Новата страница од интересниот животен пат на Атанас Близнаков започнала на 16 декември 1920 година, кога пристигнал во САД, во градот Медисон, во државата Илиноис, каде што веќе имало македонска колонија. Таму првпат се вработил како фабрички работник без знаење на англискиот јазик. По една и пол година се населил во Гери, Индијана, град што е сместен на езерото Мичиген, а кој во тоа време се развивал во индустриски центар. Таму, во Железарницата во Гери, еден од големите гиганти на тие простори, работел цели 34 години, сè до денот кога бил пензионира.

          За сето време во САД, деловноста на Близнаков се состоела од купување на недвижнини и акции. Потоа, за вложување на стекнатото било потребно следење на целокупната економска состојба, како и знаење и умеење, особини коишто тој ги поседувал.

          Времето во туѓина му поминувало многу брзо и по петнаесет години печалбарски живот, се вратил во родниот крај, каде што се сретнал со својот животен сопатник, Славка, млада и убава девојка од Д’мбени. Го одбрал својот животен вистински другар, кој во период од шеесет и три години била постојано со него, го храбрела, живеела со неговите идеи и заеднички копнееле за Македонија. Потоа повторно заминал за Гери и засекогаш го оставил своето родно Д’мбени. Ги оставил сите убави и горчливи денови поминати во родниот крај, кога во Д’мбени, живееле над илјада Македонци, и со тага зборуваше за денешното Д’мбени во кое пустелијата и утките го заменија детскиот џагор и селската врева.

          Иако најголемиот дел од своето постоење го минал во емиграција, Близнаков до крајот на својот живот остана со проблемите на Татковината. Тој не се покажа како обичен печалбар, туку како личност што насстојуваше да навлезе во суштината на македонската слобода, убава и правдољубива идеја, гледајќи ги работите со многу сериозен пристап, со што се издигна над времето во кое живееше. Во целиот свој животен пат делбата на Македонија ја сфаќаше како трагедија и погуба за македонското дело. Затоа со формирањето на Фондацијата ,,Атанас Близнакоф”, тој беше убеден дека ќе даде драгоцен придонес за Универзитетот ,,Св. Кирил и Методиј”, за македонскиот народ и за Македонија, а во исто време тоа ќе претставува поттик и инспирација за идните генерации во иселеништвото и пошироко.

          Во монографијата за Атанас Близнаков се прави обид да се фрли светлина врз неговиот животен пат, со посебна нагласка на неговата донаторска дејност. Трудот е компониран во пет дела, во кои секој има по повеќе глави, претставувајќи хронолошка и тематска заокружена целина, иако во основа тие меѓусебно се надоврзуваат и се дополнуваат.

          Првиот дел во кој е даден животниот пат на донаторот содржи пет паслови. На почетокот е даден кус пресек на неговата родна земја Егејска Македонија, земјата на премрежја, убавини и мистерии која во минатото била раскрсница на цивилизации, култури, религии, јазици и народи. Тука во Костурско е сместено родното место на Близнаков, селото Д’мбени, кое влегува во состав на реонот Корештата, во кој во минатото имало 34 македонски села расположени по источната и западната страна на реката Бистрица. Потоа, биографскиот преглед го опфаќа потеклото, детството, ученичките години и заминувањето за САД.

          Во вториот дел насловен ,,На печалба во САД” е обработен период од неговото доаѓање во САД до враќањето во Д’мбени, женидбата со својот животен сопатник Славка Близнакова, нивниот заеднички живот, како и дејноста и активностите на Близнаков во МАНС, друштвата ,,Александар Македонски”, ,,Лазар Поп Трајков”, Македонската православна црква ,,Св. Петар и Св. Павле” во Гери и др. Овој дел од трудот, всушност, претставува увод во неговата идна донаторска дејност.

          Третиот дел е посветен на формирањето на Фондацијата ,,Атанас Близнакоф”, како и на нејзиното управување и водење. Имено, овој дел го вклучува најплодниот дел од неговиот живот и остварувањето на неговата животна желба: формирање фондација на Универзитетот во Скопје, со што му се исполни животната желба да помогне на македонскиот народ и на Македонија, со тоа што го вложи својот капитал во Фондацијата за стипендирање на студенти при Универзитетот ,,Св. Кирил и Методиј”.

          Во четвртиот дел, пак, во кој се зборува за честа и славата на донаторот, се пренесени одгласите по основањето на Фондацијата, потоа одбележувањето на 10-годишнината и 20-годишнината, како и прославувањето на 90-тиот роденден на донаторот и доблесниот патриот Атанас Близнаков. Исто така, во овој дел е даден последниот период и згаснувањето на големото срце на почитуваниот г. Близнаков.

          Петтиот дел од овој труд е посветен на публицистичката дејност на Атанас Близнаков, на овој значаен и по многу нешта единствен македонски иселеник во САД. Треба посебно да се истакне фактот што Близнаков ја насочил својата публицистичка дејност кон татковинската тема со силни изблици на патриотизам и слободо­љубие, чувство кое се раѓа спонтано, како израз на поврзаноста со родната земја и народ.

          Атанас Близнаков со неговата сопруга Славка живееше во Скопје повеќе од дваесет години (1976-1998). Во тој период Близнаков публикуваше две книги. Првата е ,,Д’мбени и револуционерното минато во Костурско”, издадена од Издавачката куќа ,,Мисла” од Скопје во 1982 година, а втората е ,,Националната, политичката и културната дејност на Македонците во САД и Канада”, што ја издаде ,,Култура” од Скопје во 1987 година.

          Книгата за неговото родно село Д’мбени има цел да ја запознае младата генерација со активностите, дејноста, корените и животот на Македонците од Костурскиот крај, кои, не по своја вина, се распрскани насекаде по светот, но со душата се врзани со дедовската земја.

          Во второто дело ,,Националната, политичката и културната дејност на Македонците во САД и Канада” го презентира македонското иселеништво, особено првата генерација доселеници во САД и Канада. На многу жив и наративен начин го дава интегрирањето на македон­ското иселеништво во новата средина, организирањето на македонски­те друштва и клубови, весници, организации и црковни општини. Книгата, всушност, е пресек на историјата и збиднувањата на македонските доселеници во САД и Канада.

          Близнаков има објавено и поголем број текстови во информативни гласила во САД и во Македонија, особено во списанието ,,Македонија”, гласило на Матицата на иселениците од Македонија, сега на Министерството за иселеништво, во весниците ,,Нова Македонија”, ,,Вечер”, ,,Студентски збор” и во други гласила со кои тој остана приврзан до крајот на својот живот.

          Исто така, во овој дел се поместени наградите и признанијата на донаторот Близнаков, библиографијата на објавените текстови, користена литература и регистар на имињата.

          Во трудот се поместени голем број фотографии, факсимили на документи од асоцијациите каде што Близнаков членуваше, писма и други материјали кои треба да придонесат за поцелосно запознавање на неговата многустрана значајна личност. Авторот се трудеше да ги зафати позначајните моменти од животот на овој доблесен иселеник, за кого постојано ќе навираат спомени, а најмногу ќе се потсетуваат студентите – стипендисти на Фондацијата ,,Атанас Близнакоф”, за неговото хумано и патриотско дело зашто тој останува да живее во историјата на Универзитетот ,,Св. Кирил и Методиј”, на македонското иселеништво, на македонскиот народ и на Република Македонија.

 

The monograph “Atanas Bliznakov” by Slave Nikolovski-Katin, is just one aspect of the historical development, achievement and life-pulse of the University of St Kiril and Methodij of the city of Skopje in the Republic of Macedonia. It is being printed in Macedonian in 2000, in honor of the life and work of the greatest humanitarian of Macedonian descent who lived in the United States of America, Mr. Atanas Bliznakov and his Foundation “Atanas Bliznakoff”. The appearance of this book is the culmination of many significant activities that have taken place in the course of nearly a century in the life of Mr. Atanas Bliznakoff, and twenty-two years of the existence of the Foundation “Atanas Bliznakoff”.

The life and work of Mr. Atanas Bliznakov is closely connected with the national freedom and the recognition of the Macedonian people in the Republic of Macedonia.

The Macedonian state, nation, language, and organized church life implies a kind of associative and essential link with the traditions of Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the Old Church Macedonian language. This language was created in the 9^th century, based on the dialects of the Macedonian Slavs who lived in the district of Thessaloniki (Solun, Salonica), in South Macedonia. This is where the roots of Atanas Bliznakov are from. This Macedonian district was the base from which the literary Old Church Slavonic sprang and spread to many countries in the world.

The educational, cultural, political, scientific and other activities in Macedonia throughout the centuries, especially during the last half-century, have left a great mark on the Republic of Macedonia and the Diaspora. It has confirmed the willingness of the Macedonian expatriates, regardless of which part of Macedonia they originated from, to promote their national identity and the land of their ancestors.

The development of the Macedonian immigrant communities not only in the USA and Canada, but also in Australia, Europe and other countries in the world, fundamentally followed the development of events in the Balkans and was clearly influenced even more by the events involving Macedonia. In the first instance, the greater part of the immigrants were compelled, mostly for economic reasons, and in many cases political, to leave their native land in search of peace and material security. But even in their new home, the unscrupulous Greek, Bulgarian and Serbian propaganda’s followed them in order to provoke confusion, division and discord among their ranks.

The declaration of the People’s Republic of Macedonia as an integral part of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia in 1944 represented an event of great significance for these Macedonian immigrants from all parts of Macedonia. In addition, the renewal of the Ohrid Archbishopric of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, in 1958, enabled the creation of truly Macedonian Orthodox churches. Other organizations, cultural and artistic societies, Macedonian schools, entertainment centers, sport, literary and other groups, as well as the publication of Macedonian newspapers, magazines, newsletters and bulletins were also founded. There was also the inauguration of Macedonian radio and television programs and the formation of other important associations. Therefore, the Macedonian immigrants took advantage of every opportunity to assert their Macedonian identity, expressing it through their rich national, cultural, educational, ecclesiastical and spiritual history.

The Macedonians in the Diaspora have achieved significant results in the fields of business, culture, science, education, and sports and in the social and political life as a whole. Their achievements are a valued contribution and gain them respect in the new environment, not only by the governments of the states where they live, but also by different ethnic groups. A great number of Macedonians are well known in business and other fields in the world. Such an achievement is a basis, first of all, for their social affirmation and better treatment in the new societies where they are recognized as a separate ethnic community equal to the other ethnic groups in multicultural societies, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world.

One of the most distinguished Macedonian expatriates is, of course, Mr. Atanas Bliznakov. His name and work are well known among the Macedonians in the Republic and in the Diaspora. He belonged to the progressive generation of Macedonians on the North American continent, which had spent a long time away from the homeland. He dedicated his life to freedom and progress for Macedonia and the Macedonian people.

Atanas Bliznakov was born on December 15, 1901, in the well-known revolutionary village of D’mbeni, the district of Kastoria (Kostur) in the Aegean part of Macedonia. During the Ilinden Uprising he was only twenty months old when the Ottoman army came into the village. His mother Docha fled to the nearby mountain in order to save him from the Turks. His father Ivan, together with other men from the village joined the fighters who struggled for the liberation of their country.

After the Second Balkan War in 1913, Macedonia was politically divided among the Balkan states, Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. Atanas Bliznakov had finished the fifth grade in the school in the village. After the village of D’mbeni and the whole district of Kostur (Kastoria) became a part of Greece ruled by the Athens government in May 1913, the school children had finished the last exam in their mother tongue, Macedonian. After the Greek government had closed the native schools and churches, it had prohibited Macedonian songs, Macedonian traditions, and later on, even the mother tongue itself.

        After the First World War, as a result of the bad economic and political conditions, a great number of Macedonians, especially from the districts of Kostur, Lerin (Florina) Bitola, Prespa, and other districts, left their native land and their families in order to go to other countries in the world. Thus, Atanas Bliznakov, at 19 years of age, during his early youth, was to feel the bitterness of the immigrant’s life, as in 1920 he left his native place and went abroad for a better life. He took with him his parents’ love and the knowledge that he was a Macedonian, and that he would always be a Macedonian no matter where he lived, and that he would one day return to his native land.

         The new chapter of the interesting story of Atanas Bliznakov had started on December 19, 1920, when he arrived in the United States of America, in the town of Medisson, Illinois, where there was already a Macedonian colony. There he had started to work as a factory worker without knowledge of English. After one and a half years he moved to the city of Gary, Indiana, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, when the city had become an industrial center. He worked in the steel company for a period of 34 years until he retired.

During the whole period in the USA, Bliznakov was dealing with the real estate business. He was buying and selling properties, as well as investing in shares. In this business, it was necessary to know the share market well. Unfortunately, during 1929, the world Depression took everything he had earned, and he had to start from the beginning. He once again went into the real estate business, and again started to increase his finances.

After fifteen years as an immigrant, he returned to his birthplace, where he met his life companion, Slavka Popova, a young and beautiful girl from D’mbeni. He got married in 1935. She was with him over sixty years, and was constantly supporting him. She supported his ideas and, of course, they always both longed for Macedonia.

After his marriage, Atanas went again to the USA, and left his birthplace forever. He left the happy days of his childhood and youth, when more than a thousand Macedonians lived in the village of D’mbeni. He always spoke about his birthplace with sorrow, due to the fact that there were no more Macedonians living there.

The time when Atanas Bliznakov lived and worked in the USA is very important for the national struggle of the Macedonian migrants. He had a similar destiny to a great number of his compatriots. They tried to find themselves in the years of struggle during this period of time, starting from the partition of Macedonia and the years of oppression that followed, to the formation of an independent, democratic and sovereign state-the Republic of Macedonia.

Due to all of the political upheaval, he joined the wing of the progressive people. That was the most significant life decision of Atanas Bliznakov. At the same time, he became a loyal citizen of the USA, as well as a person who respected achievements in business and the whole of social life. He was also an active member of the Macedonian-American Peoples League (MAPL). The members of this organization were fighting against fascism, to build a happier life, and establish permanent peace. Their moral and material support was of significant importance in the period of the formation of the Republic of Macedonia.

In addition, Atanas Bliznakov was the president of the Hospital Committee in Gary, which had as its mission, as was the case with other committees in North America, the collection of funds for building a hospital block in the city of Skopje. It was planned that the construction was to be a part of the State Hospital in the capital city of the People’s Republic of Macedonia. He was also one of the founders of the associations Alexander the Great, Lazar Pop Trajkoff and the Macedonian Orthodox Church St. Peter and Paul in Gary.

However, that was not enough to satisfy the desire of Mr. and Mrs. Bliznakov to fulfill the eternal dream of a free state of Macedonia. In 1958, they came for the first time to see the newly liberated state. Than, after ten years, in 1968, after he retired, they came for a second time. In 1976 they came to live in the city of Skopje forever.

Probably the most important day for Slavka and Atanas Bliznakov was the day when the Foundation was formed. Thus, on April 18, 1977, at the 148th Meeting of the University Council of the University St Cyril and Methodius in the city of Skopje, the Foundation “Atanas Bliznakoff” had been established. Mr. Bliznakov bequeathed his money to the university in a Foundation. For a period of 22 years, over two hundred students had graduated from the colleges and faculties; while at present, 50 students from different higher degree faculties of the university receive stipends. One of the most important conditions of the Foundation for the receiving of a stipend is to be a student of the University St Cyril and Methodius. Recipients have to demonstrate a financial need to receive the support to study.

The Foundation “Atanas Bliznakoff” is the first one of its kind in the Republic of Macedonia. It has created a great interest among the people in the nation and the Macedonians in the Diaspora. It is a matter of pride for Atanas Bliznakov, and a great encouragement and example for other humanitarian people. In brief, it can be said that the Foundation is a gift for the University of St. Cyril and Methodius, for aspiring students, for the Macedonian people and for the Republic of Macedonia.

Atanas Bliznakov (1901-1998) with his wife Slavka had lived in the city of Skopje over twenty years. In that period Mr. Bliznakov had written two books. The first one is titled D’mbeni and the Revolutionary Past of the District of Kostur, published by Misla, Skopje, 1982. The second one is the publication The National, Political and Cultural Activities of the Macedonians in the USA and Canada.

The book concerning his birthplace D’mbeni aims to acquaint the younger generations with the origins, characteristics, and the way of life of the Macedonians in the district of Kostur, who, through no fault of their own were scattered all over the world.

          The second book describes the national, political and cultural activities of the Macedonians in the USA and Canada, especially the first generation. In a very broad narrative, he presents the integration of the Macedonian immigrants into the new society, and their organized life in the Macedonian associations, clubs, newspapers and church communities. The book is mainly focuses on historical activities.

The monograph Atanas Bliznakov by Slave Nikolovski-Katin is divided into five main parts or sections. It also consists of preface, introduction, and the index of personal and geographical names. It also includes a bibliography of the titles and selected literature of the scholarly and other writings that deal with the history and the development of Macedonia, Macedonians in the Diaspora and with the work and life of Bliznakov himself.

The first part of the book titled “The Life Path of Atanas Bliznakov” consists of historical information about Aegean Macedonia, the native place D’mbeni in the district of Kostur, his family roots, his childhood and education, and his leaving as an immigrant for the USA. 

The second part of the book titled “On the Way to the USA” deals with the period of arrival in the USA to his return to his native place, the village of D’mbeni, the marriage with Slavka, and their life together. This part also gives an account of the work of Atanas in the Macedonian-American People’s Alliance, as well as the activities of the associations “Alexander the Great”, “Lazar Pop Trajkoff”, the Macedonan-American Committee for Building a Hospital in Macedonia, and in the Macedonian Orthodox Church St. Peter and Paul in Gary. The poem “Lokvata and Vinjari” by the poet Lazar Pop Trajkoff is included. This part of the book, is the introduction to his future philanthropic activities.

The third part is dedicated to the forming of the Foundation of “Atanas Bliznakoff”, as well as on its structure and management. This section includes the most fruitful part of his life and his vision of establishing a foundation at the University ST Cyril and Methodius. He gave a legacy of about four billion dollars (American) to his people and to his land –Macedonia.

This part of the monograph of Atanas Bliznakov is very rich in documents, starting from the by-law for the forming of the new Statute of the Foundation “Atanas Bliznakoff”. This section also includes the members of the Foundation, the rectors and deputy rectors of the University who were involved in the work of the Foundation in the past twenty years. A list of the students who have been receiving the stipends, and about ten students’ declarations concerning the importance of the donator Atanas Bliznakov and his Foundation.

In the fourth part, eulogies in honor of the donator are presented after the establishment of the Foundation.The anniversary of the tenth and twentieth years are presented and the last interview of the donator. It also includes the death of Atanas Bliznakov and the reactions to it, as well as the activities of the Foundation since his death.

The fifth part of this book is dedicated to the publications of Atanas Bliznakov. It should be mentioned that Mr. Atanas Bliznakov had directed his publishing activities towards the theme of the newly formed state, the Republic of Macedonia.