Famous Bulgarian Writers

Georgi Markov was a Bulgarian writer, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. After relocating to London due to political reasons, Markov worked as a journalist and broadcaster for the BBC World Service, Radio Free Europe, and Deutsche Welle. Georgi Markov was assassinated in 1978 and was posthumously honored with the Order of Stara Planina in 2000.

Bulgarian-born French author and literary critic Julia Kristeva is also a professor at the University Paris Diderot. Her writings, such as the Female Genius trilogy, are centered around feminism, semiotics, and psychoanalysis. She has also pioneered semanalysis and has been recognized with honors such as Commander of the Legion of Honor.

Maria Popova is a Bulgarian-born writer who focuses on philosophy and culture. Considered an important writer, Popova also contributes to popular publications like Wired UK, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. Over the course of her career, Maria Popova has been featured in various lists including Forbes' 30 under 30. 

Hristo Botev was a Bulgarian poet and revolutionary. Widely regarded as a national hero by Bulgarians, Botev was thought to be ahead of his peers in his aesthetic, philosophical, and political views. An influential and important figure in the history of Bulgaria, Botev has several monuments, schools, football clubs, and stadiums named after him.

Dimiter Marinov is a Bulgarian-American actor best known for his portrayal of Oleg in the 2018 American comedy-drama movie Green Book, which received the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2019, Dimiter Marinov attended the 91st Academy Awards, becoming the first Bulgarian to walk the red carpet.

Ivan Vazov was a Bulgarian novelist, poet, and playwright. Considered the patriarch of Bulgarian literature, Vazov is best remembered for his 1888 novel Under the Yoke, which has been translated into more than 30 languages. Ivan Vazov is credited with writing the first Bulgarian fantasy poem and the first Bulgarian science fiction story.

Saint Naum was a Bulgarian enlightener and writer. Counted among the Seven Apostles of the earliest Bulgarian Empire, Naum is often associated with the formation of the Cyrillic and Glagolitic script. He is also credited with co-founding the Pliska Literary School. Saint Naum is also credited with converting many Slavs into Bulgarians.

Stefan Stambolov was a Bulgarian journalist, revolutionary, politician, and poet who served as the Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 1 September 1887 to 31 May 1894. Counted among the most popular and prominent founders of modern Bulgaria, Stambolov played a key role during the Balkan Wars; he helped initiate the cultural and economic progress in Bulgaria.

 Macedonian-Bulgarian writer, teacher and translator Grigor Parlichev is best-known for works like O Armatolos and 1762 leto. O Armatolos, written in Greek, won Parlichev 1st prize at Athens University Poetry Competition (1860). He held several academic positions, was an initiator of Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki, part of the Bulgarian Renaissance and since the late-1860’s wrote only in Bulgarian. 

Bulgarian poet Nikola Vaptsarov was also a Communist revolutionary. A trained machine engineer, he penned the iconic volume Motoring Verses. Starting his political journey as part of a worker rights movement at a factory he worked, he eventually died in the hands of fascists for his political activities.

Initially a teacher, Dimitar Miladinov later established himself as a major Bulgarian poet and folklorist. He was also a major pillar of the Bulgarian national movement, or the Bulgarian Renaissance. His collection of folk songs is also considered crucial to the growth of Macedonian literature and culture.

Bulgarian far-right politician Volen Siderov founded the nationalist political-party Attack in 2005 and serves as its Chairman. He served as editor of several newspapers and wrote five books dedicated to global conspiracy theories. According to Siderov, who reportedly espouses anti-Masonic conspiracy theories, the world is controlled by a small group of freemasons through puppet heads, international organizations, and the press.

Kapka Kassabova is a writer and poet whose works have earned her several prestigious awards such as a Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Highland Book Prize. Many of her books have also been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Baillie Gifford Prize, the Duff Cooper Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Awards.

Bulgarian author and poet Dimitar Ivanov Stoyanov, better known by his pseudonym Elin Pelin, was a teacher and then a university librarian before he stepped into full-fledged writing. He had also been a World War I correspondent. His works include Stories and The Gerak Family, and he mostly wrote about the Bulgarian countryside.

Iconic Bulgarian poet and playwright Peyo Yavorov pioneered the Bulgarian symbolist movement. He was also a major figure of the Macedonian uprising against the Ottoman rule. His initial works had a sociopolitical theme, but he later ditched realism. He was 36 when he committed suicide by consuming poison and then shooting himself.

Bulgarian poet, translator, and journalist Geo Milev is mostly remembered for his epic poem Septemvri, which relates the brutal suppression of the Communist uprising of September 1923. He was assumed missing for years, until it was revealed that he had been strangled and thrown into a mass grave during the 1925 purge.

Noted Bulgarian poet and author Pencho Petkov Slaveykov was part of the Misal circle of writers. He, along with his writer father, Petko Slaveykov, introduced modern literary ideas in Bulgarian literature. He spent his entire career writing the unfinished poem Song of Blood, which depicted the Bulgarian struggle for independence.

Bulgarian monk and scholar Chernorizets Hrabar, who worked at medieval Bulgaria’s first literary school, the Preslav Literary School, is also thought to be Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria using the pseudonym Hrabar. His only work was On the Letters, an iconic book in Old Church Slavonic.

Bulgarian writer, journalist, poet and revolutionary Lyuben Stoychev Karavelov was counted among the most prominent figures of the Bulgarian National Revival. He served as Chairman of the Bulgarian revolutionary organisation called the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee (BRCC), establishment of which was decisively influenced by Karavelov’s newspaper Svoboda (Freedom). Notable works of Karavelov includes the short novels Old Time Bulgarians.

Yordan Yovkov was a Bulgarian writer best remembered for his 1927 works, Legends of Stara Planina and Inn at Antimovo. In 1929, Yovkov was honored by the Bulgarian Academy of Science with the prestigious Cyril and Methodius Prize for Literature. Many of his works have been adapted into feature and short films. 

Petko Slaveykov was a Bulgarian poet, folklorist, publicist, and politician. A multi-talented personality, Slaveykov also worked as a journalist, translator, and philologist. He also left his mark on various fields of study such as history, geography, and biography. Petko Slaveykov is considered the pioneer of Bulgarian children's literature and is credited with authoring several textbooks.

Bulgarian writer and journalist Dimitar Talev served as political-prisoner following his arrest by communist authorities. This was followed by his expulsion from Bulgarian Writers' Union. He was later pardoned, rehabilitated and his author's union membership was restored. Talev became an MP in 1966. His literary works includes his Tetralogies The Iron Lantern, Ilinden, Prespa Bells and I Hear Your Voices.

Dora Gabe was а Bulgarian Jewish poet best remembered for writing poetry for children and adults. Counted among the most successful and popular Bulgarian poets of all time, Gabe was honored with many prestigious awards. She also wrote travel books, essays, and short stories and many of her works have been translated into a number of languages.

Medieval Bulgarian writer Constantine of Kostenets, who left Tarnovo following Ottoman conquest and settled in Stefan Lazarević's Serbian Despotate is best-known for the biographical-work Life of Despot Stefan Lazarević. The work is counted among the most interesting ones in medieval Serbian literature as it includes geographic information and detailed descriptions of several historical events besides facts about the Despot's life.

Evelin Banev is a Bulgarian entrepreneur, published writer, real estate developer, and former wrestler. He came to limelight for his highly politicized and controversial prosecutions and imprisonment. Although he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half-years in prison in 2013, Evelin Banev was acquitted of all charges in 2014. Banev's 10-year-old daughter was kidnapped during his imprisonment and released unharmed two months later.