Poetry
The Poems of Hristo Botev
Песни и стихотворения
Hristo Botev · 1875
Synopsis
Songs and Poems: the only book published in the poet's lifetime brings together twenty of his poems, alongside those of Stefan Stambolov. In it he speaks to his mother before leaving, sings of the haiduks, outlaws who avenged the people, such as Hadji Dimitar, mourns the fallen fighters and the hanged Vasil Levski, and, in My Prayer, asks God for the strength to join the uprising. The images and rhythms come from folk song: samodivi, eaglets and falcons.
Context
The volume appeared in Bucharest in 1875, shared with Stefan Stambolov; the author's poems had first appeared in the exiles' newspapers. His mother, who knew more than three hundred folk songs, passed on to him their images and rhythm, and critics see in the poems a romanticism mixed with realism. His work, translated into thirty-three languages, was adapted into French by Paul Éluard in 1952, from the Éditeurs français réunis, with a biography of the poet by Elsa Triolet; this version was reissued in Sofia in 1954 and by Le Cherche midi.
Who it is for
Short poems, in the public domain, which can be read in French in Éluard's adaptation; many are still sung and known by heart.
Prizes and reception
2 June, the day of his memory, is commemorated throughout the country, and Botev is regarded, together with Vazov, as a founding father of Bulgarian literature.