Theatre
В полите на Витоша
Not translated into English
Peyo Yavorov · 1911
Opening lines
Мила
Митро, нямаш ли работа?
Mitra, haven't you got any work to do?
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from chitanka.info
Synopsis
At the foot of Vitosha: in Sofia, the lawyer Hristo Hristoforov, a young politician, loves Mila Dragodanoglu, aged twenty, and is loved by her. The girl's brother, Stefan, a deputy of a rival party and a man of money, despises Hristoforov and wants to marry her to Doctor Vasko Chipilovski, who is rich and well connected; a cousin, Tchoudomir, carries the lovers' letters. A political intrigue and a love intrigue intertwine in a materialistic society, indifferent to moral values.
Context
The play is inspired by the author's love for Mina Todorova, who died young; Hristoforov is modelled on Yavorov himself, and Mila on the young woman. Published in July 1911, it was received harshly by Boyan Penev, Anton Strashimirov and Kiril Hristov, who judged it long and badly constructed. It has nonetheless become a classic of the Bulgarian repertoire, revived notably in 2014 at the Bulgarian Army Theatre in a staging by Krasimir Spasov.
Who it is for
A tragedy in five acts, long, whose characters have real-life models; no French or English translation has been found.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as one of the masterpieces of Bulgarian theatre and one of the first Bulgarian plays in a European form.