In the early 1990s, when the West genuinely believed that history had found its direction, Samuel Huntington’s theory of the “waves of democratization” sounded almost like a natural description of the world. It rested on the assumption that democracy advances in tides: it…

Hello friends, I’m starting something here that feels a bit questionable – but then again, why not? During the night I was haunted by a flurry of vague dreams where old and new memories blurred together. So by morning, the only clear thing was that I wanted to write – and not…

The sky over the city hung like old laundry, worn and faded from too much washing. A fine, sharp drizzle shaved the air; people scurried along, apologizing to one another when their umbrellas touched. The bloated, pretentious building — seemingly dulled by the constant roar of…

It begins in a drowsy provincial town — Prespan, somewhere deep in 1980s Bulgaria — at a moment when history quietly forgets its manners. The so-called “Revival Process” is in full swing, and neighbour turns against neighbour in a fog of fear, confusion, and officially…