Die Sanftmütigen by Angel Igov translated into German by Andreas Tretner

 

Last year, I´ve promised myself to discover more Bulgarian authors, but in over a year I only had the chance to read Theodora Dimova, in a French translation. It is not easy to find quality translations from Bulgarian, also due to the relative limited number of translators. However Germany does have a slightly different situation, with a culturally active Bulgarian Institute in Berlin and a highly sought after translator of Bulgarian literature into German in the person of Andreas Tretner. 

Thus, my great chance to get to know a young author, university teacher and publicits, Angel Igov, with an interesting creative portfolio, approaching a topic that is rarely talked about in some Eastern European countries: relationships with Nazi Germany and the Jewish citizens and the People´s Trials in the first years of the communism. 

The Meek - translated into German as Die Sanftmütigen from the original Krotkite in Bulgarian- is a relatively short novel, with a clear focus on the sudden change of political circumstances and human behaviors. 

It is a time of metamorphosis when simple people were given power and chose to use it radically. Those people, the meek ones, exist in every dictatorship. The circumstances bring them to the upper echelons and they will never disappoint. They will do their best to convince everyone and themselves that they were really worth the trust. Sounds a lot like the new converts to belief who hurry up to judge and accuse the older brethen into faith for a less orthodox pathway. 

The predominant voices from The Meek are those of the instruments of power, the new voices of the people. The victims of the purges are mentioned but as in real life, they have no way to pledge their cause, being taken over by the wave of the revolution. However, there is no empathy expressed towards the victims either. 

The predominant legal language, with a high degree of official vocabulary - for the non-native German readers, the holders of C1-level knowledge will feel relatively comfortable - is circumvening the territory of the revolution, the new classes divisions and the balance of power represented by the Communist People´s Court. 

I´ve found the angle and the topic very interesting, and only opened my appetite for more Bulgarian literature. Luckily, I got another two titles that will review soon.

Rating: 4.5 stars