The majority of Americans who wrote on
Bulgaria or visited the country showed energy, curiosity, sense of wonder, and
faith in the future of Bulgaria and mankind even when they
were disappointed in some particular aspect of their travel experience. They considered
knowledge, and their travel experiences important, their individual responses
and reactions significant and worth preserving. Although they were usually
unfamiliar with the Bulgarian language, history and customs, their comments on
the Bulgarian character were generally positive.
It was difficult for the American traveler,
who knew little about the country, to come to terms with the complex cultural
milieu of Bulgarians, Greeks, Turks, etc. and to resolve the difference
sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant between the Balkan mind cushioned on a
multi-layered rich past and a modern American mind formed in the New World free
from the burden of the past. The
Bulgarians, busy with their struggle to free themselves and maintain their
independence, thought little about and did even less to attract tourists.
For the American tourists the Balkans were
on the periphery of their travel plans. Most of those who visited the country
went there as passers-by and caught only a glimpse of Bulgaria. Bulgaria in the
view of the American traveler was either a peasant society or a society in
transition with many Oriental traits still present. The Bulgarians were
described as simple, natural, methodological, disciplined, and diligent. There
were, of course, some descriptions which were tendentious and even misleading.
The Orthodox Church was criticized, in part, in the belief that this would make
Americans come to the support of the American missionaries working in Bulgaria.
However, the commentaries of these pioneer
American travelers are not without merit. Through sharing their travel
experiences with their countrymen, the American travelers contributed toward
making Bulgaria known to Americans. Although most of the descriptions were
brief, they nonetheless were good enough to create an image of a country with a
long history, a relatively heroic past and a people struggling to free itself,
and modernize its country.
No comments:
Post a Comment