BASA-1271K-1-161-34-Fani Popova-Mutafova

Fani Popova–Mutafova ( bg, Фани Попова-Мутафова; October 16, 1902 – July 9, 1977) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n author who is considered by many to have been the best-selling Bulgarian

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

author ever.

Biography

The daughter of Dobry Popov, an officer in the Bulgarian army, she was born in

Sevlievo Sevlievo ( bg, Севлиево ) is a town in north-central Bulgaria, part of Gabrovo Province. Sevlievo is known as one of the wealthiest towns in Bulgaria owing to the well developed local economy, high employment rate and major foreign inve ...

and was educated there, in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

and in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, where she also studied piano music. From 1922 to 1925, she studied music in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. She first published her work in the journals ''Vestnik na Zenata'', '' Bulgarska misul'' and ''Zlatorog''. Her books sold in record numbers in the 1930s and the early 1940s. In 1936 she took part in the foundation of the

Ratniks The Union of Warriors for the Advancement of the Bulgarianness ( bg, Съюз на ратниците за напредъка на българщината, ''Sayuz na ratnitsite za napredaka na balgarshtinata''), commonly known as just the Ratni ...

and was considered one of their main ideologists. Popova–Mutafova joined the European Writers' League (''Europäische Schriftstellervereinigung''), which was founded by

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

in 1941/42.Ed. Hellmut Th. Seemann, Angela Jahn, Thorsten Valk: ''Europa in Weimar - Visionen eines Kontinents''. Yearbook of the Classics Foundation

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

, 2008, . She was eventually sentenced to seven years of imprisonment by the Bulgarian communist regime because of her writings (her alleged "pro-German allegiance"), and though released after only eleven months for health reasons (asthma), was forbidden to publish anything between 1943 and 1972. She translated books and plays from

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for a living then. She was married to another Bulgarian writer, . Popova-Mutafova died in Sofia at the age of 74.

Selected works

* ''Солунският чудотворец'', historical novel (1929–30) * ''Недялка Стаматова'' (1933) * ''Дъщерята на Калояна'' (

Kaloyan Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ioannitsa or Johannitsa ( bg, Калоян, Йоаница; 1170 – October 1207), was emperor or tsar of Second Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Peter II of Bulgari ...

's daughter), historical novel (1936) * ''Иван Асен II'' (

Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria Ivan Asen II, also known as John Asen II ( bg, Иван Асен II, ; 1190s – May/June 1241), was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He was still a child when his father Ivan Asen I one of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empir ...

), historical novel (1936) * ''Д-р П. Берон'' (Doctor

Petar Beron Dr. Petar Beron ( bg, Петър Берон) (c. 1799, Kotel – 21 March 1871) was a Bulgarian educator. He created the first modern Bulgarian primer, known as the '' Fish Primer'' (Рибен буквар, ''Riben bukvar'') due to a dolphin ...

, historical novel (1972)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popova-Mutafova, Fani 1902 births 1977 deaths Bulgarian women writers Bulgarian historical fiction writers 20th-century Bulgarian women writers 20th-century Bulgarian writers

Biography

Selected works

Further reading

References