Dimitur Talev is one of the most significant Bulgarian novelists in the years after World War II, a writer who provided a profound and many-sided portrait of the Macedonian people by evoking their complex and tragic history, their way of life, and their moral and spiritual values. The country of Macedonia was Talev's greatest and most constant love; its people and its land were lifelong inspirations both to the man and the artist.

Dimitur Talev Petrov was born on 1 September 1898 in the town of Prilep, Macedonia. His father, Tale Petrov Palislamov ("Palikupa" or "Palislama" was a derogatory name for the peasants who moved to town), came from the countryside and was a skillful blacksmith. He died in 1908, before Dimitur was ten. Talev's mother, Donka, came from Prilep. The writer later considered that his mother's personality was representative of the town, while his father personified the village. Talev admired...