Dionis Tanasoglu was a remarkable writer, pedagogue, and promoter of the Gagauz culture. He was born on 7 July 1922, in the village Chiriet-Lunga. After having graduated school, Tanasoglu continued his education in the Pedagogical College at Cetatea Alba, studying music and philology. In 1957, after the official recognition of the Gagauz nation in the Moldovan SSR and the adoption of the Gagauz alphabet, Dionis Tanasoglu was involved in the organization of schools with educational process in the Gagauz language and in the development of cultural programs. He was a key promoter of the Gagauz culture and language, he wrote drama, He taught at the Institute of Arts of Moldova and became Rector of the State University in Comrat. Dionis Tanasoglu was granted the title of “Poet of Gagauz people.”
Nikolai Baboglu was a writer, poet, folklorist, pedagogue, author of schoolbooks in Gagauz and translator, born on 2 May 1928 in a family of peasants in the South of Moldova in a picturesque Gagauz village, Tatar-Copceac, which is known today as Copceac. After having graduated school, he went to the Theology Seminar. In 1940, when the Soviet troops entered into Bessarabia, his religious career came to an end. Nikolai Baboglu finally became a teacher in a village school.
In the 1950’s, Baboglu started being actively involved in literature: he translated into Gagauz the works of Mihai Eminescu, Ion Creanga, Alexander Pushkin and others. Nikolai Baboglu, together with de Dionis Tanasoglu, are the most symbolic prose writers in Gagauz literature.
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Maria Marunevici was a complex personality that managed to combine a scientific career with involvement in politics. Maria Marunevici was born on 25 October 1937, in Comrat. Maria Marunevici did her PhD on “Traditional Gagauz houses”, and in 1970 she got her PhD in History and became a correspondent member of the Academy of Science of Moldova. Her research activity focused on Gagauz history and culture. Maria Marunevici published more than 30 scientific works and she was also a key figure in the organization of the social movement “Women of Gagauzia”. In 2001, Maria Marunevici contributed to the establishment of the Center for scientific research “Maria Marunevici”, named in her honor. This center publishes scientific works, organizes roundtables and scientific conferences, and implements a series of multimedia projects for the study of the Gagauz language, history and culture.
This material was developed in the framework of the project “Supporting institutionalized and sustainable dialogue on Gagauzia Autonomy”, implemented by CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation and financed by Sweden. The opinions expressed in this material pertain to the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of CMI or of Sweden.