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Ivan Minchov Vazov (Иван Минчов Вазов; 9 July 1850 – 22 September 1921) was a Bulgarian poet, novelist and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria (then part of the Ottoman Empire). The works of Ivan Vazov reveal two historical epochs - the Bulgarian Renaissance and the Post-Liberation (from Ottoman Empire rule) epoch. Ivan Vazov holds the highest honorary title of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Academician. He acted as Education and People Enlightenment Minister from September 7, 1897, until January 30, 1899, representing the People's Party.

Early life and education
Ivan Vazov was born in the small town of Sopot, near the Balkan Mountains. He was named after his grandfather. His father was Mincho Vazov, who was a merchant and his mother was Saba Vazova. Mincho was described having an open-mind, conservative and patriarchal spirit for the Bulgarian National Awakening, who was not educated and had no interest in it. He was a strict parent and even though he was not interested in education, he wanted his kids to go to school. Vazov's mother, Saba, was described as an artistic, intelligent, generous and charming woman, who encouraged her son's interest in literature, as she also helped him make his first attempts at writing.

His father sent him to the local school in 1857 so that he can learn Greek and Turkish for commercial purposes. During his time in the school, he read many books which were published in Bulgaria. He liked learning, but disliked arithmetic and usually ran away from classes. His favourite lesson was geography. At 10 years old Vazov became in love with the folk songs in the magazine Balgarski Knizhitsi and even learned them. In 1865 he completed his elementary education. Vazov in 1919 described his impressions of the school in a poem called Our School:

"In the school fights, cries, dust, yelling, shouting, dull chests and flaming faces; At the fountain in the trough, sticks of dogwood, dipped for furious children.

Running, playing through the graves in the churchyard (Who does not stone them with stones and beat them?). Noise of children crying and thunderous songs, and books worn out in struggles.

And the hum of lessons learned aloud, The stern face of the teacher, sulky, angry... How sad it is, but how wonderful In memory, like a dream of golden mist! (machine translation)"

He was transfered in 1865 to a school in Kalofer, where Botev's father taught. The school library was full of Russian and French literature books and Vazov began to read them during entire days. He was influenced by the teacher Pavel Saykov and liked his poems. He returned to his hometown Sopot in 1866 and he began to be interested in poems. During the same year, he moved to Plovdiv and enrolled in a fourth grade school ran by Yoakim Gruev. His father wanted Vazov to learn Greek and Turkish, which were necessary for trading. He was brought back in Sopot to help his father take care of the shop, but didn't help as he did not have an aptitude for business. He began learning the French language, as his teacher was Bogdan Goranov.

Emigrating to Romania
In 1870 he published his poem Struggle in the the recently made Periodical of the Bulgarian Literary Society in Brăila. It was his first ever published work. He was sent to Romania by his father in 1870 to help his uncle Kirko Vazov with his grain trade and learn business. From February 1871 to March 1872 he travelled in numerous Romanian cities for commercial purposes, which were Bucharest, Galați, Brăila, Oltenița, Bacău. During this period he began to systematically publish his literary works. Vazov became a literary contributor to many Bulgarian emigrant publications such as Periodical Magazine and Svoboda.He met with many Bulgarian emigrés during his time in Romania. He came in contact with revolutionaries Hristo Botev and Lyuben Karavelov in Galați. According to scholar Pirin Boyadzhiev, Vazov wrote 14 poems. 7 of them, including poems such as The Pine, were promulgated. This period was very important for Vazov. He saw his first literary works published in various journals and newspapers, as well as his poetical talents were just beginning to develop.

In 1874, he joined the struggle for his country's independence from the Ottoman Empire. He returned to Sopot in 1875, where he became a member of the local revolutionary committee. After the failure of the April Uprising of 1876, he had to flee the country, going back to Galaţi, where most of the surviving revolutionaries were exiled. There he was appointed a secretary of the committee.

Vazov was probably heavily influenced by Botev, who was the ideological leader of the Bulgarian revolutionary movement. He started writing his famous poems with Botev and some other Bulgarian emigrants in Romania. In 1876 he published his first work, Priaporetz and Gusla, followed by "Bulgaria's Sorrows" in 1877.

Bulgaria regained its independence in 1878 as a result of the Russo-Turkish War and Vazov wrote the famous Epic of the Forgotten. He became the editor of the political reviews Science and Dawn. He was, however, forced into exile once again, this time to Odesa, because of the persecution of the russophile political faction. Returning to Bulgaria with the help of his mother Saba Vazova, he started teaching. Vazov's next stay was in Svishtov, where he became a civil servant. He moved to Sofia in 1889 where he started publishing the review Dennitsa.

Vazov's 1888 novel Under the Yoke, which depicts the Ottoman oppression of Bulgaria, is the most famous piece of classic Bulgarian literature and has been translated into over 30 languages.

Later in his life Vazov was a prominent and widely respected figure in the social and cultural life of newly independent Bulgaria. He died on September 22, 1921.

Other famous works
Some of the other famous works by Vazov include the novels New Country (1894), Under Our Heaven (1900), The Empress of Kazalar (1902), Songs of Macedonia (1914),  It Will Not Perish  (1920) and the plays Vagabonds (1894), A Newspaperman? (1900), Borislav (1909) and Ivaylo (1911).

Vazov also wrote the first Bulgarian science fiction story The Last Day of XX Century (1899), the first Bulgarian fantasy poem In the Kingdom of the Fairies (1884) and some other fantasy poetry.



Historical site
Vazov's home in Sofia has been turned into a museum, containing a restoration of his residence with period furnishings, as well as Vazov's taxidermically preserved dog. Although the museum is ostensibly open Tuesday through Saturday, it is in practice not always staffed, so visitors are advised to call in advance. The museum is located at the corner of Ivan Vazov Street and Georgi S. Rakovski Street in Sofia. Another gem of a museum is his large home in Berkovista. It is filled with poetry combined with old photographs of the area and the revolution, blown up to poster size. The second floor has two large meeting rooms, one for men, the other for women. Platform couches doubled as beds.

Honours
The Bulgarian Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia is named after him, the "Ivan Vazov" neighborhood in Sofia, as is the Ivan Vazov National Library (Народна библиотека "Иван Вазов") in Plovdiv. A park near St. Sofia Church in Sofia features the city's best-known monument to Vazov.

Vazovova Street in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Vazov Point and Vazov Rock on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica are also named after him.

In 1917, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature.