Bai Ganio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bai Ganio is a fictional character created by Bulgarian author Aleko Konstantinov. He is considered an exemplary image of the progressive but yet uneducated middle class Bulgarian from the end of the 19th century. He is a Bulgarian with a variety of qualities: strength, courage, boldness but also ignorance, trickery and egoism.
The character has become an inspiration for a number of movies picturing his adventures in Bulgaria and Western Europe. Konstantinov was inspired to create Bai Ganio during a visit to Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. (Neuberger)
Today Bai Ganio is a synonym of the negative features of the "Balkan behavior"... e.g. somebody behaves like Bai Ganio
The book "Bai Ganio" is a satire of the dark side of Bulgarians, compared to West European nations. True patriots do not like to equate Bai Ganio with the typical Bulgarian, but the character is a useful reminder about the development needs of the nation.
[edit] Bibliography
- Neuberger, Mary. 2006. "To Chicago and Back: Alecko Konstantinov, Rose Oil, and the Smell of Modernity" in Slavic Review, Fall 2006.
