Poetry
Бѫлгарски народни пѣсни
Not translated into English
Synopsis
More than six hundred folk songs, 660 according to the usual count, collected mainly in Macedonia, at Struga, Ohrid, Prilep or Kukush, and, for the east of the country, by a correspondent. They are arranged by genre: songs of the samovili, the mountain fairies, heroic and haiduk songs, songs of love, weddings, mourning and harvest. The volume also gives proverbs, riddles, games and wedding customs, often overlooked in favour of the songs.
Context
Vasil Tcholakov supplied almost all the songs from the eastern regions. The book appeared in Zagreb in June 1861, from the printer Jakić, thanks to the Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, who financed it and to whom it is dedicated; Strossmayer asked for the Cyrillic alphabet and the word “Bulgarian” in the title. Bulgaria and North Macedonia both claim the collection today, reissued in Skopje under another title.
Who it is for
Short songs, arranged by genre, read in pieces; the question of the title and of the language remains politically sensitive.
Prizes and reception
Reissued on both sides of the border, in Sofia and in Skopje; it influenced the study of Slavic folklore, according to the Library of Congress.
Sources for this page 8
The pages consulted to check this page.