Till 'gainst the Turks arrayed we stand!
Under the Yoke, original title: Под игото (Pod igoto) is a 1888 novel by Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov. Considered a cornerstone in Bulgarian literature, it is the first full-length Bulgarian novel and one of Vasov's most revered works. It is set during the end of the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, dealing with the life and rebellion of the villagers in the fictional town of Byala Cherkva.
A recent fugitive from his imprisonment in Diyarbakir in Asia Minor, Ivan "Kralicha" finds haven at a friend of his father's, the wealthy chorbadji Marko, in Byala Cherkva. He assumes the identity of the new teacher, Boycho Ognyanov, and with friends old and new starts working to found a revolutionary committee in the town and instigate rebellion.
If you want to learn more, you can read the book for yourself (unlike most of the graduating students).
This book provides examples of:
- Bears Are Bad News: Dr. Sokolov owns a bear, Cleopatra. He once used her to scare off an Abhorrent Admirer of Rada. The bear was tied to a post, but still.
- Fake Nationality: In-Universe. Another rebel, Dobri Muratliyski, assumes the cover of "Jaroslav Brzobegunek", a Czech photographer, to stay in the town.
- Foregone Conclusion: The book is set during the 1876 April Uprising. As is known to most readers of this book, it was notorious for its bloody aftermath in which the rebels were routed and a great deal of the population massacred.
- Henpecked Husband: Genko, the husband of a woman named Ginka, is pushed around by her so much that people have named him "Genko Ginkin" ("Ginka's Genko") instead of naming her "Ginka Genkova" ("Genko's Ginka").
- Les Collaborateurs: Kiriak Stefchov, a wealthy man, is openly pro-Ottoman and seeks to subvert the rebels however he can.
- Meaningful Name: Ivan Kralicha assumes the alias of "Boycho Ognyanov", whereas his first and last names are derived from the words for "brave" and "fiery", respectively.
- Noble Male, Roguish Male: Boycho Ognyanov becomes fast friends with the local rebel, Dr. Sokolov, who is much more impulsive and hot-headed, whereas Boycho appears prim and proper as a teacher and also has less strife in his romantic relationship.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Tosun Bei, the commander of the horde which quashes the uprising, chooses not to display Rada's head on a spike like he did her lover's "for political reasons".
- Rich Kid Turned Social Activist: Local tycoon Yurdan Diamandiev's daughter Ginka is a very outspoken supporter of the rebellion despite her father's backwards ways, good relations with the Ottoman authorities and utter disdain for the rebels. She is allowed to mouth off in support of the rebellion and only gets a scowl, while anyone else doing the same would be thrown in the dungeons.
- Tactful Translation: At one point, the townsfolk perform a stage play of Geneviève de Brabant and invite the Turkish bey (regional governor). At the end, they suddenly start singing a revolutionary song calling the people to rise against the Ottomans. The bey, not knowing Bulgarian, is genuinely curious what the song is about (he loved the play), so an interpreter invents the following story on the fly: Siegfried tells Genevieve he now loves her a hundred times more than before, she answers that she loves him a thousandfold; he vows to build a church at the mouth of the cave where he found her, she promises to build a hundred water fountains. The bey asks, why so many water fountains, better build some bridges. It's Germany, the interpreter explains, they don't have much water there, that's why they drink so much beer. The bey remained blissfully unaware of the rebellious song and when Stefchov reported it, he simply said he was there and heard no such thing, while Stefchov was at this time outside, having been kicked out earlier.
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: Byala Cherkva (White Church) is a fictional town, a stand-in for the author's hometown of Sopot. The names of real nearby locations are given in abbreviated form.
