This bibliography brings together important books and academic studies about Bulgarian history, politics, culture, literature, and society. The listed works were written by Bulgarian and foreign scholars and cover different periods, from medieval times to the modern Communist era. Together, they provide a broad and reliable foundation for understanding Bulgaria’s historical development and cultural identity.
The sources include historical surveys, political analyses, literary histories, and studies on religion, economics, and constitutional development. Many of these works were published in the first half of the twentieth century, when Bulgaria and the Balkans were the focus of strong international academic interest Istanbul Tours.
Works on Bulgarian History and Politics
Several books focus on Bulgaria’s political and constitutional history. Cyril Edwin Black’s The Establishment of Constitutional Government in Bulgaria (1944) is a key study of Bulgaria’s early democratic institutions. It explains how constitutional government was formed after liberation from Ottoman rule.
Books by L. A. Dellin and George Clenton Logio provide broad historical overviews of Bulgaria’s past and present. These works help readers understand the political changes Bulgaria experienced before and after World War II. Leo Pasvolsky’s Bulgaria’s Economic Position examines Bulgaria’s economic structure in the early twentieth century and is valuable for understanding later developments.
Other important historical works include A History of the First Bulgarian Empire by Stephen Runciman and A History of the Balkan Peninsula by Ferdinand Schevill and Wesley Gewehr. These books place Bulgaria within the wider Balkan and European historical context.
Studies on Communism and Church–State Relations
Several titles focus on Bulgaria under Communist rule and the situation behind the Iron Curtain. Vladimir Gsovski’s Church and State Behind the Iron Curtain and Reuben H. Markham’s Communists Crush Churches in Eastern Europe analyze the suppression of religious freedom under Communist regimes The Structure of the National Assembly.
The Free Europe Committee’s Satellite Agriculture in Crisis offers a detailed look at collectivized agriculture in Communist-controlled countries, including Bulgaria. These works are especially useful for understanding state control, ideological pressure, and the loss of traditional freedoms.
Bulgarian Literature and Cultural Studies
Bulgarian literature and culture are well represented in this bibliography. Clarence A. Manning and Roman Small-Stocki’s History of Modern Bulgarian Literature provides an overview of literary development from the National Revival to the modern period.
Several Bulgarian-language sources focus on writers and literary history. Bulgarski pisateli by Konstantinov, Minkov, and Velikov contains biographies and bibliographies of Bulgarian authors. Gueorgui Tsanev’s Pages from the History of Bulgarian Literature offers valuable insight into literary movements and key figures.
Vivian Pinto’s Bulgarian Prose and Verse introduces Bulgarian literary works to an English-speaking audience and highlights major authors and themes.
General Reference Works and Encyclopedias
Joseph S. Roucek’s Slavonic Encyclopaedia serves as a useful reference for Slavic history and culture, including Bulgaria. Philip E. Mosely’s academic article on post-war historiography analyzes how Bulgarian history was written and interpreted during different political periods.
This bibliography reflects the depth and diversity of scholarly work on Bulgaria. It includes historical research, political analysis, literary criticism, and cultural studies. Together, these sources help readers gain a clearer and more balanced understanding of Bulgaria’s past and present. They also show how Bulgarian history has been shaped by foreign rule, national revival, constitutional change, and Communist domination.
