Koco Racin
Encyclopedia
Kosta Apostolov Solev primarily known as Kočo Racin (22 December 1908, Veles
– 13 June 1943, Lopušnik) was a Macedonian
revolutionary and poet who is considered a founder of modern Macedonian literature
. His poem collection White Dawns
(Zagreb
, 1939) is one of the most important masterpieces in the Macedonian modern literature. Racin took time in prose
too and wrote some significant works with themes in history, philosophy, and critique of literature.
and for a short time he flaunt's himself as one of the most hopeful young curls in the Communist party of Yugoslavia in Macedonia. In 1926, Racin became a member of the local commission of KPJ in Veles, and in November, 1928 he participated in the fourth congress of KPJ in Dresden
as the only delegate from Macedonia. After returning to Yugoslavia
he was arrested, but three months later he is freed because of insuficient evidince. In April, 1929 he went in to the army service in Požarevac
.
In 1929, the party organization in Macedonia collapsed. However, in 1932 the process for reuniting the party began and in the summer 1933 the Local commission of KPJ in Macedonia was started, in which Nikola Orovčanec, Živoin Ćurcić and Racin participated. In November of the same year LM starts to issue the monthly newspaper "Iskra" (Spark), whose editor is Racin. Only two edition of the newspaper were produced. In the beginning of January, 1934 there was a break and 15 leading Macedonian communists together with Racin are arrested. Racin was given 4 years in prison at Sremska Mitrovica
, but in December, 1935 after bringing the law for amnesty he was liberated. His time in the jail and the association with Moša Pijade
, Rodoljub Čolaković
and Ognjen Prica
he finds out how important it is to write in your mother tongue (for Racin the Macedonian
). Later he participates in the translating of the "Communist manifesto" in Macedonian.
The surname Racin comes from the name of his loved one Raca.
at that time. However the glory and authority that he cares at that time will break up in 1940 with a disorder between him and the leadership of KPJ in Macedonia. Because of the visit that Racin made to Aleksandar Cvetković (then leader of Vardar Banovina
) and one critique speech about the work of the KPJ commission from Macedonia, Racin was expelled from the party and to the members of it were encouraged to boycott him. The boycott lasted until 1942 when the relationships between Racin and the party in Macedonia was better.
After the capitulation of Yugoslavia, for a period he worked in Sofia
, where he lived with his fellow citizen and similar thinker Kole Nedelkovski
, but after his death Racin returns to Skopje
. In Skopje he is arrested by the Bulgarian police and interned in the village of Kornica, Nevrokop.
Racin's life finishes in tragic way. One night when he was getting back from the Partisan printing house on the mountain Lopušnik, Kičevo
, he was deadly shot from the guardian that kept the entrance of the printing house. There are two theories about his death. According to the first, it was an accident: Racin was born with dullness of hearing so he may didn't hear the guardian call for staying and identification. According to the second version Racin was killed. By the opinion of the contemporaries Strahil Gigov politically isolated Racin and he organized his murder.
(Beli mugri), which was published in Zagreb
in 1939. Racin's interests lay in the plight of field and farm workers and wage earners.
, except 6 that are in Bulgarian
. The same year in the Zagreb
review "Kritika" is published his first song "Hungry sons" . From May till October, 1930 in a Saraevo
review he publishes four songs. In 1932 in Skopje Racin together with the students of the philosophical university from Skopje Jovan Gjorgjević and Aleksandar Aksić publishes poem collection in Serbian
under the title "1932". In this collection is the song "Firework" (Ватромет) one of Racin's strongest songs. The next published song is "To one worker" which is his first song in Macedonian. It was published in the Zagreb review called "Književnik" in 1936. In 1938 was published the poem "The death of the Asturian miner" (Смрт астуриског рудара) in honor of Gančo Hadzipanzov - a miner from Veles who was killed in the Spanish Civil War
. His greatest success is made with the publishing of the poem collection "White Dawns" in 1939. The poem collection was printed in 4.000 copies and sold over all Yugoslavia and Pirin Macedonia with great success. The poem collection "Macedonian folklore-freedom songs"(Македонски народно-ослободителни песни) is published in 1943, but here Racin is an editor and not an author.
and wrote three works adept to it: "Dragovitian bogomils" (Драговитските богомили), "The bogomils" (Богомилите), "The country movement of the bogomils in the Medieval perion" (Селското движење на богомилите во Средниот век). From this three (during he was alive) published was just "The country movement..." in 1939 in the review "Folklore reader" (Народна читанка).The work "The bogomils" is written in Macedonian. Racin was the first Macedonian to study the Bogomil movement.
theory. As the result of it he wrote and publish some articles: "Hegel" (Хегел) published in the Zagreb "Literatura" review and "The meaning of Hegel's philosophy" published in the Belgrade
review "New culture" (Нова култура) in 1939.
level.
In 1952 Trajče Popov recorded the film poem "White Dawns" on upon of the lyrics from his poem collection and in 2007 on the day of his assassination is promoted the movie "Elegy for you" (Елегија за тебе). The authors of this video are Vasil Zafirčev and Dančo Stefkov.
Veles (city)
Veles is a city in the center of the Republic of Macedonia on the Vardar river. The city of Veles is the seat of Veles Municipality.-Name:The city's name was Vylosa in Ancient Greek and before the Balkan Wars, it was a township with the name Köprülü in the Üsküp sandjak, Ottoman empire for 600...
– 13 June 1943, Lopušnik) was a Macedonian
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
revolutionary and poet who is considered a founder of modern Macedonian literature
Ethnic Macedonian literature
Macedonian literature is a term that refers to the literary written works in Macedonian. The first written works in the dialects of the Macedonian recension, are from the period of the Ohrid Literary School and that medieval literature was religious. It was established by St. Clement of Ohrid in...
. His poem collection White Dawns
White Dawns
White Dawns is a collection of poems by the famous Macedonian writer Kočo Racin , published in 1939 in Samobor, near Zagreb, Croatia...
(Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, 1939) is one of the most important masterpieces in the Macedonian modern literature. Racin took time in prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
too and wrote some significant works with themes in history, philosophy, and critique of literature.
Early life
Kočo (Kosta Solev) Racin was born in the year of 1908 in Veles. He was born in a very poor family. His father Apostol was a potter who earned money just to give food to his family and he couldn't economically support Racin in his education. Racin finished just one year in the local gymnasium and at the age of thirteen, so he worked in his father's pottery workshop.Campaigner in the Communist movement
In 1924 he took part in KPJLeague of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia , before 1952 the Communist Party of Yugoslavia League of Communists of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Savez komunista Jugoslavije/Савез комуниста Југославије, Slovene: Zveza komunistov Jugoslavije, Macedonian: Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na...
and for a short time he flaunt's himself as one of the most hopeful young curls in the Communist party of Yugoslavia in Macedonia. In 1926, Racin became a member of the local commission of KPJ in Veles, and in November, 1928 he participated in the fourth congress of KPJ in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
as the only delegate from Macedonia. After returning to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
he was arrested, but three months later he is freed because of insuficient evidince. In April, 1929 he went in to the army service in Požarevac
Požarevac
Požarevac is a city and municipality in eastern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Braničevo District of Serbia...
.
In 1929, the party organization in Macedonia collapsed. However, in 1932 the process for reuniting the party began and in the summer 1933 the Local commission of KPJ in Macedonia was started, in which Nikola Orovčanec, Živoin Ćurcić and Racin participated. In November of the same year LM starts to issue the monthly newspaper "Iskra" (Spark), whose editor is Racin. Only two edition of the newspaper were produced. In the beginning of January, 1934 there was a break and 15 leading Macedonian communists together with Racin are arrested. Racin was given 4 years in prison at Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica is a city and municipality located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia, on the left bank of the Sava river. As of 2002 the town had a total population of 39,041, while Sremska Mitrovica municipality had a population of 85,605...
, but in December, 1935 after bringing the law for amnesty he was liberated. His time in the jail and the association with Moša Pijade
Moša Pijade
Moša Pijade , nicknamed Čiča Janko was a prominent Yugoslavian/Serbian Communist of Sephardic Jewish origin, a close collaborator of Josip Broz Tito, former President of Yugoslavia, and full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.In his youth, Pijade was a...
, Rodoljub Čolaković
Rodoljub Colakovic
Rodoljub Čolaković was a Bosnian Serb and Yugoslav politician.A native of Bijeljina, Rodoljub Čolaković joined Socialist Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina in March 1919 as a student. Later he joined Crvena pravda, left-wing terrorist organisation in assassination of Yugoslav interior minister Milorad...
and Ognjen Prica
Ognjen Prica
Ognjen Prica was a Yugoslav left-wing politician.A native of Ilidža , Prica became interested in politics while studying mathematics and physics at University of Zagreb. In 1921 he became the member of Communist Party of Yugoslavia and one of the founders of SKOJ - Communist Youth League of...
he finds out how important it is to write in your mother tongue (for Racin the Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
). Later he participates in the translating of the "Communist manifesto" in Macedonian.
The surname Racin comes from the name of his loved one Raca.
Ascent & fall: "White Dawns" and expelling from the party
After he came out of jail, Racin started intensively writing poems and songs. In 1939 he publishes his poem collection titled "White Dawns" (in ), but also Racin wrote and published some articles and works with themes from the history, philosophy and the literature critique. All of this makes him the most famous Macedonian thinker and philosopher in YugoslaviaYugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
at that time. However the glory and authority that he cares at that time will break up in 1940 with a disorder between him and the leadership of KPJ in Macedonia. Because of the visit that Racin made to Aleksandar Cvetković (then leader of Vardar Banovina
Vardar Banovina
The Vardar Banovina or Vardar Banate or Vardarska Banovina was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. It was located in the southernmost part of the country, encompassing the whole of today's Republic of Macedonia, southern parts of Central Serbia and southeastern parts of...
) and one critique speech about the work of the KPJ commission from Macedonia, Racin was expelled from the party and to the members of it were encouraged to boycott him. The boycott lasted until 1942 when the relationships between Racin and the party in Macedonia was better.
After the capitulation of Yugoslavia, for a period he worked in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, where he lived with his fellow citizen and similar thinker Kole Nedelkovski
Kole Nedelkovski
Kole Nedelkovski was a Bulgarian communist and Macedonian revolutionary and poet. He was born in Vojnica, near Veles, Ottoman Empire in 1912 and died in 1941 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Hunted from the Serbian police he emigrated to Bulgaria in 1933...
, but after his death Racin returns to Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
. In Skopje he is arrested by the Bulgarian police and interned in the village of Kornica, Nevrokop.
Joining NOB and death
In 1943 Racin succeed to get back in Skopje and in the spring he goes to the Partisans, in the detachment "Korab". He becomes an editor of the Partisan newspaper "Ilindenski pat" and prepares two collections with Macedonian folklore songs.Racin's life finishes in tragic way. One night when he was getting back from the Partisan printing house on the mountain Lopušnik, Kičevo
Kicevo
Kičevo is a city in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, located in a valley in the south-eastern slopes of Mount Bistra, between the cities of Ohrid and Gostivar. The capital Skopje is 112 km away. The city of Kičevo is the seat of Kičevo Municipality.-Population:The municipality...
, he was deadly shot from the guardian that kept the entrance of the printing house. There are two theories about his death. According to the first, it was an accident: Racin was born with dullness of hearing so he may didn't hear the guardian call for staying and identification. According to the second version Racin was killed. By the opinion of the contemporaries Strahil Gigov politically isolated Racin and he organized his murder.
Works
Starting in 1928 Kočo Racin wrote songs, stories, literary-historical articles, pieces for several magazines, literary critiques, and essays. In his essay The development of our new literature, he argued that the most correct and plausible way to develop modern literature in Macedonia is to build it from the inexhaustible riches of Macedonian folklore, combined with progressive social views. His most notable work was the small collection White DawnsWhite Dawns
White Dawns is a collection of poems by the famous Macedonian writer Kočo Racin , published in 1939 in Samobor, near Zagreb, Croatia...
(Beli mugri), which was published in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1939. Racin's interests lay in the plight of field and farm workers and wage earners.
Poetry
Racin starts with writing in 1928. From February till July he hallows love verses to his loved one Rahilka Firfova on 31 cards and in a poem collection titled "Anthology of the pain" . The 31 cards today are kept in the archive of Macedonia. The songs mainly are written in Serbo-CroatianSerbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
, except 6 that are in Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
. The same year in the Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
review "Kritika" is published his first song "Hungry sons" . From May till October, 1930 in a Saraevo
Saraevo
Saraevo , is a village in Northwestern Bulgaria, part of Miziya municipality, Vratsa Province. Located on Skat River where flows into the Danube....
review he publishes four songs. In 1932 in Skopje Racin together with the students of the philosophical university from Skopje Jovan Gjorgjević and Aleksandar Aksić publishes poem collection in Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
under the title "1932". In this collection is the song "Firework" (Ватромет) one of Racin's strongest songs. The next published song is "To one worker" which is his first song in Macedonian. It was published in the Zagreb review called "Književnik" in 1936. In 1938 was published the poem "The death of the Asturian miner" (Смрт астуриског рудара) in honor of Gančo Hadzipanzov - a miner from Veles who was killed in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. His greatest success is made with the publishing of the poem collection "White Dawns" in 1939. The poem collection was printed in 4.000 copies and sold over all Yugoslavia and Pirin Macedonia with great success. The poem collection "Macedonian folklore-freedom songs"(Македонски народно-ослободителни песни) is published in 1943, but here Racin is an editor and not an author.
Prose
Racin's first text is his prose confession "Result" (Резултат), published in 1928 in the Zagreb review "Kritika". In 1932 he participates in the open competition "Literatura" from Zagreb and is awarded for his story "In the quarry" (У каменолому) which later is published in "Kritika". In 1933 the same review publishes fragments from his novel "Opium" (in Macedonian translated as "Poppy" (Афион)). With the writing of this roman Racin started around 1931, but the manuscript was lost during the brake and his arresting. Other Racin's novels are: "The tobacco pickers" (Тутуноберачите) (1937), "Noon" (Пладне) (1937), "One Life" (Еден живот) (1937), "Golden craft" (Златен занает) (1939), and the novels "Father" (Татко) (1939) and "The happiness is big", who were posthumously published.History
From the history themes Racin was interested in the BogomilismBogomilism
Bogomilism was a Gnostic religiopolitical sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Petar I in the 10th century...
and wrote three works adept to it: "Dragovitian bogomils" (Драговитските богомили), "The bogomils" (Богомилите), "The country movement of the bogomils in the Medieval perion" (Селското движење на богомилите во Средниот век). From this three (during he was alive) published was just "The country movement..." in 1939 in the review "Folklore reader" (Народна читанка).The work "The bogomils" is written in Macedonian. Racin was the first Macedonian to study the Bogomil movement.
Philosophy
Racin was especially interested in Hegel'sGeorg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher, one of the creators of German Idealism. His historicist and idealist account of reality as a whole revolutionized European philosophy and was an important precursor to Continental philosophy and Marxism.Hegel developed a comprehensive...
theory. As the result of it he wrote and publish some articles: "Hegel" (Хегел) published in the Zagreb "Literatura" review and "The meaning of Hegel's philosophy" published in the Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
review "New culture" (Нова култура) in 1939.
Literature critique
From the sphere of the literature critique Racin wrote the following works and articles: "The development and the meaning of our new literature" (Развитокот и значењето на една нова наша книжевност) (1940), "Angjelko Krstić in front of the court of Ž. Plamenac" (Анѓелко Крстиќ пред судот на Ж. Пламенац) (1939) and "The Realism of A. Krstić (Реализмот на А. Крстиќ) (posthumously) "The stupids about the smile of Mona Lisa" (Блазираните глупости за насмевката на Мона Лиза) (1939) and "The art and the work class" (posthumously).In honor of Racin
Starting from 1964, an annual Balkan literary festival is held in Racin's honor in his hometown, Veles. From 1992 the manifestation is on BalkanBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
level.
In 1952 Trajče Popov recorded the film poem "White Dawns" on upon of the lyrics from his poem collection and in 2007 on the day of his assassination is promoted the movie "Elegy for you" (Елегија за тебе). The authors of this video are Vasil Zafirčev and Dančo Stefkov.