Nikola Vaptsarov
Encyclopedia
Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov was a Bulgaria
n poet, communist and revolutionary. Working most of his life as a machinist, he only wrote in his spare time. Despite the fact that he ever published only one poetry book, he is considered one of the most important Bulgarian poets. Because of his underground communist activity against the government of Boris III and the German troops in Bulgaria, Vaptsarov was arrested and executed by a firing squad. He is also considered an ethnic Macedonian writer in the Republic of Macedonia
.
. Trained as a machine engineer at the Naval Machinery School in Varna
, which was later named after him. His first service was on the infamous Drazki torpedo boat. In April and May 1932 Vaptsarov visited Istanbul
, Famagusta
, Alexandria
, Beirut
, Port Said
, and Haifa
as a crew member of the Burgas vessel.
Later he went to work in a factory in the village of Kocherinovo
- at first as a stoker and eventually as a mechanic. He was elected Chairman of the Association protecting worker rights in the factory. Vaptsarov was devoted to his talent and spent his free time writing and organising amateur theatre pieces. He got fired after a technical failure in 1936. This forced him to move to Sofia, where he worked for the state railway service
and the municipal incinerating furnace. He continues writing and a number of newspapers publish poems of his. The "Romatika" poem won him a poetry contest.
With time Vaptsarov absorbed a lot of Communist ideas and started taking an active part in the ideological movement. In 1940 he participated in the so-called "Sobolev action", gathering signatures for a pact of friendship between Bulgaria and the USSR. The illegal activity earned him an arrest and an internment in the village of Godech
. After his release in September 1940, Vaptsarov became a leader of a Central Military Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party. His task was to organise the supply of guns and documents for the antifascist resistance. He was arrested in March 1942. On July 23, 1942 he was sentenced to death and shot down on the same evening together with 11 other men.
His only released book of poetry is Motoring Verses (1940).
. In 1952, he received posthumously the International Peace Award. His Selected Poems were published in London in 1954, by Lawrence & Wishart, translated into English with a foreword by British poet Peter Tempest. His poetry has been translated in 98 languages throughout the world. Vaptsarov Peak
in eastern Livingston Island, Antarctica is named after the famous Bulgarian poet.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n poet, communist and revolutionary. Working most of his life as a machinist, he only wrote in his spare time. Despite the fact that he ever published only one poetry book, he is considered one of the most important Bulgarian poets. Because of his underground communist activity against the government of Boris III and the German troops in Bulgaria, Vaptsarov was arrested and executed by a firing squad. He is also considered an ethnic Macedonian writer in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
Biography
He was born in BanskoBansko
Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
. Trained as a machine engineer at the Naval Machinery School in Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, which was later named after him. His first service was on the infamous Drazki torpedo boat. In April and May 1932 Vaptsarov visited Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Famagusta
Famagusta
Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
, Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
, and Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
as a crew member of the Burgas vessel.
Later he went to work in a factory in the village of Kocherinovo
Kocherinovo
Kocherinovo is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, part of Kyustendil Province. It is the administrative centre of Kocherinovo municipality, which lies in the southern part of Kyustendil Province....
- at first as a stoker and eventually as a mechanic. He was elected Chairman of the Association protecting worker rights in the factory. Vaptsarov was devoted to his talent and spent his free time writing and organising amateur theatre pieces. He got fired after a technical failure in 1936. This forced him to move to Sofia, where he worked for the state railway service
Bulgarian State Railways
The Bulgarian State Railways are Bulgaria's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1885. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia. Since the 1990s the BDZ has met serious competition from automotive transport...
and the municipal incinerating furnace. He continues writing and a number of newspapers publish poems of his. The "Romatika" poem won him a poetry contest.
With time Vaptsarov absorbed a lot of Communist ideas and started taking an active part in the ideological movement. In 1940 he participated in the so-called "Sobolev action", gathering signatures for a pact of friendship between Bulgaria and the USSR. The illegal activity earned him an arrest and an internment in the village of Godech
Godech
Godech is a small town located in the Sofia Province, of Bulgaria. The town is founded in a valley on the far west of Stara Planina, where the Nishava River passes. The settllment is about 20 km east of the Serbian border and has its highest peak Kom to the north. Godech is officially a...
. After his release in September 1940, Vaptsarov became a leader of a Central Military Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party. His task was to organise the supply of guns and documents for the antifascist resistance. He was arrested in March 1942. On July 23, 1942 he was sentenced to death and shot down on the same evening together with 11 other men.
Literary works
Legacy
In 1949, the Bulgarian Naval Academy was renamed Nikola Vaptsarov Naval AcademyNikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy
The Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy is the naval academy of Bulgaria and the most authoritative centre of maritime personnel education in the country. Based in the Black Sea port of Varna...
. In 1952, he received posthumously the International Peace Award. His Selected Poems were published in London in 1954, by Lawrence & Wishart, translated into English with a foreword by British poet Peter Tempest. His poetry has been translated in 98 languages throughout the world. Vaptsarov Peak
Vaptsarov Peak
Vaptsarov Peak rises to approximately 410 m in Delchev Ridge, Tangra Mountains, eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...
in eastern Livingston Island, Antarctica is named after the famous Bulgarian poet.