The topic of Macedonia: a lifelong theme for Prof. Aleksandăr Balabanov

THE TOPIC OF MACEDONIA: A LIFELONG THEME FOR PROF. ALEKSANDĂR BALABANOV

(Summary) 

The text at hand was presented at the National Round Table in Blagoevgrad on the occasion of the 145th anniversary of the birth of Professor Aleksandăr Balabanov (1879 – 1955) and traces the path of the great classical philologist, literary critic and public figure’s unwavering dedication to the cause of Macedonia’s freedom. It is recalled that Balabanov was sent on his first trip to the West by the Apostle of Freedom Gotse Delchev himself, and this was a baptism of sorts in the affairs of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO). It is shown how the Macedonian theme appears everywhere in his poetry and in his diverse memoir texts. It also relates on the numerous missions of the professor in Bulgaria and abroad: all for the freedom of the Macedonian Bulgarians. Information is given on the traces left of these activities in numerous archives. 

Keywords: literary figure, collage, public speech, review, surrealism, motif, autobiographism, memoir, apotheosis, plot, anniversary, mission, diplomacy, apostle, minister, geopolitics