Kuzman Shapkarev

Kuzman Shapkarev, ( _bg. Кузман Шапкарев), (1 January 1834 in Ohrid - 18 March 1909 in Sofia) was a Bulgarian ["Autobiography of Kuzman Shapkarev", 1864, Macedonian review, year ІІІ, 1927, № 1, № 2.; Also in "Materials for the Revival of Bulgarian national spirit in Macedonia"] [cite book
last =MacDermott
first =Mercia
title =Bulgarian Folk Customs
publisher =Jessica Kingsley
date =1998
pages =p.31
isbn =1853024856 ] folklorist, ethnographer and scientist from Macedonia, author of textbooks and ethnographic studies, significant figure of the Bulgarian National Revival. He is considered an ethnic Macedonian in the Republic of Macedonia.

Biography

Kuzman Shapkarev was born in Ohrid in 1834. He was a teacher in a number of Bulgarian schools in Ohrid, Bitola, Prilep, Kukush (Kilkis), Solun (Thessaloniki) (1854-1883). In these towns he was especially active in introducing the Bulgarian language in local schools. Не initiated the establishment of two Bulgarian high schools in Solun in 1882-1883.

He wrote the following textbooks: "Bulgarian ABC book" (1868), "A Big Bulgarian reader book" (1868), "Mother tongue" (1874), "Short Land description (Geography)" (1868), "Short Religion Book" (1868) and others. Shapkarev shared view that the codified Bulgarian language should have more features of the Macedonian dialects. He considered the dialect of some of his textbooks as "more comprehensible for Bulgarians from Macedonia" ("A Big Bulgarian reader book", 1868, p. 4).

Shapkarev was a contributor of many Bulgarian newspapers and magazines - "Tsarigradski vestnik" (Constantinople newspaper), "Gayda" (Bagpipe), "Macedonia", "Pravo" (Justice), "Savetnik" (Adviser), "Balgarska pchela" (Bulgarian bee) and others. Shapkarev was a collaborator of the revolutionary Georgi Rakovski and in the field of ethnography, he assisted the Miladinov Brothers.

After 1883 he lived in Bulgaria - in Plovdiv, Sliven, Stara Zagora, Vraca and Orhanie (Botevgrad). Along with his scientific and public occupation in Bulgaria he worked as a notary and a judge.

From onwards 1900 he was a regular member of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

His autobiographical book is called "Materials for the Revival of Bulgarian national spirit in Macedonia".

The son of Kuzman Shapkarev - Climent Shapkarev was one of the leaders of VMORO.

Works

Scientific works

* Rusalii. The old and too interesting Bulgarian custom preserved in Southern Macedonia, Plovdiv, 1884
* "The Serbian Greatideas' endeavours and our scientifists", 1888
* "Several notes about Macedono-Slav collection of P. Draganov" 1895
* "Collection of folk monuments (Bulgarian folk tales and beliefs), 1885
* Collection of Bulgarian Folklore (Сборник от български народни умотворения), vol. І-ІІІ, Sofia, 1891-1894
* Materials for biography of Miladinov Brothers - Dimitar and Konstantin (Материали за животоописанието на Братя Миладинови, Димитрия и Константина), Plovdiv 1884

Textbooks

*"Bulgarian ABC book", 1868
*"A Big Bulgarian reader book", 1868
*"Mother tongue", 1874
*"Short Land description (Geography)", 1868
*"Short Religion Book", 1868

Autobiographical books

* Contribution to education in Macedonia. One autobiography of Kuzman Shapkarev, Macedonian review, Sofia 1927, vol 2
*"Materials for Revival of Bulgarian national spirit in Macedonia", Sofia 1984

External links

* [http://www.promacedonia.org/ksh_4/index.html Bulgarian falktales and beliefs with some Macedo-Romanian and Albanian, !892, 1894] (in Bulgarian)

References