Lidia Shishmanova (17 October 1866 – 6 January 1937) was a Ukrainian and Bulgarian writer, journalist, theatre and music critic, translator and social activist.

Early life and family

Lidia Shishmanova was born Lidia Drahomanova, on 17 October 1866 in Kiev, Ukraine. Her father was a philosopher, historian, and folklorist Professor

Mykhailo Drahomanov Mykhailo Petrovych Drahomanov ( ukr, Михайло Петрович Драгоманов; 18 September 1841 – 2 July 1895) was a Ukrainian intellectual and public figure. As an academic, Drahomanov was an economist, historian, philosopher, an ...

, and her mother a famous actress, Ludmila Drahomanova. Having received an education including other Western European languages, as well as theatre and music, Lidia also travelled extensively with her parents. She received a degree from the Faculty of

Philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...

of the University of Geneva. On 28 December 1888, she married

Ivan Shishmanov Ivan Shishmanov ( bg, Иван Димитров Шишманов; July 4, 1862 – June 22, 1928) was a Bulgarian writer, ethnographer, politician and diplomat. He served as Ambassador of Bulgaria to the Ukrainian State and the ...

. They had one son, Dimitar Shishmanov. The couple moved to Bulgaria in 1889, where Shishmanova established herself as an active public figure in the areas of women's rights, the development of Bulgarian art and culture and presenting the cause of Bulgaria in Europe after the Balkan Wars.

Writings and activism

Their home in Sofia became one of the main meeting places for Bulgarian intellectuals and those engaged in strengthening Bulgarian-Ukrainian relations. Amongst the visitors to their home were

Ivan Vazov Ivan Minchov Vazov ( bg, Иван Минчов Вазов; – 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 ...

Aleko Konstantinov Aleko Konstantinov ( bg, Алеко Константинов) (1 January 1863 – 11 May 1897) ( NS: 13 January 1863 – 23 May 1897) was a Bulgarian writer, best known for his character Bay Ganyo, one of the most popular characters in Bulgaria ...

, Ivan Radoslavov, and Michael Arnaoudov. In 1896, Shishmanova published a book in France as part of series entitled ''A collection of folk songs and tales.'' The series collected folk tales, songs and myths less studied or researched nations and ethnicities. She wrote for other Bulgarian publications such as ''Bulgarian review'', ''Freedom of opinion'', ''Bulgarian collection'', ''Peace'', ''Journal of Women'', and ''Women's Voice.'' She wrote in Ukrainian for ''Ukraine'', ''Rada'', ''Dilo'' and ''New Ukraine.'' These pieces were reviews of theatre and music scene in Bulgaria and abroad. Shishmanova wrote for the French newspaper ''La Bulgarie'' for many years, promoting Bulgarian culture, literature and arts. She wrote numerous articles on the politics in Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Balkans and Western Europe, as well on the scientific achievements of the time, and on women's rights in Bulgaria. Shishmanova was a member of the Association of Women with Higher Education, was a founder of the Club of the Bulgarian writers in 1930, and the League of English speakers, Society for Peace and Freedom where she served as the vice-president of the Bulgarian section of the International League for Peace and Freedom. She was also a member of the Bulgarian Women's Union and the Society of Esperanto in Bulgaria. Shishmanova was a member of the board of St Patrick’s Orphanage in Sofia, which was founded by Pierce O'Mahony for Bulgarian orphans and the victims of the

Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising, or simply the Ilinden Uprising of August–October 1903 ( bg, Илинденско-Преображенско въстание, Ilindensko-Preobrazhensko vastanie; mk, Илинденско востание, ...

from

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 traditional geographic reg ...

and

Edirne Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...

. She was the vice-president of the first music company based in Sofia. Shishmanova died in Sofia on 6 January 1937.

Legacy

Much of the advancement of women's rights in Bulgaria has been attributed to Shishmanova. In response to the then Higher School in Sofia (now

Sofia University Sofia University, "St. Kliment Ohridski" at the University of Sofia, ( bg, Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски“, ''Sofijski universitet „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“'') is the oldest higher education i ...

) not accepting women, she wrote the article ''The Woman and the university'', which advocated for the rights of women to be educated for their own good, and that of wider society. In 1922, she campaigned against the unpopular Labour Service Act which required girls aged 16 to perform community service for a period of six months. She advocated strongly with others for the development of Bulgarian theatre, aiding in the construction of a special building for the needs of the theatre in Sofia, and organising lectures by specialists before performances to prepare the public with information about the author, themes, or central ideas. Some of the reforms Shishmanova put forward in her articles were then picked up by Ivan Shishmanov during his tenure as Minister of Education in the Office of General

Racho Petrov Racho Petrov Stoyanov ( bg, Рачо Петров Стоянов) (3 March 1861 – 22 January 1942) was a leading Bulgarian general and politician. Petrov was born in Shumen. A talented soldier, he was appointed Chief of General Staff at ...

. Bulgarian poet

Dobri Nemirov Dobri means ''good'' in several Slavic languages and may refer to *Dobri (given name) *Dobri dol (disambiguation) *Dobri Do (disambiguation) *Dobri, Hungary, a village *Dobri Dub, a village in Serbia *Dobri Laki, a village in Bulgaria * Novigrad na ...

dedicated a poem to Shishmanova and her legacy.

Early life and family

Writings and activism

Legacy

References

Further reading