(1877 - 1949)
Elin Pelin (nom de plume of Dimitar Ivanov Stoyanov) was born in the village of Baylovo, near Sofia. He studied in his native village, as well as in Sofia, Zlatitsa, Panagyurishte, and Sliven. He worked at the Sofia University Library and the National Library in Sofia (1903-1916) and as conservator at the Ivan Vazov Museum (1924-1944). He was a member of the Bulgarian Academy of Science and president of the Bulgarian Writers’ Union (1940). He edited and almost single-handedly contributed to Selska razgovorka magazine (1902–1903), was editor of the newspaper Bulgaran (1904-1909), Slanchogled magazine (1909), the newspaper Razvigor (1921–1927, 1937). He was also editor of many periodicals for children.
His first book Short Stories was published in 1904; its second volume appeared in 1911. He recreated Bulgarian village life in his long short stories Nechista sila (1909), Geratsite [The Gerak Family] (1911), Zemya [Earth] (1922) as well. His humorous works were collected in Pepel ot tsigarata mi [Ash from My Cigarette] (1905); Kitka za yunaka [A Posy for the Big Boy] (1917), Pizho i Pendo (1918), Az, ti, toy [Me, You, Him] (1936). His impressions and essays collected in Cherni rozi [Black Roses] (1928) attempted to reflect philosophically on reality, yet these reflections of Elin Pelin’s found their fully-fleshed expression in the collection Pod manastirskata loza [Under the Monastery Vines] (1936). Elin Pelin also wrote novels for children and teenagers, such as Yan Bibiyan (1933) and Yan Bibiyan na lunata [Yan Bibiyan on the Moon] (1934), as well as a number of poems, verses, fables, fairytales and short stories for young readers.
His works were rooted within the realism of the 1880s and 1890s and Elin Pelin is often dubbed “the master of the short story”. He convincingly recreated the drama of the classical Bulgarian patriarchal milieu, which gradually gave way to the “new morality” of the 20 century.
The works of Elin Pelin have been translated into English by Marguerite Alexieva, Lily Netsova, and Petroushka Tomova, among others.
His first book Short Stories was published in 1904; its second volume appeared in 1911. He recreated Bulgarian village life in his long short stories Nechista sila (1909), Geratsite [The Gerak Family] (1911), Zemya [Earth] (1922) as well. His humorous works were collected in Pepel ot tsigarata mi [Ash from My Cigarette] (1905); Kitka za yunaka [A Posy for the Big Boy] (1917), Pizho i Pendo (1918), Az, ti, toy [Me, You, Him] (1936). His impressions and essays collected in Cherni rozi [Black Roses] (1928) attempted to reflect philosophically on reality, yet these reflections of Elin Pelin’s found their fully-fleshed expression in the collection Pod manastirskata loza [Under the Monastery Vines] (1936). Elin Pelin also wrote novels for children and teenagers, such as Yan Bibiyan (1933) and Yan Bibiyan na lunata [Yan Bibiyan on the Moon] (1934), as well as a number of poems, verses, fables, fairytales and short stories for young readers.
His works were rooted within the realism of the 1880s and 1890s and Elin Pelin is often dubbed “the master of the short story”. He convincingly recreated the drama of the classical Bulgarian patriarchal milieu, which gradually gave way to the “new morality” of the 20 century.
The works of Elin Pelin have been translated into English by Marguerite Alexieva, Lily Netsova, and Petroushka Tomova, among others.
