“The Powder-Keg of Europe”
Prolific Bulgarian-American author, Vladimir Chernozemsky takes us back to the time of the bloody Balkan War in one of his most personal novels -- a devastating war that still reverberates today in ongoing conflicts in the Balkans and the Middle East (former territories of the old Ottoman Turkish Empire).
Vladimir was named after his grandfather, the legendary military hero of the story. Working from family diaries, and tales told him by his grandmother and others who lived during those turbulent times -- the author has constructed an ultra-realistic portrait of the Balkan War, filled with true-life characters, battles and events.
The Ottoman Turks had occupied and oppressed the Balkans for five centuries. In the First Balkan War, Bulgaria allied with its neighboring nations to drive the Turkish army out of the Balkans, and south to the very gates of Constantinople. In the process, tiny but victorious Bulgaria restored much of its historic territory all the way to the Aegean Sea… Bulgaria had truly become the Lion of the Balkans.
(In an interesting parallel to current events, the major powers of Europe then stepped in to readjust territories, and thus set in motion the Second Balkan War –- a series of vicious battles between Bulgaria and its former allies to re-divide the Balkans.)
“An incredibly prophetic novel. As a grandson of the novel’s legendary hero, the author tells his story without gimmicks, based firmly on personal archives of his grandfather. Thanks to Chernozemsky’s brilliant writing talent, he achieves a remarkably powerful artistic impact over the reader. Lion of the Balkans rightfully takes its place amidst the best of historic romantic novels about war.”
-- Nacho Christoscov, Editor
CG Danov Publishing-Reviews
“An exciting saga of sweeping conflict, fierce pride and unbridled determination...author Chernozemsky grounds his novel in bitter realism during the bloody Balkan War.”
-- MBR/Bookwatch (Fiction Shelf) (5 Stars)
“A sweeping historical work...Engaging and informative. Anyone wishing to comprehend the Balkan War, the seemingly irresolvable conflicts of this critical region, and the contemporary situation, could not find a better source.”
-- Small Press Book Review (5 Stars)
Born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Vladimir Chernozemsky came under intense political scrutiny while working as a documentary director and poet in Sofia. With Communist State Security agents after him for espionage, Vladimir made a harrowing escape to the West. From then on he was constantly on the move - Paris, Rome, Casablanca, Algiers - eventually receiving asylum and citizenship in the U.S.
Vladimir is the author of 47 novels, plays, and screenplays written by him in five different languages. For his poems in French he has been praised as "the new Paul Verlaine." He has been hailed for his novels as "an exceptional literary talent" (MBR/Bookwatch) and "a talented, accomplished writer" (Bookviews). Vladimir is also known for his translations of other works, and as an actor, painter and film/stage director.
He has advanced degrees in Drama/Film for the DEFA in Berlin, Comparative Literature for LaSorbonne in Paris, and Film Directing from Centro Sperimentale di Cimematografia in Rome. He currently resides and works in Los Angeles, California.
