Under the Yoke

The essay investigates an unresolved issue in the early history of modern Bulgarian literature concerning the person or persons who translated the 1893 English edition of Ivan Vazov"s novel "Under the Yoke". The argument is based on some recently found material backed by literary-reception methodology.

The author shares his experience and insights during his work on a new Polish translation of Ivan Vazov’s novel Under the Yoke. The article reveals the results of his textological analysis of the novel that includes interpretations of its title message and of various aspects of Vazov’s masterpiece, such as the function of the play Genovefa and theatre in general in constructing the novel’s fictional universe, the culture war between the worlds of Christianity and Islam, the romantic design of the main character interpreted in the light of Adam Mickiewicz’s Gustaw-Konrad, wordplay and culminating metaphors as means of metaphorization, syntax twists in depicting characters’ moods and emotions, the role of speaking names etc. All aspects of Vazov’s novel, discussed in this article, aim to reveal its remarkable mastery.