Pale and Other Postmodern Bulgarian Stories

Pale and Other Postmodern Bulgarian Stories is profoundly moving, revealing with fine touches the sentiments and impressions which are a priori little palpable: the flow of time and its influence on strong and rough characters; sex, lies, loss of illusions; the transmission of essential values from generation to generation, disloyalty both to one's country and to one's family; love of mother for son, sacrifice; betrayal as opposed to unity and love in the family and community; loyalty to a cause forcing man to live on and survive despite vicissitudes of life; the supreme mystery of death and the strength to go on living being human in spite of evil. Above all the book is all pervasive, showing the power of music. A bitter-sweet book, terribly funny at places and deeply sad at others. Two of the shorts stories have attracted the attention of the film makers in Bulgaria, "Blood of a Mole" and "Vassil," and another story, "The Twins," has been transformed into a successful theatrical piece.