Софроний

Tradition has forever linked the names of two prominent representatives of the Bulgarian revival - Paisius and Sophrony of Vrachanski. And not by chance. The Kotla priest Stoyko Vladislavov was the first to transcribe "History of Slavonic Bulgaria", the first to understand and implement as a writer and public figure the national and universal ideas of the Hilendar monk. In 1962, the 200th anniversary of the writing of "History of Slavonic Bulgaria" was celebrated - articles and studies were published in the periodical press and scientific publications that shed light on important moments in the work of the immortal revivalist. Just a few months later, a monograph on the life and creative path of Sophrony of Vrachanski appeared. Its author, the famous specialist in Old Bulgarian literature V. Sl. Kiselkov, has shown interest in Sophrony as a scientist and citizen, because, as he notes in the introduction to his work, he was born and raised "in the birthplace of Sophrony" (p. 4). Therefore, the tracing and interpretation of the facts is often warmed by a warm feeling for his native land, by reverence for its historical past, by a captivating enthusiasm for the work of notable Kotel residents. V. Sl. Kiselkov's aspiration to outline the era and activities of Sophrony as completely as possible, to challenge established concepts and propose new ones, has determined both the composition of the monograph and the volume of its individual parts. It is made up of four mutually complementary chapters: 1. Kotel; 2. From the cradle to the grave; 3. Writer's image; 4. Literary work.