Aleko Konstantinov was a Bulgarian writer born in 1863 in Svishtov to an affluent merchant family. He studied with private teachers and later attended schools in Gabrovo and Nikolaev, Ukraine, eventually earning a law degree from Novorossiysky University in Odessa in 1885. After returning to Bulgaria, Konstantinov worked as a judge, prosecutor, and lawyer in Sofia. Some of his most important works included the stories "To Chicago and Back" and "Bai Ganyo." Konstantinov is known for his wise thoughts and extreme love of his motherland, and is portrayed on the Bulgarian 100 lev banknote.