Under the Yoke is a novel by Ivan Vazov

Ivan Vazov

Ivan Minchov Vazov was a Bulgarian poet, novelist and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria ....

, written in 1888. It depicts the Ottoman oppression of Bulgaria

National awakening of Bulgaria

Bulgarian nationalism emerged in the early 19th century under the influence of western ideas such as liberalism and nationalism, which trickled into the country after the French revolution, mostly via Greece, although there were stirrings in the 18th century. Russia, as fellow Orthodox Slavs, could...

 and is the most famous piece of classic Bulgarian literature

Bulgarian literature

Bulgarian literature is literature written by Bulgarians or residents of Bulgaria, or written in the Bulgarian language; usually the latter is the defining feature...

. Under the Yoke has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Plot

The tranquility in a Bulgarian village under the Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 yoke is ostensible because the people are quietly preparing for an uprising. The educated part of the population desperately wants change. Their enthusiasm is enormous, but they soon find that the rebellion is beyond their powers. The Turks break down the resistance and the April Uprising

April Uprising

The April Uprising was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria as an autonomous nation in 1878...

 is crushed in the village, as well as the rest of the country. The sanguinary uprising is the reason for the Russian-Turkish war, in which Russia liberates Bulgaria with the help of local volunteers.

External links

• Text of Under the Yoke at the Internet Archive