[Note: after some years, I prevailed upon P.N. Zoytlow to provide an explanation why he, frankly, picked on a particular group.]
Apologies to the Bulgarians
by Philip N. Zoytlow
It is time to atone for some episodes of carelessness. The bald truth is that Phillip Zoytlow is guilty of fomenting negative stereotypes about persons from an eastern European nation, Bulgaria. Although he never said much that was specific to their culture or history, the implication was that there was something wanting when it came to Bulgars. How did this evolve?
The word “Bulgar.”
Here is the core of the problem. The word “Bulgar” seemed to Zoytlow to evoke wild, “swarthy” men of the steppes of Central Asia who wandered and pillaged their way to the present location of Bulgaria, a modern nation that is comprised of a number of ethnicities. That was a millennium and earlier than the present day. Whether the origin of the “Bulgars” is Turkic or Slavic is an ongoing discussion among specialists today. Zoytlow is not a specialist. He is merely ignorant, and his assumptions about these matters are useless as they are counterproductive.
It is likely that he has confused youthful exposure to films about vampires (Transylvania, a province of Romania) and lore about “Gypsies” or, more properly, the Roma people who are present in much of Europe and makeup perhaps 4-10 percent of the Bulgarian population today.
While Zoytlow’s own ethnic roots are unclear, it may be argued that he has too easily absorbed Teutonic views that attended his early years in the United States. Bias is the daily bread of Americans. While these are usually centered on the Poles, Zoytlow is an outlier when he
makes dismissive remarks about Bulgarians. And he had a friend in high school who, apropos of nothing, would proclaim, while in the gym’s locker room, “We resent Bulgarian authoritarianism!” Which meant nothing except as a possible artifact of the Cold War. Unless he was referencing the long-time Bulgarian Communist Party boss Todor Zhivkov. Doubtful.
Zoytlow’s highly-acclaimed novel, A Scrim, has been sharply criticized because of its cavalier attitude towards “Transdanubians,” which is a vague reference to Eastern Europe and sometimes portrays this folk as somewhat wanting in cleverness. At the same time, it applauds their struggle for respect in their new Illinois setting.
Bulgar Wheat.
Early on, the Zoytlow family developed a taste for bulgur or bulgur wheat. It came to replace potatoes and rice in their diet. Philip’s uncle, who was a frequent visitor to the family at dinner time, never failed to pronounce bulgur as a power food of the Bulgars, allowing them to mount a campaign that threatened the whole of Christendom in the 8th Century. This was false, but the damage was done. Bulgur is a Turkish word referring to partially cooked and dried wheat. Note the distinction in spelling; thus, bulgur wheat is a red herring. And, once again, we absorb some of our social views from our families.
Der Alter Bulgar
Der Alter Bulgar is a German/Yiddish hit tune of the 1920s, which is still played today as a klezmer tune by Itzhak Perlman. The lyrics, here in a condensed version, describe a visit to a bazaar where a 100-year-old Bulgarian sells bananas. He sits in the market every day, smiles, and is the picture of contentment. He also smokes a single cigar all year long. Other versions have him on one cigar that he smoked his entire life. The song concludes by suggesting that we should all live like that.
“His life is peaceful
he doesn’t get upset about anything.
and wants nothing but his peace!
Yes, you can live like that for a hundred years
but who lives as wisely as the old Bulgarian?”
“Who lives as wisely as the old Bulgarian?” is not a question that is injurious to Bulgarians but rather an approving statement.
Last Words
Zoytlow’s short-sighted dismissive attitude toward Bulgarians and, no doubt, a host of other nationalities is not unusual where ignorance is the culprit. This is not to let him off the hook.
* * * * * *
Note: if you know of a Bulgarian charity, PNZ would be happy to
make a contribution as an act of further atonement.
P.N.ZOYTLOW 