Ivan Vazov

Ivan Vazov was born on July 9, 1850, in Sopot at the foot of the Balkan Mountains. Immersed in the drama of the Bulgarian National Revival, Vazov fled to Romania during the 1876 April Uprising, writing the historic poetry cycle Epic of the Forgotten (Epopeya na zaboravenite) honoring heroes such as Levski and Botev.

His 1888 masterpiece Pod Igoto (Under the Yoke), depicting the heroic and tragic uprising of a Bulgarian village against Ottoman rule, was translated into dozens of languages, standing as the foundational classic of modern Bulgarian prose. Vazov served as Minister of Public Education and was celebrated as the living conscience of Bulgaria until his passing in 1921.