View source for Ivan Vazov

{{Short description|Bulgarian writer and poet (1850–1921)}}
{{Expand Bulgarian|topic=bio|Иван Вазов|date=January 2011}}
{{family name hatnote|Minchov|Vazov|lang=Bulgarian}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Ivan Vazov
| image              = Ivan Vazov Coloured Improved.jpg
| alt                = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption            = Contemporary image of writer, Ivan Vazov
| native_name        = {{Nobold|Иван Минчов Вазов}}
| birth_name         = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1850|07|09|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Sopot, Plovdiv Province|Sopot]], [[Rose Valley, Bulgaria]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1921|09|22|1850|07|09|df=y}}
| death_place        = 
| nationality        = Bulgarian
| other_names        = 
| partner            = [[Evgenia Mars]]
| occupation         = poet, novelist, playwright
| years_active       = 
| known_for          = Patriarch of Bulgarian literature
| notable_works      = 
| parents            = Saba and Mincho Vazov
}}
'''Ivan Minchov Vazov''' ({{langx|bg|Иван Минчов Вазов}}; {{OldStyleDate|9 July|1850|27 June}} – 22 September 1921) was a [[Bulgaria]]n [[poet]], [[novelist]], and [[playwright]], often referred to as "the [[Patriarch]] of Bulgarian literature".<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Bulgaria/Language |volume= 04 |last= Bourchier |first= James David |author-link= James David Bourchier | pages = 784&ndash;786;see page 786, around line 20 |quote=The most distinguished Bulgarian man of letters is Ivan Vazoff (b. 1850), whose epic and lyric poems and prose works form the best specimens of the modern literary language. His novel Pod Igoto....}} </ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Grogan  |first=Ellinor  |title= Ivan Vazov |journal=The Slavonic Review |issue= 1|volume= 1 |date= June 1922 |pages= 225–227 |jstor=4201601 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= The Library of the World's Best Literature. An Anthology in Thirty Volumes |editor= Warner, C.D. |display-editors=etal |editor-link= Charles Dudley Warner |year= 1917 |last= Robinson |first= Lucy Catlin Bull|chapter=Ivan Vazov, Critical and Biographical Introduction |volume= 26 |url= http://www.bartleby.com/library/prose/5406.html |access-date= 18 June 2018 |via= Bartleby.com (Great Books Online)}}</ref> He was born in [[Sopot, Plovdiv Province|Sopot]], a town in the [[Rose Valley, Bulgaria|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.

==Biography and major works==
The exact date of Vazov's birth is disputed. His parents, Saba and Mincho Vazov, both had a lot of influence on the young poet.

After Ivan finished primary school in Sopot, Mincho sent him to [[Kalofer]], appointing him{{what|date=September 2020}} assistant teacher. Having done his final exams in Kalofer, the young teacher returned to Sopot to help in his father's grocery. The following year his father sent him to Plovdiv to [[Naiden Gerov]]'s school. There Vazov made his first steps as a poet.

He returned to Sopot only to leave for [[Oltenița]] in [[Romania]], as his father wanted him to become an apprentice and study trade at his uncle's. Ivan Vazov showed no interest in the trade profession whatsoever. Instead he was immersed in literature. Soon he fled from his uncle's place and went to [[Brăila]] where he lived with the Bulgarian exiled revolutionaries and met [[Hristo Botev]], a Bulgarian [[revolutionary]] and poet.

In 1874, he joined [[Liberation of Bulgaria|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 (1877–1878)|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]].
[[File:Vazov house.JPG|thumb|left|Ivan Vazov's house, now a museum, in Sofia, Bulgaria]]
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.<ref>See {{cite book |last=Vazoff |first=Ivan |title=Under the Yoke: A Romance of Bulgarian Liberty with An Introduction by Edmund Gosse |publisher= William Heinemann |place=London |year= 1912|url= https://archive.org/details/underyokeromance00vazorich|access-date= 17 June 2018 |via= Internet Archive}}</ref>

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&nbsp;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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Форум Иван Ефремов • Виж темата - Фантастична поезия (2) |url=http://sf-sofia.com/forum/index.php?p=47589&rb_v=viewtopic#p47589 |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=sf-sofia.com}}</ref>

[[File:Ivan Vazov's Grave.JPG|left|thumb|200px|Vazov's grave in the center of Sofia.  In the background is [[Hagia Sophia Church (Sofia)|St. Sofia Church]]. The tomb itself is composed of [[syenite]] stone, sourced from the [[Vitosha]] mountains, where Vazov loved to have walks. ({{coord|42|41.799|N|23|19.943|E|type:landmark}})]]

==Historical site==
[[File:Bratislava Vazov Ivan- Venkov E.jpg|thumb|Vazov's bas-relief at Vazovova Street, Bratislava]]
 
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 Sava Rakovski|Georgi S. Rakovski]] Street in Sofia.
Another gem of a museum is his large home in Berkovitsa. 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]] ({{langx|bg|Народна библиотека "Иван Вазов"}}) in Plovdiv. A park near [[Hagia Sophia Church (Sofia)|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.<ref>[https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=134675 Vazov Point] [https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/ SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica]</ref>

In 1917, he was nominated for the [[Nobel Prize]] in literature.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=9573 |title= Nomination Database |access-date=May 27, 2016 |via= Nobelprize.org}}</ref>

A [[Vazov (crater)|crater]] on the planet Mercury was named in his honor in June 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/15922|title = Vazov |publisher = [[IAU]]/[[USGS]]/[[NASA]] |work = Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |access-date = 15 May 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Poetry}}
*[[Bulgarian literature]]
*[[Zahari Stoyanov]]
*[[Pencho Slaveykov]]
*[[Peyo Yavorov]]
*[[National awakening of Bulgaria]]
{{clear left}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |title= Library of the World's Best Literature. Ancient and Modern  |editor= Warner, Charles Dudley |editor-link= Charles Dudley Warner |publisher= R.S.Peale and J.A. Hill  |place= New York |year= 1897 |last= Bull |first= Lucy Catlin |chapter=Ivan Vazoff (1850 -) |volume= 26 |pages= 15263–15286 |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/libraryofworldsb26warnuoft#page/15262/mode/2up |access-date= June 18, 2018 |via=Internet Archive }}
*{{cite journal |last= Tsanoff |first= Radoslav Andrea |title= Ivan Vazoff: Balkan Poet and Novelist |journal= Poet Lore, A Magazine of Letters |volume= 19 |year= 1908 |place= New York |publisher= AMS Reprint Company |pages= 98–110 |url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015036683012;view=1up;seq=104 |access-date= June 18, 2018 |via= HathiTrust Digital Library}}
* {{cite book |last=Gosse |first=Edmund |chapter= Introduction |author-link= Edmund Gosse |title=Under the Yoke: A Romance of Bulgarian Liberty by Ivan Vazoff |publisher= William Heinemann |pages= i-ix |place=London |year= 1912|url= https://archive.org/details/underyokeromance00vazorich|access-date= 18 June 2018 |via= Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last= Keller |first= Helen Rex|chapter=Under the Yoke ("Pod Igoto) |title=The Reader's Digest of Books |publisher= The Macmillan Company|place=New York |year=1923 |pages=868–869 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000065653180;view=1up;seq=880 |access-date= June 18, 2018|via= HathiTrust Digital Collection}}
* Ташев, Ташо. Министрите на България 1879–1999. София, АИ „Проф. Марин Дринов“ / Изд. на МО, 1999. {{ISBN|978-954-430-603-8}} / ISBN 978-954-509-191-  9. с. 74–75.
*  Карчев, Петър. През прозореца на едно полустолетие (1900-1950), София, 2004, стр. 274.
*  Михаил Арнаудов. „Македония като българска земя“. (беседа, държана в Битоля на 4 юли 1941 г.)
*  Бачева, Ирина и др. Кратък летопис. // vazovmuseum.com. Къща музей "Иван Вазов" - Сопот, 2013. Посетен на 2013-03-18.
*  Аврамов, Румен. Комуналният капитализъм: Т.II. София, Фондация Българска наука и култура / Център за либерални стратегии, 2007. {{ISBN|978-954-90758-8-5}}. с. 22.
*  The Nomination Database for the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1901–1950. // Nobelprize.org.
*  SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica: Vazov Point.
*  Нацева, Розалина, Любен Иванов, Инес Лазарова, Петя Кръстева. Каталог на българските банкноти. Българска народна банка. С., 2004. {{ISBN|954-9791-74-2}}, с. 107

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=1064}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Ivan Minchov Vazov}}
* {{Librivox author |id=6017}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121114010101/https://archive.org/details/underyokeromance00vazorich Vazov, I. Under the Yoke. A Romance of Bulgarian Liberty. With an Introduction by E. Gosse. A New and Revised Edition. London, 1912]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070517061038/http://www.bnr.bg/RadioBulgaria/Emission_English/Theme_Culture/Material/Vazovheritage.htm  Ivan Vazov’s place in Bulgaria’s heritage]
*[http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/ivan-vazov---the-revolutionary-poet/id_6711/catid_30 Ivan Vazov – The revolutionary poet]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Bulgaria/Language}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vazov, Ivan}}
[[Category:1850 births]]
[[Category:1921 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Sopot, Plovdiv Province]]
[[Category:People's Party (Bulgaria) politicians]]
[[Category:19th-century Bulgarian poets]]
[[Category:Bulgarian male poets]]
[[Category:Bulgarian novelists]]
[[Category:Bulgarian male novelists]]
[[Category:Bulgarian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Bulgarian people of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]]
[[Category:Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria)]]
[[Category:Members of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:19th-century Bulgarian novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Bulgarian novelists]]