The 90th birthday of Acad. Vasil Gyuzelev was marked today with the opening of the biographical exhibition “I Became a Historian by Vocation” and a discussion between the Academician and students and lecturers from the academic community of Alma mater.
Acad. Vasil Gyuzelev expressed his gratitude for the respect shown towards the discipline of history and, more specifically, towards Bulgarian medieval studies. “This wonderful exhibition largely presents my life; it shows who I am – as a scholar and as a person who has visited almost all the medieval archives in Europe to study our history,” said Acad. Gyuzelev during the exhibition’s opening. “Every person’s life is a matter of destiny,” he remarked with emotion, emphasising how important a stroke of good fortune was in making one’s dreams come true. He also spoke of the strength of spirit that drove one to work and, at the same time, of the human aspiration to fulfil oneself and to love one’s Bulgarian people.
“The leadership of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences congratulates you on your 90th anniversary and expresses its admiration for your wide-ranging work which is also linked to the BAS,” said Prof. Emmanuel Moutafov, Vice-President of BAS. Academician Gyuzelev’s long career is also linked to the Institute for Historical Studies and the Institute of Balkan Studies at BAS where he continues to be fondly remembered and remains a valued adviser, noted Prof. Moutafov in his congratulatory address, adding: “Acad. Gyuzelev is a leading figure in Bulgarian science. It was he who elevated Bulgarian medieval studies to the status of a world-class discipline, not only because he is a highly accomplished scholar but also because he is a patriot.” He is kind and a lover of humanity, as sung in Orthodox hymns, added Prof. Moutafov, emphasising that he could always be relied upon for both advice and guidance. This is what makes Vasil Gyuzelev so great; he is a worthy father of the Bulgarian nation, stated the Vice-President of BAS in his address.
Acad. Vasil Gyuzelev received congratulatory messages on the occasion of the celebration from the President, ministers, university rectors, cultural institutions, institutes of BAS, representatives of the academic community and others.
The biographical exhibition “I Became a Historian by Vocation”, dedicated to the 90th birthday of Academician Vasil Gyuzelev, opened today and can be viewed at the Faculty of History of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The exhibition has been organised by the Faculty of History of SU and the State Archives Agency. Photographs, documents and texts across 18 display panels tell the story of this great scholar.
Acad. Vasil Gyuzelev is a world-renowned and highly respected scholar who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of historical science and source criticism. He has devoted his entire academic career to Sofia University and its Faculty of History. For many years, Acad. Gyuzelev was head of the “History of Bulgaria” and “General Medieval History” departments at the Faculty of History of Sofia University; he was also head of the Medieval History Section at the Institute of History of BAS as well as at the Institute of Balkan Studies. He was a visiting lecturer and research fellow at major academic centres around the world. He is the author of over 70 books, more than 300 studies and articles, and over 200 popular science works and interviews published by leading publishers in Bulgaria and abroad. Acad. Gyuzelev has been awarded some of the most prestigious national and international prizes in the field of the humanities.
