Poetry · A way to begin
The Sirdar
Сердарот
Grigor Prličev · 1860
Synopsis
In the middle of the nineteenth century, between Galičnik, Reka and Stan, in western Macedonia, Kuzman Kapidan protects the villages against the raids of Albanian Gheg plunderers. The poem, in nine cantos, tells of his last battle, then of his mother's grief and the return of his body to his people. The poet drew on a folk song from Belica.
Context
The poem appeared in Athens on 25 March 1860, under the name of Grigorios Stavridis, and won first prize in the university's Greek poetry competition; King Otto presented the laurel crown, and its author was hailed as a second Homer, despite the opposition of part of the Greek community and a press campaign. He himself produced a Slavic version in 1870. The poem has since appeared in Bulgarian and Macedonian many times, and in English in Skopje in 1973.
Who it is for
A poem of nine hundred and twelve lines in nine cantos, written in Greek; no French translation.
Prizes and reception
The summit of the work of an author claimed by both North Macedonia and Bulgaria.