The US-born Israeli marketing executive Ellis Shuman moved to Bulgaria on a two-year work assignment in 2009. small did he know that his travels in the country would reignite his passion for writing. In his own words, “[he] was exposed to a different way of life, to a different culture, talking to people who had different background than [him], but were very welcome and opening.” It is uncommon to find books in English set in Bulgaria – Shuman seems to be 1 of the fewer global authors who have written about Bulgarian affairs with so much dedication, which is notable on its own. His Valley of Thracians, an adventure fresh showcasing Bulgaria’s rich cultural heritage and beautiful nature, was published in 2013. The Burgas Affair, his subsequent thriller based on the horrifying terrorist attack at the Burgas airport in 2012, followed suit in 2016.
Rakiya: Stories of Bulgaria, a collection of 12 short stories, is Shuman’s latest work. 1 should not be misled by the title. Bulgaria’s conventional alcoholic beverage called rakiya is simply part of the setting – the drink stereotypically associated with both the ups and downs of life. The author, in fact, remains faithful to presenting Bulgaria’s scenic beauty and abundant past to those who are not in the know. At the same time, he portrays the Bulgarian mentality and, in passing, tackles a number of taboo topics, specified as the dire situation of the Roma minority, the struggles of migrants from arabian countries, and the conflicting narratives of the Holocaust in the country. Shuman seems to be both a good observer and a natural scientist due to the fact that he has given relatable snapshots of social and regional tensions, as well as national propaganda and inferiority complexes. Meanwhile, he has remained respectful and has even shown that another nations, including Israel, have their own taboo topics to face too.
The book offers a rich tapestry of local settings and protagonists that seem unrelated to 1 another at first. 1 can indulge in captivating descriptions of the magical Rhodope Mountains, including the “Devil’s Throat Cave” where it is believed that Orpheus lost his Eurydice forever. 1 can go on a vicarious hike in the Rila Mountains and These include pickpockets in downtown Sofia, a Syrian doctor forced to become a baker due to the fact that his diploma was not recognized in Bulgaria, as well as a successful Israeli entrepreneur developing his business in Bulgaria. There is besides a US student on an exchange programme who is curious in Bulgarian past and the head of safety at the Israeli embassy in Sofia.
The more 1 reads, however, the more 1 understands that all these protagonists not only have unexpected connections to 1 another, but besides that specified a multifarious group can only coexist in a country which lies at complex geographic and historical crossroads like Bulgaria. In showing the bittersweet ironies of life, Shuman shares any inconvenient truths too. For instance, the Syrian doctor, deprived of his right to practice medicine, helps a Roma purse snatcher erstwhile her daughter falls ill. In another words, it is the marginalized foreigner who shows solidarity with the marginalized local. Yet, it is upon the heart-felt advice of a Bulgarian that the head of safety at the Israeli embassy decides to acquisition pita bread for the celebration of Israel’s independency day at the bakery of the Syrian doctor. Hence the average Bulgarian can besides be a bridge between feuding cultures and challenge stigmas.
The most thought-provoking short communicative is dedicated to the conflicting narratives of the Holocaust in Bulgaria. The central character is simply a Bulgarian soldier whose best friend was a Bulgarian hebrew – the soldier ended up participating in the deportation of Macedonian Jews in Bulgaria-controlled territories to Auschwitz. As he could not find the strength to apologize to his friend who emigrated to Israel after the end of the Second planet War, at the end of his life, he made efforts to present his point of view and apologize to his grandson.
In principle, Bulgaria’s function in the Holocaust is simply a subject that has profoundly divided Bulgarians, including Bulgarian Jews. The messages in books specified as Binyamin Arditi’s The function of Boris III in the Expulsion of Bulgarian Jewry and Michael Bar-Zohar’s Beyond Hitler’s Grasp: The Heroic Rescue of Bulgaria’s Jews, on the 1 hand, and Rumen Avramov’s Salvation and Fall: The Microeconomics of State Anti-Semitism in Bulgaria 1940-1944, on the other, clearly conflict. While a Nazi ally, Bulgaria managed to rescue around 48,000 Jews who were Bulgarian citizens from deportation. However, there is simply a parallel communicative of tremendous pain that Bulgarian mainstream historical narratives usually ignore. Bulgarian soldiers were liable for the deportation of more than 11,000 Macedonian and Serbian Jews in Bulgaria-controlled territories to Auschwitz. Moreover, to add further nuances, there are fierce debates regarding who should take credit for the miracle that 48,000 judaic Bulgarian citizens remained alive in a state allied with the Nazis. any attribute the rescue to tsar Boris III (who, however, is primarily blamed for the deportation of Macedonian and Serbian Jews, which makes him both a saviour and a murderer if he is given credit for the rescue) while others – to prominent Bulgarian politicians, members of the Bulgarian clergy and Bulgarian spiritual leaders specified as Petar Danov. Yet others believe that the average Bulgarians who protested against the deportation should be acknowledged for their principled position. Against this highly complex background with many shades of grey, Shuman does not say anything new. However, due to the genre of his book, he is able to make all of these narratives individual and depict the messiness of human relations.
A memorable quote from Shuman’s book comes from the last short communicative dedicated to the celebration of Israel’s independency day in the Israeli embassy in Sofia. The narrator reflects on why Israelis of present are curious in setting up businesses in Bulgaria. After mentioning practicalities, specified as the highly skilled labour force, he concludes that “there is something else that makes Israelis very comfortable in the country, and that is its warm embrace of its judaic citizens.” From the position of Bulgarian-Israeli relations, this may sound like a cliché. However, it is simply a cliché that is rather alive and that I have witnessed myself. erstwhile I visited Israel any time ago, I was genuinely amazed that random strangers who I met on my journey were very excited to learn I was Bulgarian. – while I have been to many places, this is the only country in which I experienced specified affirmative bias. Lively responses ranged from “You are Bulgarian?!! That is so cool – my grandma is from Bulgaria!” to “The best meringues in Israel are sold at a Bulgarian bakery in Jaffa! You should definitely go! Here is the address.” I besides saw the Bulgarian flag hanging from many windows in Tel Aviv – a sight I had not seen before.
Overall, while Shuman’s book is written in an accessible way, it paints pictures of Bulgaria from vantage points that Bulgarians seldom consider themselves.
Rakiya: Stories of Bulgaria by Ellis Shuman. Independently published in 2024
Dr. Radosveta Vassileva is simply a Bulgarian legal student whose investigation interests encompass EU law and comparative public and private law. She maintains a individual blog dedicated to the regulation of law in Bulgaria. She is presently a Visiting investigation Fellow at Middlesex University.
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