Communism and the Remorse of an Innocent Victimizer (Eugenia & Hugh M. Stewart '26 Series on Eastern Europe) [Hardcover]

Zlatko Anguelov (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is a remarkable narrative. I read it in a single sitting. It has bite, pace, and an excellent narrative flow. First person accounts of this quality are rare from behind the former Iron Curtain, rarer still from Bulgaria. The author has a Kundera-like Eastern European quality of introspection, and a searingly honest appraisal of his communist origins and upbringing, which makes the fall of communism and his personal disillusionment all the more poignant. The broader themes of history and politics are skillfully introduced, the turmoil they induced in Bulgaria is vividly represented. Contact with the Secret Police is presented with skill, the travail of Turkish peoples in Bulgaria is masterfully reported in the second section. . . .by far one of the most interesting works I’ve read from contemporary Eastern Europe.”--Frederick Quinn, author of Democracy at Dawn

(Frederick Quinn, author of Democracy at Dawn )

About the Author

Zlatko Anguelov was born in Bulgaria in 1946. After earning his M.D., he taught anatomy in Varna and worked as a general practitioner in Sofia. He later contributed to western newspapers, worked with Bulgaria's Turkish minority, and wrote extensively on AIDS. In 1992, Anguelov moved to Canada, where he earned a degree in medical sociology. He currently edits a medical journal in Iowa.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: TAMU Press; 1 edition (April 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585441953
• ISBN-13: 978-1585441952
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > History > Europe > Bulgaria

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling narrative about communism, January 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Communism and the Remorse of an Innocent Victimizer (Eugenia & Hugh M. Stewart '26 Series on Eastern Europe) (Hardcover)

At the center of Z. Anguelov's memoir is the intriguing concept that life choices can be the result of one's political environment. For us, people raised in democracy, Bulgarian communist reality looks worlds apart. Yet, I found this memoir extremely interesting and admirable on several levels. First of all, the complexity of the several stories, the description of how communism really worked, and the author's personal odyssey through that system are very impressive: to sort all that out and to present it to the reader, especially one unfamiliar to the system, in a way that is absolutely unambiguous is indeed impressive.

I found that the American editor of the book was very astute and sensitive to the author's voice. It comes through very clearly and makes the story even more poignant. For example, one thing that so bothered me initially was the seeming insensitivity of the author to the women he became involved with. At one place, he said that his wife complained before they were married that she was pregnant. And the editor left the word 'complained,' although it is obvious that, if that sentence were to be shown to any American woman, she would immediately say: whoooa ... this man has no responsibility for this event?? Regardless of what he really felt or meant, the word 'complained' in this context is a red flag signaling his inconvenience. But he speaks with his old 'voice,' at the level of sensitivity he was at that distant time, and the choice of word is actually quite precise. At another place, I found it rather endearing that the author described himself as a "spoiled brat," and, of course, why wouldn't he be? He was a super-star among stars in the educational community.

I found deeply moving the descriptions of the little cottage in the country where he and his third wife were able, for at least a few hours, to find their true selves. I think for many of us it is difficult to comprehend on a really profound level how deeply landscape contributes to our emotional life. I am who I am in part because of the Alaskan landscape, which is seared into my unconscious as well as conscious life. The author of the memoir has a very profound understanding of that.

But even more, his descriptions of the continuous assaults on one's personal integrity show why the insidious and devastating effect of communism were so powerful. I think every sociologist and history or political science major should read this book.