Dimiter Kenarov’s essay, “The Closing of the Bulgarian Frontier,” reflects on his return to Bulgaria in 2010 after over a decade in the United States. He describes his move back as a search for a new frontier, a place where time was still moving forward, in contrast to the stagnation he perceived in the United States. Kenarov reminisces about his childhood in Bulgaria during the Communist era, highlighting the contrast between the idealistic vision of post-Communist Bulgaria and the challenging economic and social realities of the 1990s. The essay captures the tumultuous period of Bulgaria’s transition from a Communist regime to a market economy, marked by economic hardship, political corruption, and a cultural renaissance.

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