Ivan Vazov (9 July 1850 – 22 September 1921)

Bulgarian poet, novelist, and playwright, the first professional man of letters in Bulgaria, Ivan Vazov was one of the most prolific Bulgarian authors and the first recognized classic of the new Bulgarian literature. Born 1850 in Sopot in a religious and patriarchal family. Pupil of Khristo Botev's father in Kalofer and later of Joakim Gruev in Plovdiv. Emigrant in Romania, 1870-1877. His work was inspired by the political upheavals of the period from 1890 to 1920 and by indignation over the sufferings of his countrymen before their liberation from Turkish rule. His master piece Pod igoto (Under the Yoke) was created in the 1880's, and is compared to Tolstoi's Voina i mir. The Epopeia na zabravenite was Vazov's master piece in poetry.