българите

"What can be done to help the Bulgarians" ("Chem mozhno pomoch bolgaram") is one of the most interesting documents preserved in the archive of Lyuben Karavelov (National Library "Vasil Kolarov", Bulgarian Historical Archive, Fund No. 2, Archival Unit 21, p. 6-11). This is a report to the Moscow Slavophile Charity Committee, which sets out a detailed program for the creation of a Belgrade branch of the committee. The text written by Karavelov was corrected and supplemented by the Russian revolutionary democrat Ivan Gavrilovich Prizhov. Thus, the document also reveals new aspects of the cooperation between the two revolutionaries. "Chem mozhno pomoch bol garam" has repeatedly attracted the attention of researchers. The document has already had two editions. The first is by Academician Mikhail Dimitrov in "The Journalism of Lyuben Karavelov before the Publication of the Newspaper "Svoboda", S. 1957, pp. 622-625, the second by the Soviet scholar L. V. Vorobyov in "Notices of the Institute of Literature at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences", vol. IX, 1960, p. 275. The edition by Academician M. Dimitrov reflects almost exclusively Karavelov's text. It is indeed noted that there are corrections on it by another person. It is also said that according to L. V. Vorobyov this person is the Russian publicist I. G. Prizhov.

Literary history is still indebted to a very important question: the interest of other nations in our people. I say that it is still indebted because this question has not been a thing of the past, but has been considered partially or, most often, its subject has been studies of individual mutual influences. Thus, many facts have been clarified that have shown the interest of people from another nation in ours. Generalizing, systematizing and exhaustive studies and publications of this kind, although few in number, are already appearing, expanding the horizons of literary history and even more accurately and truthfully defining the place and role of the Bulgarian people in literary Europe. Of particular value for us are the interests that the Slavic peoples have shown and are showing in our people. Books have already appeared about our relations with some of them, there may already be works in manuscript about others, and still others have not been well studied. These third ones include our ties with the Slovenian people, which have been evident for several centuries - sometimes more intensely, sometimes less. They have always expressed a marked interest of the progressive Slovenian cultural community in the fate and life of our people, and have shown the desire for close ties and a thorough acquaintance with the Bulgarians. This short and chronological article could not cover everything that is known about this interest. And it has no other purpose than to inform about its development, to give a very concise picture of the attitude that matured in Slovenia towards us. The studies that we are doing now and which we believe will bring new things, will be the subject of a more extensive work on this issue.

Having emerged from the dark Middle Ages in the second half of the 18th century, the Bulgarian people entered modern European socio-political life, found ways to the new economic activity of Southeastern, Eastern and Central Europe, and took part in the arena of the struggle for freedom, which was waged by the peoples enslaved by feudalism during the era. And significant figures of European socio-political and cultural life met its representatives on their way. The meetings of European writers with Bulgarians left interesting, and often significant, traces in modern literature. We can start these meetings with one great name - Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. The meeting of the great Russian poet with bright and colorful images of Bulgarians left a certain mark on his creative path, which is why it cannot but arouse the interest of the literary historian. Pushkin met Bulgarians during his exile in Chisinau, Bessarabia. As is known, the Chisinau period of Pushkin's life and work covers the time from the autumn of 1820 to the summer of 1823. Pushkin arrived in Chisinau to take up a clerical position in the office of General I. N. Inzov. The Chisinau period is very important in the development of the poet. He matures, his ideological peace is enriched, his poetic talent flourishes. Exile does not break his freedom-loving nature. His hatred of tyrannical power is tempered.