Simeon Radev

Simeon Radev is one of Bulgaria’s most popular publicists, diplomats and scientists. He was born on January 19, 1879 in the town of Resen (now Macedonia). He studied at the Bulgarian schools in Resen, Ohrid, and Bitola, and later graduated at the French Lyceum Galata Sarai in Istanbul. Then he studied law in Geneva. Along with his publicist activity he developed diplomat career as well. After graduation in Switzerland, he came back to Sofia. Here he wrote his most prominent book – ‘Builders of Contemporary Bulgaria’ – one of the biggest and intransient historiographic surveys for Bulgarian new history. In Sofia he also wrote the book ‘Macedonia in the Bulgarian Revival’ in French, and soon the book was translated into Bulgarian. Besides the facts of the after-liberation period of Bulgaria’s history, ‘Builders of Contemporary Bulgaria’ shows also an artistic overview of the destiny of the Bulgarian people. Simeon Radev took part in the Balkan war as an officer. He was involved in the Bulgarian mission that concluded the peace contract in Bucharest (1913), and later was included in the group of Andrei Lyapchev, which signed the Thessaloniki armistice (1918). Later Radev was Bulgaria’s diplomat in Switzerland, Belgium, the USA, and England. Simeon Radev died on February 15, 1967 in Sofia.