In Bulgaria, when we talk about a person with bad luck, we often say: "Ah, what a Marko Totev!" But who exactly was Marko Totev, and how did his name become a byword for a person with ill fortune and a bad luck?

"He was a Bulgarian public figure who had a brilliant career as a lawyer even before the Liberation", says Ivan Tsarov from the Regional Museum of History-Veliko Tarnovo. Marko Totev was born in the old capital of Bulgaria in 1858 and came from a wealthy and renowned family, the historian said.

"He studied law in Europe, and when in 1879, after the Constituent Assembly, the Bulgarian Bar Association began to form, Marko Totev was the first to be entered in the official register. And since the Veliko Tarnovo Bar Association was the first one in Bulgaria, this means that he was the first officially recognized lawyer in the post-liberation period. He was a colorful personality and a great joker. He wasn’t a very good card player, but at that time, poker was a very popular game, and once, by chance, he got the highest hand of cards during a card dealing. At that very moment, however, a procession for the funeral of a prominent local citizen passed by on the street, and everyone jumped up to watch through the window. Marko Totev stayed at the table with his cards, and when the other players returned, they didn’t acknowledge his win, thinking that he had arranged the cards while they were absent. Then he uttered his famous phrase: ''When has it ever gone well for Marko Totev, and here it is again.'' This event is what made Marko Totev remain in the public consciousness as a byword for a person with a lack of luck."

Marko Totev was an erudite. "He loved music, loved to read, and was a great bohemian. He held high public positions, having been a judge and also an MP in the Fourth National Assembly in 1893. He became famous as an outstanding lawyer and had no lost cases in his career. Despite his remarkable life, in which he displayed perfectionism and meticulousness, he is a legendary figure also because of his brilliant sense of humor.

There are other similar interesting stories that have been passed down by word of mouth for years in Marko Totev’s town. Researchers of his life say that he was a polyglot, was fluent in Russian, French, Romanian and English, and had an impressive legal library. Marko Totev passed away in 1936, and his great-grandchildren and descendants now live in France and America.

Marko Totev's daughter and his grandchildren

"Marko Totev won many cases, and during his time, the agrarian process began in Bulgaria, and more specifically in Veliko Tarnovo", says Dr. Ivan Tsarov. "Many villages tried to seize the lands of neighboring villages, which led to legal disputes. The lawyers were rubbing their hands together and their profits increased. For some reason, however, he broke relations with the local authorities and then moved with his family to Sofia. This happened in the 1880s. In Sofia, he also had a remarkable career, and until the end of his life, he remained one of the most notable and sought-after lawyers. Part of his personal library is still preserved in the Regional Historical Museum in Veliko Tarnovo. When he left for Sofia, he donated his books to the local community center ''Nadezhda'', which was founded in 1871. After the Liberation, the archive of the community center served as the foundation for the creation of the museum in Veliko Tarnovo, so this institution is over 150 years old."

Part of Marko Totev's personal library in the Regional Museum of History - Veliko Tarnovo