THE REFLECTION OF WORLD CULTURAL TRADITIONS ON BULGARIAN LITERATURE FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE EARLY NATIONAL REVIVAL Cover Image

ОТРАЖЕНИЕТО НА СВЕТОВНИТЕ КУЛТУРНИ ТРАДИЦИИ В БЪЛГАРСКАТА КНИЖНИНА ОТ СРЕДНОВЕКОВИЕТО ДО РАННОТО ВЪЗРАЖДАНЕ
THE REFLECTION OF WORLD CULTURAL TRADITIONS ON BULGARIAN LITERATURE FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE EARLY NATIONAL REVIVAL

Author(s): Roberto Adinolfi
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Bulgarian Literature, Philology
Published by: ЮГОЗАПАДЕН УНИВЕРСИТЕТ »НЕОФИТ РИЛСКИ«
Keywords: translations; world literatures; Middle Ages; natural history; classical antiquity; early Bulgarian National Revival; history;

Summary/Abstract: Bulgarian literature has been significantly influenced by foreign cultures since its very beginning, mainly due to the proximity to Byzantium and the prominent role of translations. Echoes of exotic and ancient cultures can be found in Bulgarian literature since the Middle Ages. Books and collections of fables of Indian origin such as Barlaam and Josaphat and Kalīla wa-Dimna became part of the cultural heritage of the South and East Slavs; authors and philosophers from the classical antiquity were often mentioned in Medieval Bulgarian literature. Following the Ottoman conquest, the interaction with the world was made more difficult by the historical circumstances, nevertheless it was never interrupted. The Catholic propaganda in the Bulgarian lands in the I7th century acted as a link between Bulgaria and Western Europe; in the following centuries, the proximity to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Danubian Principalities played a key role in this regard. Some of the sources for Bulgarian authors from the early Bulgarian National Revival are part of a rich cultural tradition; this is the case of writers such as Caesar Baronius, Mavro Orbini and Ambrogio Marliani. Besides, Bulgarian literature from the early 19th century was enriched with the first versions of extremely popular tale collections such as Aesop's fables or the Book of Sindbād. The dialogue with the world was further strenghtened in more recent times; however, the literary production from the early Bulgarian National Revival shows a significant link to the world literature and culture.

  • Issue Year: 19/2021
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 089-105
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Bulgarian
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