Gjorgji Pulevski (1817-1893) was a Macedonian writer, lexicographer, grammarian, poet, folklorist, ethnographer, historian and military leader. He wrote The Three Language Dictionary, A Macedonian Poetry Book, Slavic Macedonian General History and the first Macedonian grammar.
Pulevski was born in Galichnik in 1817 and worked as a stone mason both in Macedonia and abroad. while traveling he took part in several liberation wars. He believed that by helping other Balkan nations liberate their countries from the Turkish Empire, he was also helping his own homeland.
In 1862 he participated in the Bulgarian legion against the Turkish garrison in Belgrade and later fought as a volunteer in the Serbo-Turkish war of 1876. The following year he led a band of volunteers in the Russo-Turkish War, even participating in the decisive action at Shipka Pass. In 1878, Pulevski actively fought as a leader of the Kresna Uprising to help Macedonia gain its liberty against the Turks.
Pulevski is famous, however, for his academic works related to the Macedonian language. These academic pursuits grew out of personal interest and private study, rather than professional assignment, and are indicative of a growing national consciousness among the Macedonian people in the second half of the 19th century.
His first published book was The Four Language Dictionary (MK: Речник од четири јазика), printed in Belgrade in 1873. Though it did not deal directly with the Macedonian language, it set the stage for his next work, The Three Language Dictionary (MK: Речник од три јазика) published in Belgrade in 1875, which was a parallel phrase book in Albanian, Turkish and Macedonian. This work is especially important due to its argument in favor of a separate Macedonian nation and language distinct from the other Slavic peoples.
then in 1879 he published the first collection of poems in Macedonian, called A Macedonian Poetry Book (MK: Makedonska pesnarka), just after having out out the first separately published long revolutionary poem, A Macedonian Fairy (MK: Samovila Makedonska), in 1878.
In 1880, Pulevski published the first printed grammar of the Macedonian language, called Grammar of the Language of the Macedonian Slavic Population (MK: Slavjano-naseljenski makedonska slognica rečovska). In this book he laid down the basic norms of the Macedonian language, combining the Central Macedonian dialects with the Slavic Macedonian literary tradition and incorporating words from other Slavic languages, but making them sound Macedonian.
His last major work was the first Macedonian history, General History of the Macedonian Slavs (MK: Slavjanomakedonska opšta istorija), completed in 1892.
Pulevski is also remembered as the president of the first Slavic-Macedonian literary association.
Due to his indefatigable work in defense of Macedonia, its people, language, and history, he earned a well-deserved place in the newly opened Museum of the Macedonian Struggle in Skopje. A statue of Pulevski, built under the banner of the Skopje 2014 project, stands outside the museum close to the Stone Bridge.
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