Bulgarian literature during the time of Paisius

The story of Paisius of Hilendar stands out brightly in the development of our literature, it outlines new trends in the cultural and political life of the Bulgarian people, exerts a strong influence on contemporaries and descendants. "Slavonic-Bulgarian History" ignites the soul of the Bulgarian, awakens and stirs in him a national consciousness, makes him dream of a brighter future. This great rejuvenating role of Paisius is the reason for the great scientific interest in him, thanks to which important questions from his life and work have been clarified. But despite the large scientific literature on Paisius, some questions still remain to be clarified, and others need new development. A very interesting question for our historical science is to see the state of Bulgarian literature during the time of Paisius - his predecessors, contemporaries and followers. What has been written on this issue is of a very general nature; it is usually expressed with the idea that Paisius shows some continuity with his predecessors, draws one or another news about Bulgarian saints from their lives, written and copied earlier. This is indeed so, but it does not exhaust the problem. Bulgarian literature before and after Paisius does not consist only of anonymous works, but is the work of many writers, some of whom left their names. Therefore, in order for the image of Paisius as a writer to stand out more clearly, in order to outline the meaning of his story more fully, it is necessary for his work to be outlined against a broader historical background. So far, the efforts of researchers have been directed at the main representatives of Bulgarian literature - Paisius of Hilendar and Sophrony of Vratsa, or at works with historical themes (hieroschimonk Spyridon, History of Zograf). The materials known today allow us to correct the incompletely presented picture of Bulgarian literature in the 18th century, to supplement it with new writers and works. The work of these writers is connected with the work of Paisius, which is of great importance for our literary development. Paisius is firmly connected with Bulgarian literature before and after him; from previous writers and works he zealously drew knowledge, which he carefully processed and passed on to his contemporaries and followers. Through the work of these writers, we obtain a much more complete picture of the state of our literature of that time, of the cultural interests of the Bulgarian people, and of the spiritual life of the people in general. Of course, the work of these writers cannot be compared in importance with the work of Paisius or Sophrony, but through their work they contribute to their ideological formation, and also contribute to the activation of spiritual life in our country.