People of the storm god : travels in Macedonia / Will Myer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Myer, Will, 1968-

Series:

Lost and found series.

Lost and found series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Macedonians--Ethnic identity.

Macedonians.

Macedonia--Description and travel.

Macedonia.

Macedonia--History.

Physical Description:

xx, 276 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.

Place of Publication:

Northampton, Mass. : Interlink Books, 2005.

Summary:

With this sense of historic complexity in mind, Will Myer travelled to the troubled Balkans in autumn 1994 and the following spring. His aim was to discover the political and human reality of a region beset by conflict and controversy, fought over for centuries by rival powers. In particular, he sought to explore the true nature of Macedonian identity, or rather of a multiple identity.

Travelling in Bulgaria and the newly independent Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Myer encounters a bewildering array of political and cultural opinions-Orthodox Christians and Muslims, Communists and nationalists, warlords and modernizers. His investigations take him to Orthodox weddings and Easter parades, political meetings and religious ceremonies. He meets widows and witches, dervishes and mystics. Throughout, he remains fascinated by the human dimension of Macedonia's deep-seated identity crisis.

More than a simple travelogue, People of the Storm God casts light on the troubled history of Macedonia and its unique melting pot of politics, religion, ethnicity and nationalism. Compared to the writing of Patrick Leigh Fermor, this book evocatively reveals both the extraordinary cultural diversity of the Balkans and the weight of history borne by its different peoples.

Contents:

Prologue: "The Macedonian Question" xiv

Part 1 Land of the Storm God: Pirin Macedonia 1

The Muslims of Kraiste and Gorni Kraiste 9

The Christians of Bansko 15

Anna's Mother 24

Living for the Hora 28

VMRO and Ilinden 31

Gotse Delchev 36

Laments and Bagpipes 44

Yakoruda 48

Blagoevgrad 54

Rila Monastery 68

Melnik 73

Vanga the Witch 81

Georgii the Historian 88

Part 2 "Welcome to Slaka": Vardar Macedonia 97

Skopje and the Macedonian Church 97

The Muslim Quarter of Skopje 109

Rifa'i Dervishes 116

Easter Celebrations 131

Tetovo 136

Mafia Politics 141

Evangelism 149

Kumanovo 156

Serbs and Croats 163

Prilep 173

Krusevo 180

Bitola 203

Ohrid 221

Struga 240

Bayram in Ohrid 249

The Monastery of St Naum 258.

ISBN:

1566565782

OCLC:

58752342