(1929 - 2009)

Vera Mutafchieva was born in Sofia. She graduated with a degree in history from the University of Sofia; in 1958 she defended a dissertation on the topic of Feudal Rent in the Ottoman Empire, 15th-16th cc.; and since 1978 she held a higher doctorate in history for her dissertation on The Time of the Kardzhalii. Vera Mutafchieva worked at the Bulgarian Academy of Science at the Institute of History, Institute of Literature, Institute of Balkan Studies, and the Institute of Demographics. She was the founder and director of the Centre for Ancient Languages and Cultures attached to the Committee of Culture, which was the then Ministry of Culture (1978-1980); she was also the director of the Bulgarian Research Institute in Austria (1980-1982). Vera Mutafchieva acted vice-president of the Bulgarian Academy of Science (1993-1996), presided over the Agency of Bulgarians Abroad (1997-1998), was the founder and chair of the Publishing Committee of the Thirteen Centuries of Bulgaria National Charity Fund (1998-2009), and a member of its Board of managers (1997-2005).

Mutafchieva wrote a number of historical novels, the most popular among them being: Letopis na smutnoto vreme [The Annals of Uncertain Times] (1965-1966), Poslednite Shishmanovtsi [The Last of the Shishmans] (1969), Ritsaryat [The Knight] (1970), Belot na dve ratse [Belote for Two] (1973), the diptych Alkiviad Malki [The Young Alcibiades] (1975) and Alkiviad Veliki [Alcibiades the Great] (1976), Predrecheno ot Pagane [Predicted by Pagane] (1980), Az, Anna Komnina [I, Anna Komnene] (1991). A writer and a historian of the Ottoman Empire, Vera Mutafchieva published essayistic and popular historical books and fiction about the Bulgarian Revival Period that overturned a number of clichéd perceptions of the Bulgarian history and culture of the period: Protsesat 1873 [The Trial 1873] (1972), Kniga za Sofroniy [A Book about Sofroniy] (1978), Obraz nevazmozhen. Mladostta na Rakovski [An Impossible Character: Rakovski’s Youth] (1983), etc. She is the author of the plays Patyat [The Road] and Protsesat [The Trial]; she wrote the script for the Khan Asparuh blockbuster (1981) and for the film Nepalnoletie [Underage] (1980). Mutafchieva published a book of interviews (Zasega [So far], 2004) and memoirs like Razgadavayki bashta si [Figuring Out My Own Father], Semeyna saga [A Family Saga], Bivalitsi [Possibilities] (in three volumes), Ne/bivalitsi [Im/possibilities].

Vera Mutafchieva was awarded a number of prestigious prizes: the international Gottfried von Herder Prize for lifetime achievement (1980), the Golden Rose of the film festival in Varna (for her script of Khan Asparuh) – and she shared the Dimitrov Prize with the team of film makers (1982), the Saints Cyril and Methodius Order – first class (1989), the Order of Stara Planina – first class (1999), the Marin Drinov honorary symbol, medal on ribbon (1999), the Award of the Bulgarian-German Forum for her contribution in establishing civil society in Bulgaria and in developing the relations between Bulgaria and Germany (2000), the State Award Paisii Hilendarski (2000), the National Award Ivan Nikolov for lifetime achievement (2003), the National Literary Award Ivan Vazov (2005), the National Hristo G. Danov Award for lifetime achievement (2005), etc.

Some of Vera Mutafchieva’s academic texts have been translated into English.

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