Krste Petkov Misirkov - The Macedonian

[Soldier of Macedon]

Gotta love the form that Misirkov uses, it is very palatable to all Macedonian dialects - which was the main point.

[DraganOfStip]

I didn't have the time to look deeper in all the threads (there are simply too much of them and it requires a lot of time),you maybe already have the article somewhere in them,but his is "The self-determination of the Macedonians" by Misirkov published in the "Mir" magazine on March 25th,1925:

http://www.misirkov.org/the_self_determination.htm

[Daskalot]

I will post the full article here so we have it archived.

The self-determination of the
Macedonians
My article Macedonian Nationalism,
which appeared in Mir on 12 March this
year, aroused the ire of the paper
Svobodna rech, which described me as
"a man who still does not even know his
own nationality", a "simple-minded
thinker who is capable of writing
nonsense, of sinking even lower", and
who is "well-known for having once
served in the Serbian propaganda
service" and for lending his support to
the theories of the Belgrade professor
Cvyitch concerning the existence of a
separate Macedonian nationality". As a
result of these slanders against me in
Svobodna rech many of my own
townsfolk turned in fury upon me, and
there were even some people who
thoughtlessly claimed that they knew
that in my student days I had attended
assemblies of both the Bulgarian and
the Serbian students and that this was
why I had been driven out of the
Bulgarian assemblies.
Similar senseless accusations were
made in Svobodna rech and, as was
only to be expected, these false rumors
spread around Karlovo. This, however,
did not greatly disturb me, as would
have been clear to anyone who had
read my article in Mir and who knew
anything about my past… I knew full
well that I would be attacked for my
Macedonian Nationalism and that my
article could certainly not be published
in Ilinden. Nevertheless, although I was
far from sure that it would be printed in
Mir, I wrote out the article and sent it to
this journal. And two days after it had
appeared, Svobodna rech made me out
to be a man who does not know his
own nationality.
I was fully aware that I will be attacked
for my “Macedonian nationalism” , that
this article has no chance to be
published in “Ilinden” , and I was not
even sure that they will print it in “Mir” . I
still wrote the article and sent it to the
newspaper “Mir” . On the second day
after its printing “Svobodna rech”
named me a man that does not know
his ethnicity.
Unfortunately “Svobodna rech” cannot
make me give up my “lowly reasoning”.
I still find that Macedonia today is
butchered, that Greeks took their best
parts, and have chased away the
Macedonian population and replaced
them with Asiatic new-comers that
today are piled up next to the Serbian
and Bulgarian border, the same as once
the Byzantine Emperors were
establishing next to the Bulgarian
border military settlements of the
Asiatic colonists: Armenians and
Paulikians. I also find that if Serbs and
Bulgarians do not find peace, and
Macedonians are not included in
voluntary cooperation with both
Bulgarians and Serbs for safeguarding
against the Greek wave that slowly, but
surely moves from south toward north,
all of us: Serbs, Bulgarians and
Macedonians will drown in the non-
Slavic see that surrounds us from all
sides. I think that only in agreement and
cooperation between Serbs,
Macedonians and Bulgarians is the
salvation for all of us. Serbs and
Bulgarians were fighting, Greeks and
Romanians were profiting: they lost
Macedonia, Trace and Dobrudza.
The most important condition for a
cooperation between Serbs, Bulgarians
and Macedonians, however, is the
freedom of self-determination of
Macedonians. And that is why, regarding
this last issue, I emphasized the
principle of the Macedonian patriotism
and nationalism, as a fully neutral and
satisfying for all: Serbs, Bulgarians and
Macedonians alike; but for now it is
more correct to say that it is equally
unsatisfying for all: Serbs, Bulgarians
and Macedonians.
Since it is primarily us Macedonians
that are suffering from the Serb-
Bulgarian conflict, it is our duty to
search for means and ways of resolving
that conflict. That is forcing us “to
know” up to the current day our
nationality and to tell both Serbs and
Bulgarians: forget about your big-Serb
and big-Bulgarian ideas, give up
enforcing your nationalism and
patriotism on us, since it basically is
putting your interests up front instead
of ours. Let us have our own
understanding for our relations toward
you and your conflict about us and our
fatherland, as well as for the means
that will bring us to a general South Slav
benefit. Let us have our own
Macedonian national feelings and to
create Macedonian culture, as we did
that during the ages when our
fatherland was not part of the same
state with yours.
As Macedonians we will be more useful
for all: for Macedonia, for Bulgaria and
for Serbia and in general for the whole
South Slav community, than as
Bulgarians and Serbs.
As a Bulgarian I would have said long
time ago: What Macedonia! It is good
for me here too. I don’t need to think
for what is already lost. But as
Macedonian, in Bulgaria I feel as in a
foreign land, although between
brothers, I’m not at home, in my
fatherland. My fatherland is there,
where I have been born and where I
should leave my bones, where my son
should go at least, if I am not allowed
to go myself.
The awareness and the feeling that I am
Macedonian should stand higher than
everything else in the world.
Macedonians should not let themselves
been assimilated and to lose their
individuality living among Bulgarians and
Serbs. We can acknowledge the
closeness of the Serb, Bulgarians and
Macedonian interests, but we need to
evaluate them from the Macedonian
stand point of view.
Uncompromising and unlimited love
toward Macedonia, the constant
thinking and working for the interests of
Macedonia and the full conservativism
in the manifestations of the
Macedonian national spirit: the
language, the national poetry, mentality
and customs – those are the main
characteristics of the Macedonian
nationalism, demonstrated through
“lowly reasonings of a man that still
does not know his nationality”.
But we are not egoists. We don’t think
only about ourselves. We are ready to
make a good service to both Serbs and
Bulgarians, but only if that service is
voluntary and not forced.
How we can serve Serbs: we will all die,
and we will not let the Greek foot to
cross the current border of the Serb
and Bulgarian Macedonia. But we will
do that as Macedonians, and not as
Serbs. We will fight with Greeks because
they are our only historic and age old
enemies. Our complete Macedonian
national history is full with fights against
Greeks. There is no fight with Bulgarians
and Serbs recorded in the Macedonian
history. Bulgarians and Serbs have
respected the national rights of the
Macedonians in the middle ages, and it
was only Greeks that were destroying
our national spirit and were de-
nationalizing us. They even to the
current day are chasing us away from
our native fireplaces, and are reminding
us that we have an age old obligation to
chase the un-invited guests from our
grand father’ s and great grand-father’ s
lands.
That is the Macedonian national feeling,
which is the historic call of every
Macedonian that can be fulfilled only as
a free and equal citizen of Yugoslavia,
allowed to think and feel and talk and
act as Macedonian.

Source: K. Misirkov: The self-determination of
Macedonians, “Mir” , 7427, 25. III 1925,
1.

[Risto the Great]

Always thought provoking to read.

Does anyone know why the "Ilinden" journal would not have published his article? Obviously we could all suspect the reason why.

[DraganOfStip]

Here is also "Macedonian Nationalism" by Misirkov,published also in the "Mir" magazine on March 12th,1925:

http://www.misirkov.org/nationalism.htm

[Liberator of Makedonija]

The only Macedonian Slavs who played a leading part in the Uprising were those who called themselves Bulgarians.

This statement by Misirkov always confuses me because it contradicts the knowledge we have of the leaders of Ilinden. Misirkov also knocks Ilinden for not being a general Macedonian uprising and only being made-up of Exarchists, which also contradicts knowledge that the VMRO trancended church lines and nationalities

Clarification on this?

[vicsinad]

Originally Posted by Liberator of Makedonija

The only Macedonian Slavs who played a leading part in the Uprising were those who called themselves Bulgarians.

This statement by Misirkov always confuses me because it contradicts the knowledge we have of the leaders of Ilinden. Misirkov also knocks Ilinden for not being a general Macedonian uprising and only being made-up of Exarchists, which also contradicts knowledge that the VMRO trancended church lines and nationalities

Clarification on this?

You must remember that Macedonians like Sandanski, Toshev, Delchev and others were against the revolution taking place when it did. However, those from SMAC (the external committee) that managed to infiltrate the internal committee found an opening (such as with the mass arrests of IMRO's leaders in 1901/1902). It was they who really called for and initiated the uprising.

This may be, in part, what Misirkov is talking about.

[VMRO]

Originally Posted by vicsinad

You must remember that Macedonians like Sandanski, Toshev, Delchev and others were against the revolution taking place when it did. However, those from SMAC (the external committee) that managed to infiltrate the internal committee found an opening (such as with the mass arrests of IMRO's leaders in 1901/1902). It was they who really called for and initiated the uprising.

This may be, in part, what Misirkov is talking about.

Vic is correct, the Central Committee with the likes of Ivan Gavranov (of Bulgarian nationality) was compromised and an early uprising was called with false pretenses that Bulgaria will swoop in right away and help Macedonia be liberated upon the firing of the first gun.

The uprising was ill equipped and Pere Toshev and other Macedonians were openly against the call for an early uprising.

The above happened when most of the VMRO leaders were in jail at the time.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Interesting, thanks for the clarification!

I know the Gorna Dzumaja Uprising a year prior was instigated the SMC (as a proxy of Sofia) in an effort to disrupt the revolutionary movement and force the VMRO into a premature uprising. I read that after the SMC's dissolution, many of its members became part of the Centralist faction of VMRO and that's apparently where the Vrhovism in the committee began to first develop.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Originally Posted by Bratot

Sergej Misirkov wrote the introduction to the only surviving manuscript of his father Krste P. Misirkov which also represent his autobiography, titled "Memories and impressions".
This material thanks to Dr. Sergej Misirkov was delivered during his visit to the People's Republic of Macedonia in 1956.

His introductory note in the work of Krste P. Misirkov should encourage the Macedonian institutions to initiate a search for the remaining works and documents related to his work.


The document is available only in Macedonian version, I welcome every contribution for translating the whole:
http://macedonianspark.com/istorijai...-57-06?lang=mk

Pozdrav

This is a dead link now. Anyone know where to view it or are able to summarise it?