Atanas Razdolov Explained

Atanas Ivanov Razdolov (Macedonian and Bulgarian: Атанас Иванов Раздолов; 1872–1931) was a socialist revolutionary and writer from the region of Macedonia.^[1]

Life

Born in Berovo, Ottoman Empire (present-day North Macedonia), as a young man, he left his hometown and settled in Kyustendil, Bulgaria. There he graduated from the Pedagogical School in 1895.^[2] Later, he became a member of the Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee in the town.^[3] In 1900, He moved to Bulgarian capital Sofia. In 1901, Atanas Razdolov, in an open letter to the chairman of the Supreme Committee, Boris Sarafov, criticized Prince Ferdinand I, and the committee's dependence on Bulgarian authorities. Razdolov believed that the Supreme Committee should work not for unification of Bulgaria and Macedonia but for Macedonian independence.^[4] As result he was arrested.^[5] Disappointed with the activities of the Committee, he became radicalized and enrolled in the leftist Bulgarian Workers' Social Democratic Party.^[6] After General Ivan Tsonchev took control over the Supreme Committee, he joined the extreme left faction of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization.^[7] He worked with Gotse Delchev, who considered Razdolov's writings as part of the organization's propaganda.^[2] Atanas Razdolov participated in the Balkan Wars in the Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps of the Bulgarian Army. He was enrolled in the 2nd Brigade of the Seventh Kumanovo Regiment.^[8] Razdolov is the author of books and brochures in Bulgarian language.

Destitute and addicted to alcohol he died by suicide in Sofia in 1931.^{[1] [2]}

Views

Razdolov's writings supported Macedonian separatism and liberation,^[9] being among the first in Bulgaria to publish such opinions publicly. He expressed positions that were pro-Socialist and pro-Macedonian independence.^[10] Razdolov authored 97 poems, which were published in twelve books and six short stories. He published his first book, Poems of the Apostles, in 1895 and in it, encouraged Macedonians to fight for Macedonia's freedom.^[11] In one of his poems dedicated to Ilyo Maleshevski he named him as a great Macedonian hero.^[12] In 1896 he would publish another book titled "Unhappy Macedonia" one of the more notable songs were called "To the Macedonians".^[13] Razdolov had anarchist views. He supported an armed struggle to achieve liberation of Macedonia from the Ottoman Empire and fending off any encroachments from neighboring countries.

According to some of his contemporaries in Bulgaria, Razdolov was a controversial person.^[14] Mihail Dumbalakov claimed he was a famous person but insane cynic.^[15] Per Evtim Sprostranov, Razdolov was a half-mad and drunkard who was engaged in financial blackmail.^[16] Petar Karchev wrote about Razdolov that a poetry could not be sought in his poems, but there was hidden the deep bitterness of a honest but failed revolutionary.^[17] The patriarch of Bulgarian literature, Ivan Vazov, met him during a scandal in public transport in Sofia. Razdolov travelled without a ticket and Vazov paid for it for him, while Razdolov curiously offered to sell him the copyright of his unpublished book.^[18] Per Dimo Kazasov, he was a nondescript and poorly dressed man who made a living by writing illiterate and thoughtless patriotic poems.^[19] According to assessments of his personality, he was a Bulgarian revolutionary^[20] who later switched to far left-wing political positions and accepted the ideas of Macedonism after the Balkan Wars.^[21]

Further reading

• Book: Vasil Tocinovski . РАСКАЗОТ НА МАКЕДОНСКИОТ 19 ВЕК . Институт за македонска литература . 2009 . 978-9989-886-75-1 . 8 April 2023.

Notes and References

1. Book: Literaturen zbor . Sojuzot na društvata za makedonski jazik i literatura . 2007 .
2. Book: Личности од Македонија . 9989-613-28-1 . Jovan Pavlovski . 2002 . Saints Clement of Ohrid University, Skopje . 276–277 .
3. Николов, Борис Й. ВМОРО : псевдоними и шифри 1893–1934. София, Издателство „Звезди", 1999, с. 5, 33.
4. ЗА ОДНОСОТ НА АТАНАС РАЗДОЛОВ КОН ВРХОВИЗМОТ . Voislav . Kuševski . 1984 . Journal of History . Association of Historians of the Republic of Macedonia . 150–152 .
5. ЗА ОДНОСОТ НА АТАНАС РАЗДОЛОВ КОН ВРХОВИЗМОТ . Voislav . Kuševski . 1984 . Journal of History . Association of Historians of the Republic of Macedonia . 156 .
6. Добрин Мичев, Изследвания по македонския въпросКнига 1, (1993) Македонски научен институт, София, стр. 118.
7. Book: Думбалаковъ, Михаилъ . Презъ пламъцитѣ на живота и революцията, том I . 1933 . Печатница „Художникъ" . София . 67 .
8. Web site: Бѫдащето на Балканския полуостров . Atanas Razdolov . 14 . Macedonian Library .
9. Book: Historijski zbornik . Nakladni zavod Hrvatske . 317 . 1986 . Za odnosot na Atanas Razdolov kon vrhovizmot (149–161). Socijalist Atanas Razdolov, rodjen u Berovu a zivio i radio u Bugarskoj bio je jedan od prvih boraca za individualnost makedonske oslobodilacke borbe. Njegovi radovi, u prozi i stihu jasno govore o njegovim beskopmromisnim stavovima kada je u pitanju Makedonija. U jeku bugarske kampanje iznosi svoja socijalisticka misljenja.
10. ЗА ОДНОСОТ НА АТАНАС РАЗДОЛОВ КОН ВРХОВИЗМОТ . Voislav . Kuševski . 1984 . Journal of History . Association of Historians of the Republic of Macedonia . 158, 161 .
11. Book: Гласник на Институтот за национална историја . 1990 . Институт за национална историја . 167–168 . инаку своите револуционерни становишта Раздолов јасно ги изразува уште во првата книга Песни на постаникот објавена во 1895 по која ги повикува сите Македонци и Македонки да се кренар на борба за слобода на Македонија... Неговото поетско дело и денеска многу млаку ни е познато. Тоа опфаќа деведесет и седум песни, паспоредени низ дванаесет книшки и шест раскази. .
12. Book: Panovski, Done . Pisatelite na Ilinden . Naša kniga . 1983 . 67.
13. Book: Todorvski, Gane . Makedonskata kniževnost vo XX vek . Naša kniga . 1990 . 9788637303886 . 30.
14. Петър Величков (2000) Страсти и скандали в царска България-37 автентични истории от 1900 до 1944 г. Хермес,, стр. 154.
15. Думбалаковъ, Михаилъ. Презъ пламъцитѣ на живота и революцията, том I. София, Печатница „Художникъ", 1933. с. 67.
16. Спространов, Евтим. Дневник. т. I (1901–1907). София, Македонски научен институт, 1994., с. 60–61.
17. Карчев, Петър. През прозореца на едно полустолетие (1900–1950). София, Изток-Запад, 2004. . с. 1011.
18. Росен Тахов, Вазов плаща билета на гратисчия. Измамниците в градския транспорт са откакто го има. Труд 05.12.2021 г.
19. Димо Казасов (1968) Улици, хора, събития. София преди половин век. София, Наука и изкуство, стр. 320.
20. It was an honor and pride for the Bulgarian population in the Maleshevo-Pianec region that during the period 1893–1912, some Maleshevo residents, devoted revolutionaries, worked as prominent members of the (Bulgarian) Military Intelligence Service outside the Maleshevo area. We will point out only the most remarkable of them, which have left lasting traces in the history and struggles of the Bulgarian population in this region. These are Nikola Maleshevski, Nikola Rusinski, Atanas Razdolov and Petar Ivanov. For more: Гоцев, Славе. Национално-революционни борби в Малешево и Пиянец 1860–1912. София, Издателство на Отечествения фронт, 1988, стр. 172.
21. Among the early Macedonists were persons from Macedonia who, at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, began to support the idea of the independence of the Macedonian people and language. This group included Georgi Pulevski, Teodosi Skopski, Stefan Dedov, K. Grupchev, N. Evrov, Krste Misirkov, Petar Draganov, Atanas Razdolov, Dimitar Blagoev and Dimitar Chupovski...Razdolov, who in his work from the end of the 20th century perceived the designation Macedonians as an umbrella term, after the Balkan Wars already began to see them in his poetry as a separate national unit. For more: Григор Велев (2017) История на българите от Македония. Том III, БАНИ, стр. 46–57.