Chernorizets Hrabr Medieval Bulgarian writer, worked at the Preslav book school at the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th centuries. Country: Bulgaria

Chernorizets Hrabar: A Medieval Bulgarian Writer

Chernorizets Hrabar, also known as "the brave monk," was a medieval Bulgarian writer who worked at the Preslav Literary School in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. He is the author of the famous treatise-apology "On Letters" ("O pismenah"), which discusses the importance of the Slavic script. Unfortunately, there is very little information available about the personal life of this remarkable author, and it is even possible that Chernorizets Hrabar could be a pseudonym.

According to one theory, Chernorizets Hrabar may have been none other than the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I the Great himself. Judging from the content and tendencies of the text, it is believed that he lived during the first flourishing of Slavic literature among the Bulgarian Slavs, around the 10th century. Chernorizets Hrabar, like several other ancient Bulgarian authors, was discovered by Russian Slavists. The treatise "On Letters" was first published in print in Ivan Fedorov's "Ostrog Primer" in 1578 and later in the Vilnius Primer in 1621. However, the author's name remained unknown as the title was descriptive rather than revealing the author's identity.

The name Chernorizets Hrabar was discovered by K.F. Kalaidovich, who found the so-called "Laurentian Collection" (a Bulgarian manuscript from 1348, during the reign of Tsar Ivan-Alexander), which contained an older version of the work titled "On Letters by Chernorizets Hrabar." Kalaidovich published this version, along with paleographic images, in his remarkable book "Ioann, Exarch of Bulgaria" in 1824. Several other manuscripts with the same title were found later, reinforcing its authenticity. In the mid-19th century, A. Gorsky discovered the so-called "Moscow List" of the treatise from the 15th century, which is believed to preserve many ancient features of the original manuscript. This manuscript's significance was evaluated by S. Palauzov, who published it in his book "The Era of Bulgarian Tsar Simeon" in 1852. Noteworthy researchers of the text include I.V. Yagich, who published six variants of the treatise, and L. Karavelov, who first proposed the idea that "Hrabar" could be a pseudonym, suggesting that the actual author might be the Bulgarian Exarch Ioann. The most comprehensive work on the person of Hrabar is considered to be the monograph "Chernorizets Hrabar" by the Bulgarian medievalist K. Kuev (1967).

In Slavic studies, Chernorizets Hrabar holds an important place alongside Cyril and Methodius and their disciple Clement. His work is closely related to the achievements of the Thessaloniki Brothers, and as a direct continuation of their work, it is an essential part of the Cyrillic and Methodius tradition. Chernorizets Hrabar is not only recognized as one of the most significant writers of the reign of Tsar Simeon but also as one of the most intriguing intellectuals of medieval Bulgaria.

References:
- Donka Petkanova, "Chernorizets Hrabar." Sofia: Vreme, 1999. ISBN 954-8568-13-6
- Vatroslav Jagić, "Codex slovenicus rerum grammaticarum." Berlin, 1896. [Reprint: Volume 25 in the series "Slavische Propyläen," München: Wilhelm Fink Verlag, 1968.] (This publication includes the text of the mentioned treatise in several editions.)