ARCS Publications Catalog
Publications of the American Research Center in Sofia
Monograph Series, Conference Papers, Historical Fiction, and Collaborative Book Subsidies
If you would like to order a copy of any publication listed below, please contact library@arcsofia.org Most of the books are also available for purchase directly on this page or on Amazon. All proceeds are used to support charitable activities.
Light of Men
Philip Dimitrov
“Unexpected” and “utterly different” were the words used for Light of Men when it was first published in Bulgarian. Presented here is the author’s English translation of the book.
Light of Men poses the question of how far the psychological approach to Bilblical history can bring us in the search for a more adequate comprehension of the New Testament facts. And how inadequate the lack of it might be. With its wealth of information and analytical depth, this treatise-like novel will be of significant interest to Biblical scholars, historians of religion, theologians, students of antiquity, and anyone who wishes to expand his understanding of Early Christianity. As the renowned Bulgarian literary critic and historian Bozhidar Kunchev wrote, the book is a “profound reflection on what human beings are and ought to be.”
978-619-90846-1-8・2019・$14.95 Purchase on Amazon
Medieval Bulgarian Art and Letters in a Byzantine Context
This is the second of a two-volume set of recent Bulgarian articles on medieval studies proposed in 2010 by the American Research Center in Sofia Foundation. The purpose of these two volumes is to present select studies by Bulgarian medievalists to the English-reading international scholar- ly community. While the first volume, entitled State and Church: Studies in Medieval Bulgaria and Byzantium (2012), focused on medieval history and historiography, this collection represents studies in the literature, religious philosophy and arts of medieval Bulgaria and the Balkans. The book was published with the financial support of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and the American Research Center in Sofia.
978-954-92571-0-6・2017・$21.95 Purchase on Amazon
Forms of Resistance
Krasimir Iliev
This is the English translation of a catalogue from a historic art exhibit at the Sofia City Gallery that took place in 2016. The exhibit featured a unique selection of diverse artistic works, loaned from private collections and multiple local museums and galleries. The catalogue presents works by numerous Bulgarian artists (including Christo Yavashev [Christo], Iliya Beshkov, Rayko Alexiev, Vladimir Dimitrov-the Master, among many others) who opposed totalitarian oppression, with historical and biographical notes and document reproductions, arranged chronologically
978-954-92571-10-3・2017・$59.99
A Dearth of Eagles
Andrew Bernstein
This fast-paced fictional work tells the story of Bulgarian freedom fighters during Communism’s final years, of their valiant attempts to smuggle dissidents to freedom in the West, and of their desperate battles with the Durjavna Sigurnost, the Bulgarian secret police who seek to kill them. It tells also of a parallel conflict, of one of the freedom fighters—a member of the tiny band, an émigré, a writer living in New York City—who engages in the story’s fiercest struggle, seeking to publish serious stories about these dauntless men in a Western literary culture that rejects heroism for anti-heroism.
Published by ARCS's partner institution in the United States ARCB Inc.
978 619188122-2・2017・$19.99
Crime Without Punishment
Ivan Drenikoff
This moving memoir, supported by authentic documents, tells the story of a fourteen-year old boy and his family, who were among the many thousands of innocent citizens who suffered atrocities by the externally imposed totalitarian communist regime in Bulgaria. As the author concludes: “Everything that was described in the above chronicle of events and subsequent analysis is a sad page in the history of Bulgaria. Despite the torment, suffering, and pain, our family did not lose its high sense of national awareness. . . As a contemporary of this story, I feel obliged to present it as it really happened, without tainting it to suit the needs of any political interest. In conclusion, I will repeat the words of the North American philosopher, George Ruiz de Santayana: ‘Those who cannot recall the past are condemned to repeat it!’”
978-9-54925-718-2・2017・$10.95
Shared Childhood: Behind the Iron Curtain
Nassya Kralevska-Owens
Bittersweet true stories about the everyday life, games, and emotions of three little girls growing up in the 1950s in a world which no longer exists—without video and computer games. Raised in their early childhood with love and understanding by their parents, grandparents, and relatives, the children experience a big shock when they enter the oppressive educational system of communist Bulgaria. Much changes for them, including their behavior and their activities. They quickly become used to a double life: one at home and one at school. They learn to never tell what they really think, to lie a bit, and more… The book will be of interest for children over 8 years old and for grown-ups.
978-9-54925-719-9・2016・$16.95
Allied Deliberations on Bulgaria: World War II Compiled and edited by Alfred Beck
This book is a collection of documents from the National Archives of the United States, which present unexplored pages of the history of the 20th century related to the plan to detach Bulgaria from the Axis and to appoint a pro-alliance government. Most of these documents, together numbering more than 750 pages, are published here for the first time. The documents, along with an introduction by the American historian Dr. Alfred Beck and an article by Mr. Lachezar Toshev, reveal new facts and events and make a significant contribution to the history of the relations between Bulgaria and the USA. The premiere of the book on October 4 at the Literary Club “Peroto” (“The Pen”) was held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Rosen Plevneliev.
978-9-54925-716-8・2016・$39.95
Revisiting the Beginning of the Bulgarian Transition 25 Years after the First UDF Government
Philip Dimitrov
This book presents a profound and illuminating analysis of recent Bulgarian history by Dr. Philip Dimitrov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria in 1991-1992, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United States, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Georgia, and current Constitutional Judge. Dr. Dimitrov combines his expertise as an internationally recognized Professor of Political Science with his unique perspective and knowledge as a protagonist in the events. Despite the undeniable contribution of Dr. Dimitrov’s government toward Bulgaria’s acceptance into the Western world, which itself warrants well-deserved pride, this study lacks any boastful pretenses or bias. It is written with the admirable humil- ity, objectivity, erudition, and wisdom that characterize a truly remarkable statesman and scholar. Revisit- ing the Beginning of the Bulgarian Transition is a must-read for historians of Eastern Europe, political scientists, and anyone interested in the complex and painful rebirth of a democratic system in former totalitarian societies.
978-9-54925-717-5・2016・$16.00
Дружелюбният Манхатън (The Friendly Manhattan)
Rumyana Ivanova
The author’s goals are to introduce the reader to Manhattan’s history, to reveal its magnetic force to curious minds, and to recount the adventures of a Bulgarian immigrant in this cosmopolitan city. The author encountered the numerous difficulties experienced by all newcomers who are insufficiently acquainted with the local language and customs. She was met with multiple misunderstandings, yet infinitely more instances of benevolence and empathy by New Yorkers, who were always ready to provide guidance and help. The author’s stories illuminate New York’s greatness and bring to life the significant moments in its past and present-day existence. This fascinating memoir combines the warmth and humanity of authentic personal experiences with the depth and erudition of a detailed cultural and historical study that will remain an ever-valuable snapshot of Manhattan in the last quarter of the 20th century.
978-6-19176-075-6・2016・$22.95
The Jews of Karnobat. Chapters from the Depths: The History of a Vanished Community
Zvi Keren
Dr. Keren’s book is the first study of the Karnobat Jewish community and its cemetery; in fact, it is the first study of a Jewish cemetery in Bulgaria. This alone constitutes an immense contribution to Jewish Studies. Despite its brevity, the book covers every important aspect of Jewish life in Bulgaria between the 1610s and 1950 and adds a vast new source on the history of the Bulgarian Jewry. (Olga Borovaya, Stanford University, Mediterranean Studies Forum).
978-9-54925-715-1・2014・$24.95
Memories of Everyday Life during Socialism in the Town of Rousse, Bulgaria
Dilyana Ivanova
Ivanova's book is a significant contribution to the research on everyday life in Communist Bulgaria. Based on the author’s personal fieldwork, including interviews and observations, the book gives an insider’s perspective into various individual experiences and manners of interiorization of a social system based on total control and propaganda. (Albena Georgieva, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences).
978-9-54925-714-4・2014・$26.95
Medieval Melnik from the End of the 12th to the End of the 14th Century: The Historical Vicissitudes of a Small Balkan Town
Elena Kostova
An exhaustive review of the written sources of the period, Kostova’s book deftly integrates information from topography, archaeology, art history, and architecture to shed light on the evolution of Melnik, a small but strategically located urban center in the south-central Balkans during the High and Late Middle Ages. (Kiril Petkov, Associate Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls). Winner of the John D. Bell 2014 Memorial Book Prize.
978-9-54925-713-7・2013・$24.95
State and Church: Studies in Medieval Bulgaria and Byzantium
Edited by Vassil Gjuzelev and Kiril Petkov
This book is an English translation of 13 essays composed by leading Bulgarian historians. The essays collected here cover a wide range of topics and draw on a large variety of approaches to written, archaeo- logical, and other sources. This book will be essential reading for all scholars interested in medieval Bulgaria and its relations with Byzantium. (Florin Curta, Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology, University of Florida).
978-9-54925-712-0・2011・Currently not in stock
Communism versus Democracy: Bulgaria 1944 to 1997
Nassya Kralevska-Owens
Authored by the renowned Bulgarian journalist Nassya Kralevska-Owens, this book is the most unique and authoritative documentary about two revolutionary decades in the country’s history: the establish- ment of the communist regime in the 1940s and the struggling democratic movement of the 1990s. Well-reasoned and masterfully written, it is an important case study about communism, post-commu- nism, and democratization in contemporary Bulgaria. (Peter Stoyanov, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, 1997-2002).
978-9-54925-711-3・2010・$39.95
Kill the Wanderer
Hristo Hristov
This is an English translation of Hristov’s award-winning discussion and analysis of the 1978 assassination of journalist Georgi Markov in London (the “Bulgarian Umbrella” incident). It is the most authentic and detailed investigation into the writer’s murder by the Bulgarian State Security Service. The work is based on documents from a large number of international archives.
978-6-19176-006-0・Gutenberg Press・2013・Limited number of copies・$24.95
Bogomilism: Bibliography
Krastina Gecheva
This book is a comprehensive collection of bibliographical sources on the topic of Bogomilism, a wide- spread movement that originated in Bulgaria in the middle of the 10th century and quickly spread all over the European continent.
978-9-54617-016-3・Gutenberg Press・2007・Currently out of stock
Papers of the American Research Center in Sofia, Volume 3
Edited by Emil Nankov
The vast majority of papers in the current volume stem from the international conference Sandanski and Its Territory during Prehistory, Antiquity and Middle Ages. Current Trends in Archaeological Research, organized by the American Research Center in Sofia, in collaboration with the Archaeological Museum in Sandanski, and held on September 17-20, 2015 in the town of Sandanski.
2367-5640・ 2017・$29.95
The volume can be acquired through the following sites:
https://bibliophilia.eu/papers-of-the-arcs-vol-ii
https://knigabg.com/index.php?page=book&id=44927
Papers of the American Research Center in Sofia, Volume 2
Edited by Lyudmil Vagalinski and Emil Nankov
This volume presents a selection of papers presented at the conference “Heraclea Sintica: From Hellenistic Polis to Roman Civitas (4th c. BC-6th c. AD),” organized by the American Research Center in Sofia in collab- oration with the National Institute of Archaeology with Museum and the Museum of History in Petrich on September 19-21, 2013.
2367-5640・2015・$13.95
Papers of the American Research Center in Sofia, Volume 1
Edited by Eric de Sena
This volume presents a selection of papers delivered at the conference “Communications and Commerce in the Balkans from Alexander the Great to Alexander Battenberg,” organized by the American Research Center in Sofia on October 25-26, 2012. The volume also includes a paper entitled “James F. Clarke, Pioneer of Bulgarian Studies in the United States,” presented by Professor Dennis P. Hupchick as an ARCS Eugene Schuyler Lecture in the Aula Magna of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences on March 6, 2013.
2367-5640・2014・$13.95
Американците откриват българите. 1834-1878 r. Edited by Dennis Hupchick
This is a collection of 14 essays written by Prof. James F. Clarke, posthumously published by Dennis Hupchick in a volume entitled The Pen and the Sword (1988), and now for the first time translated into Bulgarian. This collection is dedicated to a little-known aspect of Bulgarian-Ameri- can relations—the first contacts of American missionaries, intellectuals, diplomats, and journal- ists with Bulgaria and Bulgarians.
978-9-54322-576-7・Bulgarian Academy of Sciences “Prof. Marin Drinov” Press・2013
Чикаго - българкият град
Published under the patronage of the Consul General of Bulgaria in Chicago Mr. Simeon Stoilov, this is the first volume in a series dedicated to the history of Bulgarian immigration to Chicago. It is published in a luxurious bilingual edition, with renowned contributors from the USA and Bulgaria.
Bulgarian-American Legacy・2014
Typology and Chronology of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Bronze Socketed Spearheads in Southeastern Europe
Lyuben Leshtakov
(In Bulgarian with English summaries). This study contributes to our knowledge of bronze socket- ed spearheads in the Mycenaean world and the Eastern part of Central Europe, their origins, and their influence on Bronze Age warfare. It discusses spearheads’ manufacturing technology and decoration, the use of spears and javelins in combat; and attempts to outline some of the large geographical areas in Europe where the development of bronze socketed spearheads followed local traditions.
978-619-90348-2-8・ATE − Ars et Technica Explicatus・2015
Anthropology: Journal for Socio-Cultural Anthropology, Volume 2
Special guest editor Dr. Cristofer Scarboro
The papers from this special edition of Anthropology emerged from a conference held at the American Research Center in June 2014 entitled “Living After the Fall (?): Past-Present in South- eastern Europe,” organized by Dr. Scarboro in his capacity as the Center’s inaugural Postdoctoral Fellow. The materials from this volume aim to periodize and understand the communist past on the 25th anniversary of the end of communism in Eastern Europe, the era which is simultaneously definitively over and yet still among us.
2367-573-X・anthropology-journal.org・2015
Studies of Jewish Life in Bulgaria: From the 16th to the 20th Century
Zvi Keren
In this unique collection of essays, Dr. Keren sheds light upon various aspects of Jewish life in Bulgaria, which he has researched thoroughly for the past 25 years. Meticulously deciphering numerous primary and secondary sources from archives across Europe, the author brings to life day-to-day dilemmas and challenges of lost Jewish communities. The volume proudly hosts the first English translation of the personal diary of Avraham Israel Rosanes (father of the historian Shelomo Rosanes and a public figure himself ), with an introduction, appendices, and footnotes that place this rare historic document in its broader context. Dr. Keren passed away after accomplishing the first proofreading of the book, and his son Nadav Keren completed the editing.
978-965-55050-8-5・Contento Now・2016
