Ivan Vazov (1850-1921)

[Sergius]

Ivan Vazov - The revolutionary poet

EACH country has its national poets. They are people who were not only good at writing but also at exposing the depths of their fellow countrymen's souls. When celebrating their greatest moments, such as Liberation Day on March 3, Bulgarians remember the one and only person that used poetry and prose to tell the world of the Bulgarian soul, and the Bulgarian struggle to become a nation - Ivan Vazov.

After the liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 and the restoration of its state independence, the new state began developing its culture in entirely new conditions. During the first decades of freedom, Bulgarian governments were anxious to help the country out of the Orient and its backwardness, which stimulated the multifarious influences of modern European culture. The "European shift" affected all cultural spheres - education, science, literature and art. In a number of cases the cultural accomplishments outstripped even the modernisation of the state itself or its economy.

Literature has always had a leading position in the Bulgarian cultural environment. Literary life was marked by the existence of two conflicting trends containing the main ideological leanings, which sprung up after the liberation. The first one, supported by the literary circle around Vazov, tried to pave the way for Bulgarian literature along the lines of critical realism in conjunction with folklore. The second trend was represented by the circle of the Misul (Thought) magazine, co-edited by Kiril Krustev, a literary critic and Pencho Slaveikov, another Bulgarian poet. And here we meet the master.

Vazov was born in 1850 in the town of Sopot, situated in the beautiful Valley of the Roses, one of the most poetic sites the country has. Some people believe that it was one of the influences on the future great poet and novelist. The other was the struggle to overthrow Ottoman rule, which had for five centuries strangled the Bulgarian nation and limited its development.

Vazov also inherited a series of special virtues from his father, Mincho Vazov, who was a trader and a true Bulgarian, bearing the spirit of the Bulgarian people that had inhabited these lands for so many centuries. His mother also strongly influenced his development.

After finishing school in Sopot, Vazov was sent to Kalofer, another town bearing the spirit of the Bulgarian revival, and was appointed assistant teacher. After the years of exams in Kalofer, the young teacher returned to Sopot to his father's grocery to help him with his work. But, thirsty for more education and further development, the next year Vazov went to Plovdiv to continue his education.

In Plovdiv, Vazov made his first steps as a poet. By his father's wish he went to Oltinitsa, a university town in Romania to study trade. But his soul was not keen to explore the secrets of the economy. He was immersed in his world of poetry. Soon he left Oltinitsa and went to Braila where he met Hristo Botev. Hardly anything else in this world could have had a greater influence on Vazov than the revolutionary spirit of Botev, who was the moral father of the Bulgarian liberation struggle.

Later, he himself took part in the process of liberation and after the Bulgarian state was revived from the ruins of Ottoman rule, he was regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the country.

For more than 50 years, Ivan Vazov was the most highly regarded figure in Bulgarian literature. He was a citizen-poet who considered the social mission of literature an organic part of the nation's life and fate. He wrote his most compelling works to glory Bulgaria's national reawakening and to articulate the ideas of the past, lest they be forgotten by post-liberation society.

His view of the Bulgarian national character had an enormous impact, and to this day his works remain an invaluable treasure of Bulgarian cultural history. Vazov is considered the patriarch of Bulgarian literature because he provided the highest standards for future generations of writers, who would seek in his verse a solution to their doubts and a confirmation of their ideas.

Vazov was in fact the founder of all the literary genres employed by modern Bulgarian literature. His wide-ranging works are a brilliant manifestation of his artistic creativity. Partly because of his love of his homeland, its freedom and its nature, and his ability to incorporate into his works Bulgaria's traditions, history, morality, and national spirit, Vazov has come to be regarded as Bulgaria's national poet.

Vazov's Pod Igoto (Under the Yoke) enjoys the status of Bulgaria's national novel. Set against the background of the tragic April Uprising in 1876, it is an extended examination of Bulgarian character and the national awakening. From his poems, the most significant are collected in the Epopee to the Forgotten, true songs for the greatest Bulgarians in history.

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Ivan Vazov’s place in Bulgaria’s heritage

With the onset of summer Bulgaria marks the birth anniversary of the Patriarch of the Bulgarian modern literature Ivan Vazov. The author of the first Bulgarian novel Under the Yoke was born on 9 July, or 27 June new style in 1850 in the picturesque mountain town of Sopot, Central Bulgaria.

“I am a Bulgarian. I love our green mountains” is the verse that every Bulgarian learns in early childhood. Vazov’s works have emerged as a veritable school for patriotism and national dignity. The great man committed his entire creative life to the fatherland, and has become a national icon. His emotional world is powerfully dominated by Bulgaria: its ups and downs, its nature and history, its people and problems as well as its future. Overwhelmed by intense patriotic feelings Vazov extolled the virtues of the Bulgarian nation and the captivating beauty of the Bulgarian language.

The poet of the people went to school in his native Sopot, but also in Kalofer and Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria. He took up teaching and translation, and invariably joined patriotic initiatives – before and after the liberation from Ottoman rule. In modern Bulgaria he was appointed cabinet minister but only for a short while, so he devoted most of his time to writing. His debut verse volume Standard and Rebec came out in 1876 to be followed by Bulgaria’s Sorrows, Deliverance, Fields and Woods, Slivnitsa, and many others. Vazov resided briefly in Rumania where he met with the Bulgarian hushove – the revolutionary émigrés. This gave a patriotic and civilian focus to his creative quests. He chose to be chronicler of the epoch, and never stepped down from this role till his death in 1921. His texts are the poetic history of Bulgaria.

“Vazov’s ideas have not lost their relevance today, because he influenced significantly our national awareness and self-esteem,” says Irina Bacheva, curator at the Ivan Vazov Museum-house in Sofia. “His works create a powerful ambience which embraces us. He is not just a poet of pathos, eulogy and enthusiasm. His articles for the press are equally powerful, though little is known about him as journalist. In them Vazov spelled out bitter truths about his time whose relevance is untainted.”

Pupils are the most inquisitive visitors of the Vazov home in Sofia. It was converted into a museum 79 years ago. It is in fact the first literary museum in this country. According to Mrs. Bacheva the kids visiting the place today, not only understand, but also appreciate Vazov’s language. They come along to learn more about Ivan Vazov’s private life and come into touch with the atmosphere in which he lived and worked. The museum displays the first editions of his celebrated works, as well as a few orders including the distinction Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius. One very impressive exhibit is the famous silver lire with a silver wreath and a gilt ribbon, a special gift to Vazov from the Jubilee Committee for his first jubilee in 1895.

“His personal library keeps valuable first editions, translations and autographed books,” Irina Bacheva explains. “Unfortunately, we do not have here a manuscript of the novel Under the Yoke. But we keep Vazov’s copy from the first edition with handwritten notes and instructions to the artists. Under the Yoke is not only the first Bulgarian novel, but also the first Bulgarian illustrated book. The first English translation of the novel is also here. Curiously, it came out half a year ahead of the first Bulgarian edition in a separate volume.”

Vazov’s hometown Sopot is the venue of the national celebration of the writer’s 155th birth anniversary, which will proceed under the auspices of President Georgi Parvanov. The 70th anniversary since the restoration of the poet’s house of birth will be marked too. In 1935 Kind Boris III granted to it the status of museum. The traditional Vazov Award will be given for an exceptional contribution into Bulgarian culture. The name of this year’s holder will become known on July 9.

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[ImperiaBG]

Ivan Vazov