взаимоотношения

Recently, the collection “Inter-Slavic Literary Relations”1 (volume two) was published, published by the Institute of Literature “T. G. Shevchenko at the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, which is a continuation of the book under the same title, printed in 1958. From the introductory notes to the collection we learn that from now on the publication will be periodic. This cannot but please Bulgarian Slavists who work in the field of Bulgarian-Ukrainian relations, since the purpose of the collection is to shed light on the connections of Ukrainian literature with the literatures of all Slavic peoples. The book consists of three sections: On the 100th anniversary of the death of T. G. Shevchenko; On the 150th anniversary of the birth of Yu. Slovatsky; From the history of literary relations; Development of modern Slavic literatures.

In book 2 of the journal "Literary Thought" the article by V. Smohovska and B. Nichev "On Bulgarian-Serbian Literary Relations and on Some Issues of Comparative Literary Studies" was printed. In fact, it was conceived and carried out as a review for my book "Bulgarian-Serbian Literary Relations in the 19th Century (Until Liberation)". It does not specifically raise or resolve a single question of comparative literary studies on material from our or any other national literature, although at its very beginning a few words are said about "the most beautiful and fruitful manifestations of friendship and amity between the Balkan peoples". That is why I will not dwell here on the problem of comparative literary studies - a very important problem that cannot and should not be resolved incidentally. This area of ​​modern literary studies is attracting the attention of an increasing number of specialists in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, in our country and elsewhere. It is desirable that similar articles appear on the pages of the journal "Literary Thought", that a creative conversation be held on the fundamental and so complex questions of comparative literary studies. In this way, the path of the unauthorized presentation as an original thesis of opinions already known in science or of insufficiently verified and dubious thoughts will be blocked. Every book can be viewed from a variety of positions, and in it one can find successfully written pages, acceptable solutions, or findings that do not meet certain requirements. Even with its positive sides, it often suggests new possibilities, directs the specialized reader to new moments in the problem under study that were not previously noticed. It may even be that unsuccessful solutions prevail in a given book, but even in this case, scientific criticism is obliged to resist them with arguments in order to contribute as much as possible to a more comprehensive clarification of one or another issue, to proceed from the tasks that its author has set for himself. And when this is the case, any insinuations, rude epithets, etc., which inevitably replace the analysis with subjective preferences and qualifications, become completely inappropriate. And unfortunately, this is exactly what happened with the article by V. Smohovska and B. Nichev.

Bulgarian-Croatian literary and cultural relations in the past represent a very significant component in the national development of the two peoples and in their so diverse and rich in content connections with other literatures. Already in the second half of the 18th century, the work of the Croatian poet and educator Andrija Kacić Mišić "A Conversation Pleasant to the Slovenian People" gained wide fame not only in Croatia, but also in Serbia and Bulgaria, creating important prerequisites for the activation of literary and cultural relations between the peoples of these countries. Together with "Slavonic-Bulgarian History" by Paisij Hilendarski, copied in Serbia, and "History of Various Slovenian Peoples..." by Jozan Rajić, this work of Kacić enriched the cultural development of Serbs, Croats and Bulgarians, created new traditions of reciprocity between them, increased their national self-esteem, and activated their literary life at the dawn of their national revival.