Dimcho Velev Debelyanov, originally Dincho Debelyanov, is a celebrated Bulgarian poet renowned for his lyrical and satirical works published across various periodicals. He was born on March 28, 1887, in Koprivshtitsa, the youngest of six children in the family of Velyo Debelyanov and Tsana Ilieva Staychina.
In October 1912, during the Balkan War, Debelyanov was mobilized into the 22nd Thracian Infantry Regiment in Samokov. Initially serving as a private, he was later transferred to the School for Reserve Officers in Kniazhevo in September 1913. Rising through the ranks, he became a second lieutenant. With the outbreak of World War I, although not under mobilization, he volunteered and insisted on being deployed to the front lines. Around January 29, 1916, he voluntarily joined the Macedonian front, where he served for approximately eight months.
Tragically, in a battle against the British on the night of September 30, 1916, while leading a company, Second Lieutenant Debelyanov lost his life on October 2, 1916, around 10 am near Gorno Karadjovo (now Monoklisia). He was just 29 years and 6 months old at the time of his death. His burial took place the following day at the Bulgarian church in Demirhisar (or Valovishta, now Sidirokastro). In 1931, upon the initiative of the “Living Word” literary circle, his remains were reinterred in his hometown of Koprivshtitsa. Debelyanov’s sacrifice and literary contributions remain an integral part of Bulgaria’s cultural and literary heritage.
