Bulgaria Between East and West

The book features culturological essays exploring distinct yet closely intertwined themes: the meaning of Europe for Bulgarians in the modern era; the evolution of the nation and nationalism in the Bulgarian context; the construction of Bulgarian national identity within "high culture"; Bay Ganyo as an ambivalent symbol of this identity; the historical function and role of the intelligentsia as a bearer of nationalism; the predicament of the Bulgarian humanities scholar and the state of the humanities in the country, among others. Written at different times, the essays contain reminiscences from the eras of late socialism, the so-called "Transition," and the period following Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union.

Rather than indulging in traditional patriotic sentimentality, the author adopts a detached and critical approach. He demonstrates how, shaped by its geopolitical location, Bulgaria wanders politically and symbolically between the East—represented by the Ottoman legacy with its Balkan specifics, and later the Soviet and Russian spheres—and the West, primarily Europe in its various meanings and manifestations, but also the United States. The book reveals that these dilemmas are not a bygone historical phase, but a lasting framework through which Bulgarians position and perceive themselves and the world. Grounded in the author's own experience, the essays conclude with an ironical account of his personal journey through time and academia, which likewise vacillates between East and West.