Bones of Contention ― The Living Archive of Vasil Levski and the Making of Bulgaria's National Hero

Todorova (history, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana) blends history, personal memory and sociology in this well-written exploration of the creation and use of the cults of Bulgarian national icon Vasil Levski. It is fitting that this study begins with a fight over the discovery and ownership of Levski's bones. From his death in 1873 at the hand of an Ottoman Turkish court, Levski was considered a patriot and martyr. His life story is woven into the narrative, but the thrust of the book is how Levski was appropriated by communist leaders, anti-government revolutionaries, popular legends and literary authors. After the fall of communism, he was even canonized by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. For Todorova, this microcosmic story of the fate of one hero is a template for the ways in which societies create their own histories, not just through documents, but collective memory, story-telling and traditions. Distributed by Books International. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)