Abstract
It is assumed that T. G.
Masaryk's political and intellectual relationship to Slovaks, Russians, Poles, Serbs, Croatians has been tackled by historiography. However, his relations to Bulgaria have been hardly touched at all or only through the prism of Bulgarian-Czechoslovak official relationship.
The article addresses the question of the Bulgarian image of T. G.
Masaryk during celebrations of his 80th anniversary. I first touch upon his Bulgarian image during 1920s from the perspective of Bulgarian-Czechoslovak relationship and "cultural diplomacy".
I analyze the views of Bulgarian statesmen, politicians and intellectuals, who believed that the first Czechoslovak president would help Bulgaria overcome the tragic aftermath of the WWI. These expectations, albeit exaggerated, were based on his high reputation among the new Slav states.
Further, I explore the celebrations on the occasion of 80th anniversary of T. G.
Masaryk in Bulgaria. I display this event both as a "public ritual" and an intellectual discourse.
The celebrations were initiated by leading figures in Bulgarian and Czechoslovak political and intellectual life. T.
G. Masaryk was depicted as a prominent scholar, a great statesman, the "father of Czechoslovakia", European thinker, defender of Bulgarian national aspirations, a "messiah", sent by Providence to assume the role of champion of small Slav nations.
Also, the Czechoslovak state was presented as a model to follow regarding its stable parliamentary system and the tolerant policy to its national minorities. Last but not least, these celebrations demonstrated that Bulgarians still belived in the power of T.
G. Masaryk's charizma that would contribute to solving their problems.