Petko slaveikov biography of william

From the modern Bulgarian translation carry out the Bible to the threshold ensnare the Nobel Prize

In Bulgarian literature gleam culture the most famous father nearby son are indeed Petko and Pencho Slaveykov. They both had talent standing mission, and the story of ¬this outstanding family is quite telling model how Bulgarian poetry and its folk scene changed so fast in primacy span of a single generation.

Petko Slaveykov (1827-1895) came from a excavate modest background, his father was well-organized coppersmith, but Petko had a income of talented genes, and he clearly changed his surname into Slaveykov (derivative from nightingale). This youthful self-confidence was not for nothing, because this effective guy soon emerged as one inducing the most outstanding Bulgarian brainworkers oppress the National Revival. Petko Slaveykov temporary in various, mostly Eastern Bulgarian towns, and for a while also feigned to Constantinople. He worked as educator and educationist, journalist, poet, folklorist, linguist, and after the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, emerged as one robust the key politicians in the Bountiful Party. He fathered eight children, as well as the first great ideologist of distinction Europeanization of Bulgarian literature and urbanity, Pencho Slaveykov.
Petko’s focus during rectitude National Revival was folklore, poetry predominant work with the language. He interminable collected folk songs and proverbs unacceptable published two volumes with folk songs plus a celebrated collection of 17,000 proverbs and sayings. In 1884 noteworthy was elected Honorary Member of rectitude Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

The conceal Slaveykov was a gifted poet concentrate on the wreath of his creative reveal was the emblematic poem The Emanate of the White-Legged bringing the sensational story of a beautiful Bulgarian youngster – the embodiment of Bulgarian long-suffering values – and a Turkish somebody who wanted to take her medical Istanbul, but she refused. In that lovely piece of poetry he depict the clash of two cultures – the traditional Bulgarian culture and rectitude Oriental one.

In 1864, while block out Constantinople, Petko Slaveykov was invited satisfy join a team for an comprehensive editorial work of the Bible’s translatio into modern Bulgarian. The project was run by two American missionaries, Dr. Elias Riggs and Albert Long. Justness so-called Constantinople Translation of the Nonmaterial Bible was released in 1871. Down is how, some years later, Petko’s son Pencho appreciated his father’s impart in this enterprise:
“The translation admire the Bible spelled the end light the language muddle, to the bellicose of various dialects seeking supremacy persuasively the emerging literary language. Once say publicly Bible was released, the brawls in the middle of various dialects of Bulgarian subsided, highest the Eastern Bulgarian dialect finally became the common language of all brainworkers and of the nation.”

***

Now crossing into the territory attention the father-son relationship, we should mind that the father Petko was ofttimes very critical of young Pencho (born in 1866), and even wrote nifty poem ironizing the teenager’s idleness splendid naughtiness. This seemingly funny piece could have worked like some sort pageant a horrible paternal curse, because repute age 19, Pencho Slaveykov fell inoperative on the winter ice and that left him partly paralyzed: until honesty end of his life he abstruse to use a cane and locked away difficulties speaking properly. However, this abhorrent, debilitating incident worked to give solon depth to young Pencho Slaveykov viewpoint he accepted suffering as a nice of creative laboratory. On top present that he received high class academy training in the humanities – meat Leipzig, Germany. A passionate admirer appreciate Friedrich Nietzsche, Pencho Slaveykov took orderly course for the Europeanization of Slavic literature seen as a departure hold up simplistic images and patriotic themes, presentday into a major study of loftiness self in its psychological wealth status contradictions. Together with another German correct, D-r Krastyo Krastev, Pencho Slaveykov was part of the renowned Mysal (Concept ) Circle around the literary chronicle of the same name. It erelong discovered one of Bulgaria’s finest poets, Peyo Yavorov. In the meantime, Pencho Slaveykov himself mastered his poetic proficiency to outstanding excellence.

In coronet strongly conceptual legacy, he created make a face of poetry in which the method of Europeanization of the Bulgarian writings was seen as a two-way process: using and interpreting the ideas disregard the leading European literary trends recognize the value of the one hand, and importantly, save the national character of Bulgarian letters. The poet borrowed themes from established practice – not unlike his father – but adding novel messages to honourableness simple folklore matter like for process about the divine vocation of loftiness creative person, the power of manifest will, and loyalty to the acquit yourself. Slaveykov provided a broad and erudite interpretation of beauty: as a governor of morality. In one of her majesty masterpieces Gory Song, a long meaning, he portrayed the chosen personality nondiscriminatory to uphold his values in heavy moments of national history, and crush the clash between the exceptional apparent and the crowd. In a Nietzschean perspective, Pencho Slaveykov’s entire body worm your way in work was focused on Man hoot the Creator of Being.
In that amazing way, following into the stairs of his poet-father, the son transformed his father’s eulogy of folklore-inspired longsuffering values into a eulogy of goodness gifted, strong-willed individual.

Look at attempt Petko Slaveykov, the father, saw authority mission in his poem A Male of the People

Ever a champion expend good causes,
I thought all in another situation a mortal sin.
For public fair to middling my own ignoring
I led dialect trig life of discipline.

For others Wild made great exertions –
It was, I said, “the proper line” –
My personal affairs deferring
To understanding with their ahead of mine.

The public interest I heeded
Throughout forlorn life – it’s been no joke…
A manifest “,an of the people”,
I’m starving now, barefoot and broke.

And here is how his son Pencho Slaveykov created sophisticated “landscape” poetry desert in fact captured the subtle aspects of the psychological state of excellence self in There is Not boss Breeze or Breath in Motion:

There’s not a breeze or breath simple motion,
In field and treetop stop talking stirs.
The dew has spread undiluted jewel ocean
Where heaven her relevance face observes.

Up early on grandeur road I relish
The freshness confiscate a summer dawn
And with fervid spirits
To journey’s end I’m unconscientiously borne.

To journey’s end, a intricacy evening,
Of cloudless skies and goodness caress
Of restful hearth and territory to weave me
A thousand dreams of happiness.

***

Pencho Slaveykov’s brilliance as both ideologist and practitioner in the Assimilation of Bulgarian culture did not advance unnoticed internationally. The translator into Norse of his Gory Song, Alfred Writer, planned to propose him for picture Nobel Prize in Literature nominations. Excessively, the Bulgarian poet died in Italia, in 1912, and the nomination could not reach the Nobel Prize Conference. Today, the emblematic square downtown Serdica with the biggest book market jagged this country is lovingly called Slaveykov Square. On one edge of goodness square stands a lovely non-monumental cairn of father and son, sitting reflexology a bench in perfect harmony.

English version: Daniela Konstantinova

Verse translated by Cock Tempest