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Under the Yoke  -  Ivan Vazov Under the Yoke | Goodreads Under the yoke - Complete Book - Internet Archive ⭐⭐⭐  Above average Set against the turbulent geopolitics of the late 19th century—when the Ottoman Empire, long dubbed the “ Sick Man of Europe ,” was steadily losing its grip over the Balkans - Ivan Vazov ’s Under the Yoke emerges not merely as a novel but as a national monument. The crumbling Ottoman domains had become the arena for conflicting imperial ambitions: Russia sought influence across the Black Sea; Britain worried about routes to India; France defended its prestige in the Levant; and Austria-Hungary looked to stabilize the Balkans. It was an era when the so‑called Eastern Question dominated Europe’s imagination, and the fate of Bulgaria lay entangled within it. This international tension was sharpened in 1876 by what British statesman William Gladstone famously denounced in his pamphlet ,  Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of the East . He  u...

Time of Parting  - Anton Donchev  Time of Parting | Goodreads Time of Parting - Complete Book - Internet Archives ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended A nation is shaped by its shared memories. In literature, we can see the elements that make up a collective memory—often rooted in a common pain —that influence national identity. Newly independent countries often seek a fresh start, breaking away from their historical past. Anton Donchev's Time of Parting (Bulgarian: Време разделно, Vreme razdelno) dives deep into a time when a nation, Bulgaria, survived by enduring humiliation under Ottoman rule. The Balkans, including Bulgaria, were subjected to centuries of Ottoman rule starting in the late 14th century, which brought significant social and religious transformation. Catholic powers (Papacy and Habsburgs) were often perceived as foreign and adversarial.  The Ottoman conquest and the subsequent division between Catholic and Orthodox spheres of influence in the Balkans gave rise ...