Aleksandar Vutimski

• Name — Aleksandar Vutimski • Native Name — Александър Вутимски • Birth Name — Aleksandar Kotsev Vutov • Birthplace — Svoge, Bulgaria • Born — 30 July 1919 • Died — 23 September 1943 • Place of death — Surdulica, German-Occupied Serbia • Occupation — Poet, essayist, prose writer • Language — Bulgarian • Genres — Poetry, essays, prose • Pen Name — Aleksandar Vutimski, Al. Vutov, Al. Kotsev, Al. Vulkanov

Vutimski was born in Svoge and lived there until the age of ten. After losing his mother, father, and two brothers to tuberculosis within the span of a single year, he moved to Sofia. He initially lived with his sister, who also died of tuberculosis in 1937, and later with his only surviving brother, Kiril. According to literary researcher Kaloyan Pramatarov, Vutimski wandered Sofia's streets at night, frequented pubs and parties with friends, and lived a largely bohemian existence shaped by illness, alienation, and urban life. Pramatarov also described Vutimski as being "boldly and openly gay during World War II," despite Bulgaria's alliance with Nazi Germany. In 1937, he graduated from the First Sofia Boys' High School. In 1938, he enrolled in the study of classical philology at Sofia University, but contracted tuberculosis and was forced to discontinue his studies after one year. Between 1939 and 1943, he contributed to the literary magazine Zlatorog. He underwent treatment in various sanatoriums throughout Bulgaria without success and, beginning in the spring of 1941, stayed at the sanatorium in Surdulica. He died on 23 September 1943.

Vutimski's first published poem was Pak Samichko ("Again Alone"), published in 1935 in the newspaper Vesela Druzhina. His first major poetic debut came with the poem Ulitsata ("The Street"). He participated alongside Alexander Gerov and others in the literary collections Prag (1938) and Zhazhda (1939). He also published in various magazines and newspapers under the pseudonyms: • Al. Vutov • Al. Kotsev • Al. Vulkanov Beginning in May 1939, he became a regular contributor to Zlatorog, edited by Vladimir Vassilev, where many of his most mature poems were published under the name Aleksandar Vutimski. Vutimski is considered one of the earliest Bulgarian poets to openly incorporate homosexual themes and aesthetics into his literary work.