Simeon Traychev Radev (; 19 January 1879 – 15 February 1967) was a Bulgarian

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

, most famous for his three-volume book ''The Builders of Modern Bulgaria''.

Biography

Radev was born in the town of Resen in the

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

region of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1879. He studied at the Bulgarian schools in Resen,

Ohrid Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...

and

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

before finishing the

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

.Известия на държавните архиви, Архивен отдел, България, том 57, стр. 74. He graduated in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

from the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

, where he studied with Venelin Ganev. Radev became interested in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

and was a regular contributor to the ''Evening Mail'' newspaper from 1901 on; he later became editor and editor-in-chief of the newspaper. In 1905, he started issuing the ''Artist'' magazine. In 1908, he participated in the foundation of the Union of the Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs, a Bulgarian political party in the Ottoman Empire. Later, he created the daily newspaper ''Will'' and was active in its publication. Towards that time he published his book ''The Builders of Modern Bulgaria'', one of the largest original historiographic studies of Bulgaria at the time. The book was an in-depth study of the

Principality of Bulgaria The Principality of Bulgaria () was a vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. After the Russo-Turkish War ended with a Russian victory, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed ...

's formation and its early political years. From an early age Radev devoted himself to

diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

. In 1913, he participated in the conference which led to the signing of the Treaty of Bucharest; he remained a Bulgarian

minister plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

until 1916. After

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

joined

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was moved to

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. In 1917, he handed in his resignation, left Switzerland and joined the

Bulgarian Army The Bulgarian Army (), also called Bulgarian Armed Forces, is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in ...

as a soldier of the

Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps The Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps (, ; MAVC) was a volunteer corps of the Bulgarian Army during the Balkan Wars. It was formed on 23 September 1912 and consisted of Bulgarian volunteers from Macedonia and Thrace, regions still under ...

. Towards the end of the war Radev was one of the Bulgarian representatives who signed the Thessaloniki Armistice. After the war, Radev was Bulgarian minister plenipotentiary in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. He was the first Bulgarian delegate to the

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. In 1923, he married the

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n painter, Bistra Vinarova and the couple subsequently had one son, Trayan Radev (bg). In 1918, Radev published his book ''Macedonia and the Bulgarian Renaissance in the 19th Century'' () in French. It was translated to Bulgarian in 1927 and republished as an issue of the

Macedonian Scientific Institute The Macedonian Scientific Institute (MSI; ) is a Bulgarian scientific organization, which studies the region of Macedonia and mostly the Macedonian Bulgarians. The Institute issues the journal "Macedonian Review". Establishment and activity It wa ...

, of which Radev was a member. In the book, he defined the Macedonian region as the motherland of Bulgarian patriotism. Besides being active in

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

, journalism and diplomacy, Radev was an avid connoisseur of literature and arts. He published several critical articles and took an active part in Bulgaria's literary and artistic life. Some of his articles were published in the book ''Insights into the Literate and Arts and Personal Memories'', released in 1965 and provoking a significant interest. Simeon Radev died aged 88 in the Bulgarian capital

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

on 15 February 1967, only several days after his last book ''Early Memories'' was ready for printing. Reportedly, his last words were:

Honours

Radev Point on Rugged Island in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

, is named after Simeon Radev.

Works

*
Early Memories
' *

' *
The Builders of Modern Bulgaria, Volume 1
' *
The Builders of Modern Bulgaria, Volume 2
' *
The Builders of Modern Bulgaria, Volume 3
'

Sources

* * * *

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radev, Simeon 1879 births 1967 deaths People from Resen, North Macedonia People's Liberal Party politicians Bulgarian journalists 20th-century Bulgarian historians Bulgarian people of the Balkan Wars Recipients of the Order of Bravery Bulgarian expatriates in Switzerland Ambassadors of Bulgaria to Romania Ambassadors of Bulgaria to Turkey Ambassadors of Bulgaria to the Netherlands Ambassadors of Bulgaria to the United States Ambassadors of Bulgaria to Belgium Ambassadors of Bulgaria to the United Kingdom Galatasaray High School alumni University of Geneva alumni Members of the Macedonian Scientific Institute Burials at Central Sofia Cemetery Macedonian Bulgarians Bulgarian jurists 20th-century Bulgarian politicians Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Bulgaria