Rayko Zhinzifov

Rayko Ivanov (Yoanov) Zhinzifov or Rajko Ivanov (Jovanov) Žinzifov, (, ; 15 February 1839 – 15 February 1877), born Ksenofont Dzindzifi , was a Bulgarian National Revival poet and translator from Veles in today's North Macedonia, who spent most of his life in the Russian Empire.

Biography Zhinzifov was born on 15 February 1839 into an Aromanian family in Veles in the Ottoman Empire, today in North Macedonia. His father Yoan Dzindzifi was a Hellenophile, who named him Xenophon (Ksenofont) and taught him Greek, although he also gained Slavic literacy. He sent him to study at a Greek secondary school. In 1855, he moved to Prilep and met Dimitar Miladinov. He became an assistant teacher in Prilep at Dimitar Miladinov's school in 1856. Miladinov sent him to teach in Kukush (modern Kilkis, Greece) in the next year.

Zhinzifov went to the Russian Empire with the aid of Miladinov, in July 1858, in pursuit of higher education. He arrived in Odessa (modern Ukraine), where he became close with Georgi Rakovski.

Zhinzifov lived among the young Bulgarian diaspora in Moscow, along with Lyuben Karavelov, Nesho Bonchev, Konstantin Miladinov, Vasil Popovich, etc., and issued the Brotherly Labour magazine. In the Russian press of the time, Zhinzifov was particularly active in the information of the Russian society about the tough fate of the Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule. He co-operated with the Bulgarian newspapers Danubian Dawn, Macedonia, Liberty, Bulgarian Bee, Age and Time, the magazines Chitalishte, Periodical Magazine, Bulgarian Booklets, etc. He also contributed to the Russian periodicals Moscow, Moscow News, Den (Day), etc.

Works, translations and views

Some of his notable poems include: Град (City) The themes of his poetry were mostly patriotic and it was strongly influenced by the work of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. He had two works which he did not get to complete, such as "Road builder in Macedonia, or otherwise a geographical and statistical description of Macedonia" and a Russian-Bulgarian dictionary. His Bulgarian works contributed to the Bulgarian national revival. He expressed love for music, theater and painting. In all of his works Zhinzifov regarded himself as a Bulgarian, his language - Bulgarian, his fellow compatriots - Macedonian Bulgarians, and his homeland as Bulgaria. Zhinzifov denied the existence of Macedonians and Thracians as separate nations. He defined the boundaries of his homeland as consisting of Macedonia (which he often called "Lower Bulgaria"), Thrace and Upper Bulgaria (or "Balkan Bulgaria"). Schools in North Macedonia are named in honor of him. Writers such as Ivan Vazov and Petko Slaveykov denied the value of his work, while others like Anton Strashimirov and Stefan Mladenov defended him. His poetry has been republished.