival
The nearly five centuries of Ottoman government of Bulgaria played a decisive role in the developing of the Bulgarian culture. The country was separated from the European Renaissance movements and higher forms of artistic expression and developed mostly its folklore songs and fairy-tales. A new revival of Bulgarian literature began in the 18th century with the historiographical writings of Paisius of Hilendar, Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya. Another influential work was Life and Sufferings of Sinful Sophronius by Sophronius of Vratsa.
In the period 1840–1875 the literature came alive with writings on mainly revolutionary, anti-Turkish themes. It was an earlier stage of the Bulgarian Renaissance and the most prominent poets at this time were:
The noted poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev (1848–1876) worked in the late 19th century and is nowadays regarded as arguably the foremost Bulgarian poet of the period. He managed to use the living language of the folklore songs to give an expression of modern ideas, doubts and questions. His works are small in number, most of them with intensive dialogue form and strong emotional message.
Among the writers who engaged in revolutionary activity were also Lyuben Karavelov and Georgi Sava Rakovski. Rakovski's best-known work, Gorski Patnik (translated as A Traveller in the Woods or Forest Wanderer) was penned during the Crimean War (1853–56) while hiding from Turkish authorities near the town of Kotel. Considered one of the first Bulgarian literary poems, it was not actually published until 1857.[2]
A typical feature of the period was the increase of the interest in Bulgarian folklore, as figures like the Miladinov brothers and Kuzman Shapkarev made collections of folk songs and ethnographic studies. Another writer with works of great importance is Zahari Stoyanov (1850–1889) with his Memoirs of the Bulgarian Uprisings (1870–1876). His writings have historical, biographical and artistic value.
Bulgarian literature after 1878
Bulgaria received partial independence after the
Ivan Vazov was the first professional Bulgarian man of letters and the founding father of the new Bulgarian literature. Vazov was very popular and productive and his works include both prose and poetry with equal virtuosity. His 1893 novel Under the Yoke, which depicts the Ottoman oppression of Bulgaria, is the most famous piece of classical Bulgarian literature and has been translated into over 30 languages. His most famous short novels include Nemili-nedragi, Chichovtzi and others; he also wrote a large number of short stories, travel writings, memoirs, essays, pieces of criticism, dramas, comedies etc. Some of the more famous collections include: Draski i sharki, Videno i chuto and others.
One of his most significant collections of poems is The Epopee of the Forgotten (1881–1884), consisting of 12 odes dedicated to the heroes of the Bulgarian history and the images and ideas which should be remembered. Other poetry collections include: Pryaporets i gusla, Tagite na Bulgaria, Gusla, Slivnitza, Luleka mi zamirisa and others.
A surprising example of early modern philosophical thought can be found in the poetic works of the renowned intellectual Stoyan Mihaylovski.
Bulgarian modernist literature
The poet Pencho Slaveykov, the son of the prominent Bulgarian Renaissance poet and teacher Petko Slaveykov, is one of the most erudite writers of his time. He made a conscious effort to set the beginnings of modern literature and Modernism in the country introducing the European philosophical and metaphysical ideas, partly modified and rebuilt upon the traditional linguistic and imagery heritage.
Slaveykov is famous for his philosophical poems, his Epic Songs and the symbolist poetry collection Dream of Happiness. Among others, he wrote a mystifying anthology of poets titled On the Island of the Blissful where he gathered at one place all the traditional ideas of Bulgarian poetry at this time presenting them like belonging to an imaginary island. His epic unfinished Song of Blood (1911–13) dealt with the struggle against the Turks. In his quest, Slaveykov was supported by other prominent intellectuals – scientists, writers, poets and critics.
One of the most remarkable prose writers from the first years after the liberation is Aleko Konstantinov (1863–1897). His humorous and travel writings (Bay Ganyo; To Chicago and Back) are both shrewd and vivid. He is best remembered for his character Bay Ganyo, one of the most controversial and curious characters in the Bulgarian literature, with diverse layers and rich nuances. Similarly to
Along with Petko Todorov, Krastyo Krastev and Peyo Yavorov, Pencho Slaveykov established the modernist circle Misal (Thought). Krastyo Krastev is a respected literary critic and erudite. Petko Todorov (1879–1916) is one of the greatest stylists of that time. A person of European education and manners, he manages to modernize the Bulgarian drama and also wrote a series of powerful impressionist stories based on folklore motives, titled Idylls.
Peyo Yavorov (1878–1914) is considered a
Under the influence of the French and the Russian
Bulgarian literature between the world wars
Dimcho Debelyanov (1887–1916) was a poet whose death in the
The interwar period in the Bulgarian literature will be remembered not only because of the dramatic social changes but also because of the reforms in the literary genres. A great part of them is associated with the figure and the activity of Geo Milev (1895–1925) who published the modernist magazine Vezni (Scale), in Sofia, contributing as a poet, translator, theatre reviewer, director, editor of anthologies and even as a painter. He experienced the influence of avant-garde movements like the German expressionism and the French surrealism. His skillful poems (The Cruel Ring (1920); The Icons Sleep (1922); September (1923)) and prose pieces (A Little Expressionist Calendar for the Year (1921)) combine traditional motives, modern ideas and experimental language. He was killed at the age of 30 and although his career did not span more than 6 years, he is greatly respected and regarded by many as one of the most influential modernist poets and translators.
Bulgarian poetry will reach a new peak with another prematurely killed poet – Nikola Vaptsarov (1909–1942). He managed to publish only 1 book of poems during his lifetime (Motor Songs (1940)), in 1,500 copies. He was sentenced to death because of his underground communist activity against the Government.
Bulgarian prose flourished in the period between the world wars mainly because of the stories and the short novels of Elin Pelin (1877–1949) and Yordan Yovkov (1880–1937). Both of them were quite prolific and became popular not only in their home countries but also abroad. In their subjects, they stand close to the traditions of the realism. Both of them focus on the rural life, but Yordan Yovkov is known for his fondness of traditions and myths, while Elin Pelin is more light-hearted and witty; the latter is also a famous writer of children literature. Both of them used vivid, elaborate language and images.
A remarkable writer of historical novels, Fani Popova-Mutafova reaches the peak of her popularity before the Second World War but despite her talent, suffers repressions from the communist regime after it. Another figure which can hardly be forgotten from this period is the humorous writer and drawer Chudomir (1890–1967) whose short stories (often no longer than 3–4 pages) are brilliant both in style and originality. The unique finesse of his writings is to remain widely admired.
Bulgarian literature after 1944
After the
The writer Dimitar Talev (1898–1966) was also prevented for a time by the communist regime to publish his novels. Similarly to many other intellectuals, he was exiled to the province but continued to write. His best known work is The Iron Candlestick (1952).
Both Dimov and Talev were also renowned story-tellers with many story collections along with their novels. At the same time, even so early after the communists came to power, the development of their careers showed the ideological restrictions which writers had to face in the future.
Anton Donchev, Yordan Radichkov, Emiliyan Stanev, Stanislav Stratiev, Nikolay Haytov, Ivailo Petrov and Vera Mutafchieva are among the most talented and respected writers who managed to publish their books during the communist regime in the decades to come. Their works form the main novelesque body in the modern Bulgarian literature.
Some genres were almost sentenced to death like the crime fiction and the science fiction as very few writers cultivated them (Svetoslav Minkov, Pavel Vezhinov, Svetoslav Slavchev, Lyuben Dilov). Generally writers were tempted to turn to realist or historical subjects.
In fact, the Bulgarian national prose was not completely isolated from western literature and the ideas of surrealism, expressionism, existentialism, postmodernism, structuralism and the other theoretical paradigms. The avant-garde literature movements were scarcely and unsystematically represented until the 80s.
Nevertheless, the postwar period was the most plenteous for the still feeble modern Bulgarian poetry. Both after the political changes in 1944 and 1989, thousands of poetry collections were published.
Some of the poets who have won a stable respect with time are Atanas Dalchev (1904–1978) and Valeri Petrov. Dalchev is also remembered as one of the finest translators from a wide range of languages.
The general tendencies can be noticed there and further on. The poetry becomes more intimate and confessional, and requires more invention in order to influence or provoke; nevertheless sometimes originality turns into an end in itself; the free verse allowed higher intensity of language and diversity of forms; abstractness increased and started affecting the balance between philosophical depth and clearness; the search of lyricism is sometimes more evident than the meaning of the poems.
After change to capitalism
The gradual change from communism to capitalism in the Eastern Bloc and the Fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 was followed by a considerable increase in the modern publishing both of state and private publications, as well as a complicated distribution at periods, and a consequent seemed as devaluation compared to communist status that was well established as part of the communist ideology and cultural praxis of the writer’s social status at middle 90s altogether.
However at this time strongly is felt both the presence and influence of Julia Kristeva and her novels, widely translated from French to Bulgarian. Kristeva assured the possibility of the modern written in capitalism Bulgarian novel together with many, mostly poets, Bulgarian writers who tried to define literature in her new modern ways.
Sometimes the lack state ideological dogmatism of national consensus and the emerging new ideas, novelist areas and writing styles were producing mainly experimental attitude without much need for literary criticism in Bulgaria or for overscope on literary topics, are yet other factors that make it difficult or near impossible to distinguish those more famous or influential experimenting authors, the genuine ones, or those who served the communist state ideology who only slightly changed their paradigmatic ways together with younger voices in literature and writing. Generally it is considered that some better established poets from the previous generation maintained their popularity but it scarcely reaches outside of the national borders. Some of them include:
References
- ^ "Historical Collection". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
- ISBN 0-520-21038-7.
Further reading
- On Bulgarian folktales
- Даскалова-Перковска, Лиляна et al. "Български фолклорни приказки: каталог". Университетско издателство "Св. Климент Охридски", 1994. ISBN 9789540701561.
- Liliana Daskalova Perkowski, Doroteja Dobreva, Jordanka Koceva & Evgenija Miceva. Typenverzeichnis der bulgarischen Volksmärchen. Bearbeitet und herausgegeben von Klaus Roth. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1995. ISBN 9789514107719. (German translation of the above)
- Liliana Daskalova Perkowski, Doroteja Dobreva, Jordanka Koceva & Evgenija Miceva. Typenverzeichnis der bulgarischen Volksmärchen. Bearbeitet und herausgegeben von Klaus Roth. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1995.
- Kotseva, Yordanka; Mitseva, Evgeniya; Daskalova, Lilyana; Dobreva, Doroteya (1984). "Каталог на българските фолклорни приказки (Предварителни материали)" [A Catalogue of Bulgarian Folktales (Preliminary Materials)]. Български фолклор [Bulgarian Folklore]. X (2). Институт за етнология и фолклористика с Етнографски музей при БАН: 81–100.
- Kotseva, Yordanka (1994). "Момата грейница или българските женски вълшебни приказки" [The Beaming Maid or the Bulgarian Female Fairytales]. Български фолклор (in Bulgarian). XX (5): 33–44.
- Kotseva, Yordanka (2002). "Вълшебните приказки в Архива на Института за фолклор. Каталог" [The Fairy-Tales in the Archive of the Institute of Folklore. Catalogue]. Български фолклор [Bulgarian Folklore] (in Bulgarian). XXVIII (3–4). Институт за етнология и фолклористика с Етнографски музей при БАН: 59–108.