Yoakim Karchovski

Book cover of Yoakim Karchovski - "The Wonders of the Holy Virgin translated from Amartolon Soteria into Bulgarian" (1817)

Yoakim Karchovski (Bulgarian: Йоаким Кърчовски, c. 1750 - c. 1820), was a Bulgarian priest, teacher, writer and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival.^[1] In his writings, he self identified as Bulgarian,^[2] though besides contributing to Bulgarian literature,^[3] in the Republic of Macedonia he is also thought to have laid the foundation of the Macedonian literary tradition.

Karchovski was born in the village of Oslomej, Ottoman Empire, (today in Republic of Macedonia) around 1750 and died in 1820. This spreader of enlightenment is the author of four books written in "the plainest Bulgarian language". He devoted all his life to the cause of education and stayed in history as a person who worked for the establishment of a literary language comprehensible for the common populace. His books were typed between 1814 and 1817 in Buda:

1. 1814 "A narration about the formidable and second advent of Christ, composed from various Holy Scriptures and translated into plainest Bulgarian language which is used for the sake of the most common and illiterate people" („Повест ради страшнаго и втораго пришествия Христова").
2. 1817 "Trials" („Сия книга глаголемаа митарства"). On the frontpage, the great man of enlightenment mentions the Macedonian cities which helped the issuing of the book: "Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Sechishta and other Bulgarian cities".
3. 1817 "The Wonders of the Holy Virgin translated from Amartolon Soteria into Bulgarian" („Чудеса пресвятия Богородици")
4. 1819"Some edifyingly advices" („Различна поучителна наставления")

These books were among the first printed Bulgarian books written in modern Bulgarian language after Nedelnik of Sophronius of Vratsa.

References

1. Becoming Bulgarian: the articulation of Bulgarian identity in the nineteenth century in its international context: an intellectual history, Ost-European studies, Janette Sampimon, Pegasus, 2006, ISBN 90-6143-311-8, p. 234.
2. Biobibliographical handbook of Bulgarian authors, Mateja Matejić, Karen L. Black, Slavica Publishers, 1981, ISBN 0-89357-091-5, p. 25.
3. Георгиев, Емил.Люлка на старата и новата българска писменост. (Държавно издателство Народна просвета, София 1980)