Dora Gabe
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Dora Petrova Gabe (in bulgarian: Дора Петрова Габе) (born Isidora Petrova Peysakh, 16 August 1888 – 16 November 1983) was а Bulgarian
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
,
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 ...
and
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
. She published poetry for adults and children as well as travel books, short stories and essays. In her later years, she also did extensive work in translation. She is widely regarded as one of the most famous women Bulgarian poets and is cherished by Bulgarians not only for her work but also for her deep respect for all the arts and her charitable spirit.


Biography

Born in 1886, in a country that had recently freed itself from Ottoman rule, Dora Gabe came from a family of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. She was the daughter of Peter Gabe who became the first Jew to be elected to the Bulgarian
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
. When he was barred from taking office, he turned to journalism and became a well known public figure in
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 ...
. Dora Gabe attended high school in
Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city ** Varna Province ** Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna ** Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis * Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy * Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia Asia * Var ...
, and then pursued a degree in Natural Sciences 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 ...
(1904). Later, she studied French Philology in
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and
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(1905–1906). Back in Bulgaria, she taught French in
Dobrich Dobrich ( ; ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, 9th most populated city in Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Dobrich Province and the capital of the region of Southern Dobrudzha. It is located in the northeastern part of the cou ...
in 1907 and also began to publish poems in various journals. A quiet nostalgia emanates from her works, which are dedicated to sentimental and intimate themes, but also partly to the region of her childhood,
Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...
, a land disputed between
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 ...
and
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 ...
. From 1911 to 1932, she lived abroad again, in
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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, and the
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with her husband, the professor and literary critic Boyan Penev. In 1923, they separated for good but did not divorce. He reportedly had affairs and pressured her to give up her own writing to devote herself to translation. They parted ways well before his death in 1927. Reflecting on her marriage, Dora was deeply critical: "My marriage to Boyan Penev (...) drew me deeper into his pursuits. While his influence enriched me, it came at the cost of my own identity. I stopped living my own inner life and instead lived his. Sadly, I only found the space to truly flourish after his death.". In the 1920s and 1930s, she gave numerous lectures on political and cultural issues such as the development of Bulgarian literature and the fate of the Dobruja region. In 1925, the Ministry of Education in Bulgaria assigned Dora Gabe to edit the series ''Библиотека за най-малките'' (''Library for the youngest''). She also served as editor of the children's magazine ''Window'' (1939–1941). She was as well one of the founders of the Bulgarian-Polish Committee (1922) and the Bulgarian PEN Club (1927). She served as a longtime president for the latter. In
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 ...
, the political situation was very unstable during the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
. The alliance with
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
led to a conflict with the
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, followed by a communist coup in 1944. She could not escape the constraints imposed on the literary world by the new Bulgarian regime and published a collection in 1946, ''Vela'', praising the
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
partisans. From 1947 to 1950, she was counselor for cultural affairs at the Bulgarian Embassy in
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. Subsequently, she continued writing, focusing on more intimate concerns. She died on November 16th, 1983 at the age of 95, 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 ...
,
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 ...
.


Literary career

In 1900 in
Shumen Shumen (, also Romanization of Bulgarian, romanized as ''Shoumen'' or ''Šumen'', ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, tenth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and economic capital of Shumen Province. Etymology The city ...
, she published one of her first poems, at only 14 years old, called ''Spring'' in the literary journal ''Youth''. Soon after, she published a series of poems in the magazines ''Thought'', ''Democratic Review'' and ''New Society'' in 1905–1906. This marked the start of her literary career. In the 1920s and 1930s, she published poetry for both adults and children, travelogues, stories, essayistic fiction, impressions, theater reviews, and articles on both foreign and Bulgarian literature. She also wrote biographical sketches of poets and writers for magazines such as ''Contemporary Thought'', ''Zlatorog'', ''Polish-Bulgarian Review'', ''Democratic Review'', ''Falling Leaves'', ''Dobrudjanski Review'', ''Art and Criticism'', ''Slovo'', ''Age'', ''Journal of Women'', ''Free Speech'', ''Dawn'', ''Women's Voice'', ''Thought'', ''Contemporary'', ''Journal of Newspapers'', ''Dnevnik'', and ''Fireworks''. Additionally, she contributed to various children's periodicals such as ''Firefly'', ''Children's Joy'', ''Children's World'', ''Drugarche'', ''Children's Life'', ''Iveta'', ''Nightingale'', ''Merry Band'', ''Window'', and others. After 1944, she was widely published in the most popular Bulgarian newspapers and journals, as well as in the children's magazine ''Nightingale'', ''Squad'', ''Children, art, books'', and others. ''Violets'', Gabe's first lyrical poetry book, demonstrates
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sentimentalism and a deep understanding of
symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...
. Her works have been translated in
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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.


Translation

From 1917 until the end of her life, fluent in
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
,
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
,
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
,
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
, and
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
, she also dedicated herself to translation work. She translated the works of
Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...
,
Maria Konopnicka Maria Konopnicka (; ; 23 May 1842 – 8 October 1910) was a Polish people, Polish poet, novelist, children's writer, translator, journalist, critic and activist for women's rights and for Polish independence. She used pseudonyms, including ''Jan ...
,
Stanisław Wyspiański Stanisław Mateusz Ignacy Wyspiański (; 15 January 1869 – 28 November 1907) was a Polish playwright, painter, poet, and interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created symbolic national dramas accordant with the artisti ...
,
Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer (12 February 1865 – 18 January 1940) was a Polish Goral poet, novelist, playwright, journalist and writer. He was a member of the Young Poland movement. Life Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer was born in Ludźmierz in Po ...
,
Juliusz Słowacki Juliusz Słowacki (; ; ; 4 September 1809 – 3 April 1849) was a Polish Romantic poet. He is considered one of the " Three Bards" of Polish literature — a major figure in the Polish Romantic period, and the father of modern Polish drama. Hi ...
,
Władysław Reymont Władysław Stanisław Reymont (; born Rejment; 7 May 1867 – 5 December 1925) was a Polish novelist and the laureate of the 1924 Nobel Prize in Literature. His best-known work is the award-winning four-volume novel '' Chłopi'' (''The Peasant ...
,
Jan Kasprowicz Jan Kasprowicz (12 December 1860 – 1 August 1926) was a Polish poet, playwright, critic and translator; a foremost representative of Young Poland. Biography Kasprowicz was born in the village of Szymborze (now part of Inowrocław) within t ...
,
Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as The Trilogy, the Trilogy series and especially ...
, B. Leader, Adolf Dygasiński, L. Staffan, A. Slonimsky,
Julian Tuwim Julian Tuwim (13 September 1894 – 27 December 1953), known also under the pseudonym Oldlen as a lyricist, was a Jewish-Polish poet, born in Łódź, then part of the Russian Partition. He was educated in Łódź and in Warsaw where he studied ...
, K. Alberti, I. Volker, F. Fletch,
Vítězslav Nezval Vítězslav Nezval (; 26 May 1900 – 6 April 1958) was a Czechs, Czech poet, writer and translator. He was one of the most prolific avant-garde Czech writers in the first half of the 20th century and a co-founder of the Surrealism, Surrealist ...
,
Karel Čapek Karel Čapek (; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel '' War with the Newts'' (1936) and play '' R.U.R.'' (''Rossum' ...
, G. Jian, Y. Seifert, A. Slutsk, V. Bronevski, C. Imber,
Samuil Marshak Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak (alternative spelling: Marchak) (; 4 July 1964) was a Soviet writer of Belarusian Jewish origin, translator and poet who wrote for both children and adults. He translated the sonnets and some other of the works of Willi ...
, E. Kamberos, R. Bumi-Papa, M. Lundemis,
Yiannis Ritsos Yiannis Ritsos ( ; 1 May 1909 – 11 November 1990) was a Greek poet and communist and an active member of the Greek Resistance during World War II. While he disliked being regarded as a political poet, he has been called "the great poet of th ...
and many others. Her most renowned translation works include: * The series of anthologies ''Polish poets'' (1921) * ''Anthems'' by Ian Kasprovich (1924) * ''Angel'' by J. Słowacki (1925)


Works in English

*


Honors and awards

* 27 August 1927 - Golden Cross for Merit (Poland) * 20 April 1929 - an honorary diploma from the Peace Council * 30 December 1946 - order "9th of September 1944", III degree * 1 October 1963 - award of the Coalition of Bulgarian Writers for her poem "Homeland" * 21 May 1966 - honored with the title "Marked agent of culture" in the area of poetry * In 1968, she was awarded the title "Honorary citizen of the city of Tolbuhin". * 28 August 1968 - honored with the order "George Dimitrov" for the occasion of her 80th birthday * 23 May 1969 - honored with the title "Gifted agent of culture" * 16 June 1972 - honorary diploma from the Central Union of Professional Unions for the traditional epic story "Mother Parashkeva" * 9 July 1978 - honored with the title "Laureate of Dimitrov's Award" for the poem collections "Wait Sun", "Depths", and "The Thickened Silence"Central National Archives (ЦДА, Ф. 1771К, оп. 1, а.е. 37, л. 1) * 25 August 1978 - honored with the title "Hero of the socialist effort" for the occasion of her 90th birthday * 25 December 1978 - honored with the honorable sign of Sofia, I degree * June 1979 - special award from the Union of Bulgarian Composers for her lyrical poem "Headstrong" * April 1979 - marked with the award "Petko Rachov Slaveikov" for her literary and artistic contribution to children's and young people's literatureCentral National Archives (ЦДА, Ф. 1771К, оп. 1, а.е. 54, л. 1)


References


External links

* "Dora Gabe" in
Pioneers: Trailblazing women in the arts, sciences and society
'' 2019 exhibition by ''
Europeana Europeana is a web portal created by the European Union containing digitised cultural heritage collections of more than 3,000 institutions across Europe. It includes records of over 50 million cultural and scientific artefacts, brought togethe ...
'' (CC By-SA)
Contains biography of Dora Gabe
!-- better link should be found --> * https://map.herstoryproject.eu/sofia/ - Interactive map of Sofia, Bulgaria, illustrating the lives of Bulgarian women who have made significant contributions to society, including Dora Gabe. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gabe, Dora 1888 births 1983 deaths People from General Toshevo Bulgarian people of Russian descent 20th-century Bulgarian poets Bulgarian translators Bulgarian women poets 20th-century Bulgarian women writers Bulgarian Jews 20th-century translators 20th-century Bulgarian Jews