Bulgarian literature is barely known in the western world, and the most commonly translated books were the ones of the Bulgarian classics, which are mainly novels about the period of the Otoman occupation in the area.
After the curtain new authors and ideas came out, and fortunately one of my favourite modern Bulgarian authors has been translated. He is young, smart, talented, and his sharp language makes me enjoy every sentence of his essays and novels. He is Alek Popov.
Of course I will speak again about Bulgarian literature, but now I want to present this piece, which will help you navigate and understand in a funny way some specifics and clichés about Bulgarians.
Mission London is a post-modern story about the newly appointed ambassador at the Bulgarian Embassy in London. His task is to build a proper image of the country in the transition to a democracy. His mission is impossible, as the heritage of old habits dies last.
Bulgaria? Backward, corrupt and lazy?
As the new ambassador in London, Varadin Dimitrov, is designated to enhance the image of Bulgaria in the West. When he rings the bell at the respectable address of the embassy in Kensington one morning, he finds that there is indeed a lot of work ahead of him: a provincial mayor at hangover breakfast, the cook at loggerheads with his wife, the vacuum cleaner – broken.
Indeed, the civilized world owes thanks to Bulgaria for the invention of the water closet, but that does not help the new ambassador on his mission, nor does the fact that his predecessor refuses to clear the house as he is desperately fighting his return home. And above all: the freezer in the cellar houses ducks kidnapped by the Russian Mafia.
Here is an excerpt, enjoy reading.