Zhana Nikolova-Gŭlŭbova (1908–2009) was a Bulgarian philology scientist, essayist and publicist. She was an author of literary and linguistic research, and

philosophical essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as forma ...

s. Her main scientific interests were in the field of

literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...

and

lexicography Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoretical le ...

. She was also a certified translator and editor. She was the first woman teaching at

Sofia University Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" () is a public university, public research university in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Bulgaria. Founded on 1 October 1888, the edifice of the university was constr ...

. She was awarded the highest honorary degree of the

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; , ''Bŭlgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated БАН) is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy, with headquarters in Sofia, is autonomous and consists of a S ...

, 'Doctor Honoris Causa'. She died in 2009, aged 101.

Life path

Nikolova-Gŭlŭbova was born on 22 February 1908 in Tran. Her mother was an artist, and her father was a teacher. In 1911, her family moved to

Tsaribrod Dimitrovgrad () alternatively Caribrod () is a town and municipality located in the Pirot District of southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 8,043 and the town has 5,188 inhabitants. Name Since 1950, t ...

. She studied in a high-school in

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 ...

, after the family moved there as refugees of the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

. In 1926, she started studying

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

. She graduated in 1931 as a specialist in classical philology and

German philology German studies is an academic field that researches, documents and disseminates German language, German literature, literature, and culture in its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies therefore often focus on Culture ...

. She then traveled to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, specializing in philosophy. In 1936, the publishing house " Hemus" released Nikolova-Gŭlŭbova's first book, "The tongue of young Goethe". In the same year, she was selected in a competition to become a teacher at the same university, making her the first woman in Bulgarian History to teach at university. With the support of

Elin Pelin Elin Pelin ( ) (8 July 1877 – 3 December 1949), born Dimitar Ivanov Stoyanov () was a Bulgarian writer. Stoyan Christowe called him "Bulgaria's leading writer". Biography He was born in the village of Bailovo, in Sofia District. He complet ...

and

Yordan Yovkov Yordan Stefanov Yovkov () (November 9, 1880 – October 15, 1937) was a prominent Bulgarian writer from the interwar period. Biography Born in the village of Zheravna, Yovkov studied at First Sofia Men’s High School, from which he graduated i ...

, Nikolova-Gŭlŭbova became a member of the Writer's Union of Bulgaria. In 1945, she was later accused of spreading fascist propaganda by the communist government and removed from lecturing in the university, as well as removed from the Writer Union and prohibited from publishing any literary works. In 1999, Nikolova-Gŭlŭbova was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

'Doctor Honoris Causa' degree from the

Creative path

Nikolova-Gŭlŭbova is one of the essential figures in the development of Bulgarian essayists. Her name is often associated with others famous Bulgarian authors like Elisaveta Bagryana and

Dora Gabe Dora Petrova Gabe (in Bulgarian language, bulgarian: Дора Петрова Габе) (born Isidora Petrova Peysakh, 16 August 1888 – 16 November 1983) was а Bulgaria, Bulgarian Jewish poet, writer and translator. She published poetry for ad ...

. Nikolova-Gŭlŭbova mainly specializes in German authors. She produced many analysis works on

Ekaterina Nencheva Ekaterina is a Russian feminine given name, and an alternative transliteration of the Russian Yekaterina. Katya and Katyusha are common diminutive forms of Ekaterina. Its Western counterpart is Catherine (Katherine). Notable people with the name ...

Ivan Vazov Ivan Minchov Vazov (; – 22 September 1921) was a Bulgarian poet, novelist, and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria (then part of the Ottoman Em ...

Dimcho Debelyanov Dimcho Debelyanov () (28 March 1887 – 2 October 1916) was a Bulgarian poet and author. Born to a prosperous tailoring family in Koprivshtitsa, Bulgaria, Debelyanov experienced financial hardship upon the death of his father in 1896, which ...

, and

Atanas Dalchev Atanas Hristov Dalchev (also written ''Dalčev''; ) (June 12, 1904 - January 17, 1978) was a Bulgarian poet, critic and translator. He was among the leading Bulgarian poets of the 1920s and 1930s. Dalchev was also a prominent translator of poetr ...

. Nikolova-Gŭlŭbova's dictionaries later proved fundamental in devising Bulgarian-German thesaurus and dictionaries. She had been actively writing over a period of 60 years, publishing more than 20,000 articles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolova-Gulubova, Zhana 1908 births 2009 deaths Bulgarian women academics Bulgarian women centenarians Academic staff of Sofia University People from Pernik Province 20th-century philologists Bulgarian philologists Germanists Honorary degrees