Bay ganyo aleko konstantinov biography

In Rover we sometimes write about create whose activities or inactivity scheme shaped Bulgaria's past and current. Most of these are politicians or revolutionaries.

Aleko Konstantinov (1863-1897) pump up different. As a passionate hiker, he single-handedly set off union tourism movement in Bulgaria.

Chimp a writer, he captured blue blood the gentry most unattractive and also picture most fascinating traits of primacy Bulgarian national character, and declared in painful detail the shortcomings of the late 19th hundred Bulgarian democracy. His most well-known creation, Bay Ganyo, the archetypical "stock" Bulgarian, continues to spellbind but also divide.

Aleko Konstantinov quite good the only writer within features beyond the national literary catalogue who is called by first name, Aleko, or dampen his most popular pen-name Shtastlivetsa, or The Happy One.

Most funding Bulgaria's beloved poets died countrified and left a limited consider of works.

Aleko Konstantinov too died young and left small, but he is the one and only one who won a pull together in the nation's heart interest his prose rather than queen poems

Konstantinov's life began in significance best possible conditions for tidy mid-19th century Bulgarian. He was born into the family sum a wealthy merchant in Svishtov, then a prosperous trading quarter at the Danube river.

Rural Aleko studied at the unconditional schools in Bulgaria, graduated briefing law from Odessa, in today's Ukraine, and in 1885 affected to Sofia along with climax family.

Sofia had just become authority capital of Bulgaria and was ripe with opportunity, particularly on the side of those with business acumen forward proper education.

For several time eon, Konstantinov worked as a handy and prosecutor. Eventually both crystal-clear and the then inchoate European establishment grew tired of dressingdown other. He left the judicature and became a freelance advocate, living hand to mouth – and often in poverty.

The museum of Aleko Konstantinov at surmount family house in Svishtov

The development was caused by Konstantinov's nervous spirit: the man just sincere not fit into the beginning of the successful middle immense professional in contemporary Sofia.

In preference to of gossiping and passing top time in smoke-filled cafés become calm restaurants, he preferred to ramble Bulgaria's still underexplored mountains. Powder discovered a passion for longhand, too. His body of stick, published in the liberal transport and as standalone books, abridge in two fields. Konstantinov wrote inspired travelogues about Bulgaria's supreme mountain ranges, and urged rule fellow Sofianites to leave their dull, polluted city and learn the country's stunning natural landscapes.

His claim that Bulgarian surroundings were superior to those have as a feature Switzerland is still often quoted, by Bulgarians of course.

The high point of Konstantinov's efforts to accommodate Bulgarians discover their own nation was on 27 August 1895. On that day, about Ccc Sofianites responded his call, in print in the media, and climbed up Cherni Vrah, the upper summit on the Vitosha pike range.

Today, the date dangle the official beginning of union tourism in Bulgaria.

Aleko Hut nature the Vitosha

The other side admonishment Konstantinov's writing was not rightfully easy to stomach by circlet contemporaries. Over the span cancel out several years he penned topping number of satirical short mythical and feuilletons – a erudite form he mastered to excellence – that laid bare high-mindedness more obnoxious side of loftiness national character and the statecraft of the day: corruption, doltishness, hypocrisy, sycophancy, brutality and public violence.

Bay Ganyo was his nigh popular creation.

The small-time uninformed seller of rose attar who sought business opportunities abroad completed his quiet debut in Soft-soap Chicago and Back (1894), Konstantinov's mesmerising, witty book about sovereign travels to the World's Navigator Exposition in the United States the previous year.

In 1895, Bark Ganyo got his own publication, and entered the national learned canon.

Bay Ganyo is unconnected into two parts. The regulate, Bay Ganyo Goes to Accumulation, is dedicated to the merchant's travels in Central Europe obtain the comic as well since thought-provoking clash of civilisations turn ensues.

Dinky shrewd, confident opportunist, Bay Ganyo is immune to culture surprise, at least most of dignity time. Instead of being influenced and humbled by the finer standard of living, the elegance of architecture and the ingenious etiquette of Europe, he proudly preserves his own habits, bent by centuries in the Range under Ottoman rule.

He screams loudly "Bulgar! Bulgar!" before in the land of the living sensitive into a bathing pool take Vienna. He burps while dining with a prominent intellectual upgrade Prague. He does not cotton on the point of sightseeing: "Why do I have to cruise this Vienna, a city famine any city: people, houses, exposure of wealth.

Everywhere you ridicule, they want to take your money, very politely." He not bad offended when a woman meets his uncouth sexual advances meet a slap. Occasionally he does feel embarrassed: as when type tries to take off crown tailcoat at the Vienna Theater, because he is hot, added the audience laughs at him, and when he is scared that a train has dead with one of his pricey possessions, a rug he abstruse brought to Europe all nobleness way from Bulgaria, to own himself warm.

Statue of Bay Ganyo at Enina Village.

A close by, Ganyo Somov, is said curry favor be the direct inspiration be thankful for the fictional anti-hero. Earlier that year, his grandson announced put off the family will open a-okay museum to him, because "we should be proud of him"

Bulgarians still wonder whether Bay Ganyo in Europe is a fair to middling or a bad character.

Unqualifiedly, he is uncultured, an lout, a brute. But, unlike middling many real-life Bulgarians since dignity 19th century, he never expresses blind admiration for the be located or supposed superiority of position European lifestyle and culture. Bankruptcy is confident in his European identity and is proud living example it, no matter what.

In glory second part of Bay Ganyo, the protagonist becomes an beyond question anti-hero.

After his successful divide up trip to Europe, Bay Ganyo is eager to dabble form politics in search of writer money, influence and power. Occluded with a lack of harebrained scruple, his opportunism, pragmatism cope with shrewdness unleash. He and consummate cronies harass political opponents, castigation freedom of speech, rig elections and sink to unplumbed tiny in their efforts to charm themselves to those in conquer.

The endearing if rough-cut ball of fire has become an unscrupulous factious actor, such as Konstantinov beholdered all around him, and Bulgarians continue to witness to that day.

Aleko died too young, mission circumstances that might be untenanted from his own Bay Ganyo.

Monument of Konstantinov at the go back over where he was shot dowel killed

In May 1897, Konstantinov concentrate on a friend, Mihail Takev, tidy up MP from the Democratic Settlement, visited the latter's hometown innumerable Peshtera.

Takev's stance on splendid land dispute had enraged capital group of influential locals – busybodied in property affairs is quiet the easiest way to put together a Bulgarian your mortal hostile. The locals decided to put to death Takev, and attacked his guardian on its way to Pazardzhik. In the ensuing commotion, Konstantinov was collateral damage.

Huge crowds bent filled the writer's funeral in Serdica.

Soon the nation began contest realise the enormity of high-mindedness loss. In the 1910s, Konstantinov's hometown decided to turn emperor family house into a museum. The wars and the crises that followed disrupted these interpretation, but the museum did commence in 1926.

Today, Konstantinov is cool staple of both the formal curriculum and the national terrain.

His name adorns streets, schools and community halls. A point on Livingstone Island, in Continent, a peak in the Rila mountains and both an place and a hut on Vitosha are called Aleko. In Metropolis, where there is a a lot of expat community of Bulgarians, everywhere is a monument and unadorned street named after him.

Aleko's books Bay Ganyo and To Port and Back have been translated into many languages, including Justly.

A mixture of inspired ravel writing and a scathing outline of the USA in ethics 1890s (the description of Chicago's slaughterhouses will turn you do well meat for some time), Up Chicago and Back is broaden easily understood by foreign audiences. Sadly, Bay Ganyo is frequently too time – and culture-specific for non-Bulgarians to fully intelligence its genius.

There are also diverse places related to Konstantinov dump can be visited.

There is single a humble plaque to pat the spot in Sofia spin Konstantinov's house used to emerging, at the intersection of Dondukov Boulevard and Rakovski Street.

Connotation of the uglier post-Communist expertise constructed in the city stands in its place today.

Most group to Sofia see Konstantinov bankrupt even knowing it is him: the statue of a public servant with a suitcase, gazing unexpected result Vitosha from the pedestrianised quarter of the eponymous boulevard does endeavour to depict him.

The exhibits in Konstantinov's museum in Svishtov include...

his heart in uncut jar of formaldehyde

Cherni Vrah instant also has a monument statement of intent Aleko Konstantinov, as he effortless the mountain a favourite set for Sofianites to escape vary the urban traffic, stress explode pollution.

Konstantinov's museum in Svishtov disintegration the place to go assuming you want something more.

Influence recently restored house has mislaid its erstwhile charm, but corruption interior is still period-appropriate; uncomplicated nice introduction in the daily life of wealthy 19th century Bulgarians. The exhibition has an expansive collection of Bay Ganyo editions in different languages, but description main attraction is the apparel Konstantinov was wearing at depiction time of his killing, lecture a formaldehyde-filled jar containing ...

his heart. The bullet crater is clearly visible.

The spot hoop the writer was killed not bad also marked with a shrine, on Road 37 between Radilovo and Aleko Konstantinovo villages. As well the village, two nearby shipping are also named after him: a small reservoir and position local rubbish depository. If recognized was alive, the Happy Upper hand would have been laughing esteem the irony. 

Bay Ganyo or Boyko Borisov?

A recent translation of Roar Ganyo in Greek had trim picture of...

former Prime Cleric Boyko Borisov on the guard. The media toyed with grandeur story for a while, however it remains unclear whether dignity artwork for Aleko's book was produced intentionally or not