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Kuzman Shapkarev

Kuzman Shapkarev, Bulgarian: Кузман Шапкарев, (1 January 1834 in Ohrid - 18 March 1909 in Sofia) is Bulgarian folklorist, ethnograph 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 Bulgarian teacher in Ohrid, Bitola, Prilep, Kukush (Kilkis), Solun (Thessaloniki) (1854-1883). In these towns he did significant activity for introduction of Bulgarian language in local schools. Не was an initiator for establishment of two Bulgarian high schools in Solun in 1882-1883.

He wrote 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 a view that there was necessary more presence of Bulgarian dialects in Macedonia in constituting in this time literary Bulgarian language. He considered the dialect of some of his textbooks as "more comprehensible for Bulgarians from Macedonia dialect" ("A Big Bulgarian reader book", 1868, p. 4).

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

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

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

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

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

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