Zlatarov, Asen

The early years

Born February 4, 1885 in Haskovo in the family of Theophany and Hristo Zlatarov. The second child in the family, at baptism, received the name Ivan Asen. In 1903, the family moved to Sofia, where in the same year Asen graduated from a real gymnasium and entered the University of Sofia at the Faculty of Chemistry. In 1904 he went to study at the University of Geneva , graduated in 1907. In 1908, he defended his doctoral work at the University of Grenoble ( French ) and received a doctorate in physics and chemistry. In May of that year he returned to Bulgaria, since September he taught chemistry at one of the schools in Plovdiv.

Chemist's activity

In 1909-1910, Zlatarov studied food and forensic chemistry with Professor T. Paule in Munich. In 1910 he returned to Bulgaria and got a job as an assistant in organic chemistry at the Physics and Mathematics Department of Sofia University. He also worked as an editor of the publications “Chemistry and Industry”, “Nature and Science”, as well as in the libraries “Natural Philosophically Chest” and “Science and Belly”. In 1912-1915 he was mobilized into the Bulgarian army , participated in the First and Second Balkan Wars .

In 1920, he became an honorary assistant professor of physiological chemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and an honorary assistant professor of biochemistry at the Physics and Mathematics Department of Sofia University. In 1924 he was appointed special, and in 1935 - the main professor at Sofia University. In 1928 he was elected chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Chemists , participated in the 11th International Chemical Congress in Madrid in 1934. In 1935, he traveled to Belgrade with local students with whom he had a number of conversations. He was elected professor and head of the department of organic chemistry at Sofia University in the same year. The activities of Zlatarov allowed laying the foundations for the development of biochemistry in Bulgaria.

Beyond Science

From 1925 to 1937, Asen Zlatarov was a member of the Sagittarius literary circle. He wrote literary articles, poems, prose, and even one novel. He actively collaborated with the press in the 1930s, and was also an active member of the Bulgarian National Maritime Agreement - An organization engaged in the popularization of maritime affairs in Bulgaria ^[1] .

Zlatarov was also a member of the Committee for the Protection of Jews, which included Ekaterina Karavelova (widow of statesman Petko Karavelov ), professor Petko Steinov , writer Anton Strashimirov and many others. The newspapers Mir and Slovo condemned the committee’s activities, accusing it of interfering in Germany’s internal affairs. On July 3, 1933, at a committee meeting, lectures were delivered by Karavelova and Strashimirov ^[2] .

Death

In 1936, Asen Zlatarov underwent two operations in a row in one of Vienna's hospitals, but his heart could not stand their consequences, and he died on December 22, 1936.

• “Ideals for the young generation”
• “In the country of the light” (1936) ^[3]
• “Dictatorship or Democracy” ^[3]

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  Group photo with colleagues, 1913

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  Photo portrait

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  Zlatarov poses to the Paris sculptor, June 1926

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  Bas-relief depicting Asen Zlatarov in Haskovo

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  Monument to Asen Zlatarov at the Botevgrad gymnasium

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  Tomb of Asen Zlatarov at the Sofia Central Cemetery

• Information for Asen Zlatarov from haskovo-online (bulg.)
• Information for Asen Zlatarov, Botevgrad, and the Nature and Mathematics Gymnasium is not ready for me (inaccessible link) (Bulgarian)
• Scientometric analysis of the public Dr. Asen Zlatarov, Marusya Petkova, plumb org (bulg.)
• National catalog on academic libraries in the NABIS country (Bulgarian)