Novel
Bai Ganyo: Incredible Tales of a Modern Bulgarian
Бай Ганьо
Aleko Konstantinov · 1895
Opening lines
Помогнаха на бай Ганя да смъкне от плещите си агарянския ямурлук, наметна си той една белгийска мантия — и всички рекоха, че бай Ганьо е вече цял европеец.
They helped Bay Ganyo shrug off his Turkish rain cloak; he threw a Belgian mantle over himself — and everyone said that Bay Ganyo was now a complete European.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from chitanka.info
Synopsis
Bai Ganyo, a dealer in attar of roses, sets off to sell his goods in Europe: in Budapest, Vienna, Dresden and Prague, he forces his way into good society, watches out for pickpockets and free meals, under the eyes of an educated Bulgarian narrator who watches him. Back in liberated Bulgaria, he throws himself into public life with the same manners: he sends petitions to the prince, stands for election and founds a political newspaper, and the satire darkens.
Context
The book brought together satirical serials in 1895: the first part follows the character through the cities of Europe, the second shows him back home. The author is said to have modelled him on Ganyo Somov, a rose merchant he met at the Chicago exposition. He has been compared to Švejk, to Tartarin and to Ostap Bender. Cinema took him up as early as 1922, in a silent short film that appears in the same catalogue, then in 1991 with Ivan Nichev's film. The 2010 English edition, edited by Victor Friedman, was awarded a prize by the American association for Bulgarian studies.
Who it is for
Short, funny chapters that can be read in any order; the French translation of 1911 has been reissued in digital form.
Prizes and reception
The great satire of liberated Bulgaria, translated into most European languages; the hero's name has passed into the language.