“Thank you, God, for instilling in me the insolence to start writing, for presenting me with such a wide spectrum of imaginary people. I was happy with them, as if I met them out of the blue, I probed into their personalities, felt angry if they made a faux pas. A life, real to the end. As for me, although uninvited, I happened to be among them and there was no way they could get rid of me.” Vera Mutafchieva, “NonFables”

Academician Vera Mutafchieva, DSci in History, researcher, author and publicist was born on March 28, 1929 in Sofia in the family of the historian Prof. Petar Mutafchiev. In 1951 she got a History degree at Sofia University "St. Kiliment Ohridski". In the period 1950-1955 she was assistant at the Oriental Department of the National Library "St. Cyril and St. Methodius"; from 1955 until 1958 she was a PhD student of Ottoman history at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In 1958 she defended her PhD thesis on the topic "Feudal Rent in the Ottoman Empire in the ХV-ХVІ Centuries." From 1959 to 1963 she was a junior researcher at the History Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; later she became one of the founders of the Institute for Balkan Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, where she held the position of senior researcher (1964-1980). In 1978 she received a DSci (a degree beyond the PhD degree) in History for her thesis “Kirdcali Time” and in 1980 she became Senior Research Fellow Ist rank. She was conferred the Doctor Honoris Causa degree by Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in 1999 and by New Bulgarian University in 2000. On July 5, 2004 she was elected Academician at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. From 1979 until 1981 she was Head of the Centre for Ancient Languages and Cultures; Director of the Bulgarian Research Institute in Austria (1980-1982). She acted as Secretary of the Belles-Lettres section at the Union of Bulgarian Writers (1982-1985) and Vice President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1993-1996). In 1999 she was elected Honorary Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She stood at the head of the Agency of Bulgarians Abroad (1997-1998) and since 2005 became a member of the Management Council of the “13 Centuries of Bulgaria” National Endowment Fund. Her research career began in 1952 with articles and monographs on the history of Bulgaria in the Ottoman period. She is the author of numerous articles in the fields of Ottoman and Balkan studies, of books and a multitude of popular articles. She is an author of more than 35 novels, most of them have undergone multiple editions and have been translated into 11 languages. After 10 times reprinted in Bulgaria “The Cem Case” was translated into 11 languages and appeared in 29 foreign publications. Her historical novels, short stories, memoirs and literary and journalistic essays will enjoy a long life in the national memory. In this number “Chronicle of the Troubled Time”, “The Cem Case”, “Clio is a Muse Too”, “The Last Shishmanides”, “The Knight”, “The Process – 1873”, “Book of Sophronius”, “Two-Handed Belote”, “Alcybiades the Great”, “Alcibiades the Little”, “Rakovski’s Youth”, “Foretold by Pagane”, “The Bright World”, “Me, Anna Komnene”, “The Bombs”, “Unraveling the Father”, “Family Saga”, “NonFables”.  She is the screenwriter of the first Bulgarian superproduction “Khan Asparukh”. For her creative work and research Academician Vera Mutafchieva received a number of awards among which are: Award of the Union of Bulgarian Writers for Prose (1978), International Award “Gottfried von Herder” – for lifetime achievement (1980), Dimitrov Award – for the team which created the film “Khan Asparuh” (1982), “Golden Rose” at the Varna Cinema Festival – for the screenplay of “Khan Asparuh” (1982), Sofia Award (1986), “St Cyril and St Methodius” Order (1989), Award by the Union of Bulgarian Writers for Novels (1991), “Panitza” Award of the “Free and Democratic Bulgaria” Foundation – for journalism  (1995), Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski Grand Prix for Literature” (1998), “Stara Planina” Order (1999), Honorary symbol “Marin Drinov” of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Grand Prix of the Fourth Art Salon  – for contribution to Bulgarian letters and national culture (1999), Award of the Bulgarian-German Forum for contribution to the establishment of civil society in Bulgaria and the furthering of Bulgarian-German relations (2000), first winner of the state award  “Paisii Hilendarski” (2000), Award of the Rotary Club – Sofia (2002), National Award “Ivan Nikolov” (2003), National Award “Hristo G. Danov” (2005), National Literary Award “Ivan Vazov” (2005). She died on June 9, 2009 in Sofia.