Yordan Yovkov

A study of the life and writings of one of the greatest Bulgarian writers of the twentieth century. Since Yovkov is practically unknown in the West, this book deals with almost every important theme of his prose and dramas. The main part of the book contains five chapters, of which the first is devoted entirely to Yovkov's biography. Information about his life is scattered through many publications and has never been gathered into one systematic whole within a larger study. Subsequent chapters deal with the war prose, the prose of the 1920s, the plays, and the short stories and novels of the 1930s. Since only a few of Yovkov's short stories have been translated into English, extensive plot summaries are provided for some of the works. The book ends with a selected bibliography. "Mozejko's volume is a useful introduction to Yovkov... Appropriate for upper-division undergraduates." (Choice) "It is a pleasure to recommend this overview of Iovkov's life and works to all readers, and not just those interested in Bulgarian literature.... We can only hope it will have the kind of broad readership it deserves." (CSP) "...can be thoroughly recommended, both to the specialist devotees and to all who wish to discover more about the Bulgarian author whom Thomas Mann considered worthy of a place alongside the greatest short story writers of the world." (The South Slav Journal)