Kuyo Kuev

Over the past ten years, interest in the issues of Old Bulgarian literature has grown significantly, both among our own and among some foreign scholars. In the first place among foreigners in this regard are the Soviet medievalists D. S. Likhachev,1 I. P. Eryomin,2 Yu. K. Begunov, N. K. Gudziy, M. V. Shchenkina, who in a number of their works shed light on one or another fact of our old literature, express one or another assessment of the phenomena, etc. Following the example of their predecessors - the old Russian Slavists and experts on Old Bulgarian literature - they strive to study the facts well, to systematize them and, on the basis of all this, to draw the appropriate conclusions and inferences. This approach to the phenomena of the development of Old Bulgarian literature is completely correct and leads to positive results. Therefore, the mentioned Soviet scholars can also boast of valuable achievements.

Vladislav Grammatik is the most prominent representative of our literary life in the 15th century, and especially in its second half, when the roar of weapons had already subsided and when the Turkish attacks were directed west of Bulgaria. Although a number of articles and studies have been written so far about the life and work of Grammatik, there are still many unresolved or incorrectly illuminated questions. On the other hand, all this has not been collected in one place and thus the image of the writer has not been outlined more comprehensively. In this situation, it was necessary to proceed to writing a more comprehensive study, in which not only would the previous achievements of science regarding the life and literary heritage of Vladislav Grammatik, scattered in various publications, would be collected, but also new material would be attracted, certain issues would be reassessed, etc. In the light of these circumstances, the appearance of Georgi Danchev's work is fully justified.