The world is big and salvation lurks around the corner
Iliya Troyanov is a Bulgarian-German writer, translator and publisher. He was born in Sofia in
1965, but in 1971 he and his parents fled Bulgaria through Yugoslavia and Italy to Germany
where they received a political asylum. In the rest of his life the writer lived in a lot of different
parts of the world such as Kenya, Nairobi, Cape Town and Vienna, the town where he is living at
the moment. In 1997 he wrote ‘’The World is Big and Salvation Lurks around Corner’’ which
became one of his greatest novels and was later made into a film.
At first sight, the plot of the book looks very complicated and boring. But after page 30 or 40,
everything completely changes. The story is interesting and fascinating and it is also very
realistic. The book follows the whole life of an ordinary young Bulgarian boy named Alex who
fled from his native country-Bulgaria with his parents many years ago during the Totalitarian
regime.
Then, 20 years later, the grown man wakes up in a hospital and he is not able to remember
anything for he has amnesia. However, he sees an older man sitting next to him and soon he finds
out that the man is his grandfather- Bai Dan. Later, the young man and the older go on a trip
which leads back to Bulgaria, but before that the senior shows the wonderful and fun parts of
life, and, in the end, after lots of adventures, skeptic Alex manages to remember everything. In
addition, Bai Dan teaches his grandchild how to play backgammon because, according to the
elderly man, the game resembles real life.
I strongly recommend the book to people who want to get inspired and follow the life of the
Bulgarian native speakers and all emigrants who are forced not to live in their native countries. In
conclusion, the most memorable part from the book is when Alex says ‘’ Dices are of greatest
importance!’’ to which his grandfather responds with, ‘What is really important in life is in your
hands’’.
Ines Spasova – 10 b class
“In my opinion, the film is very interesting and provokes you to think about your own life. It
makes you think how you can forget who you are for seconds, forget everything and everyone in
your life. It teaches how to be brave and to start from the beginning. You think that if you are that
person, you can start your life from the beginning when you actually are in the middle of it.”
Nelina, VIII grade
“”The world is big and salvation lurks around the corner" made an extraordinary impression on
me. I learned a lot about the way people lived at that time - inside and outside Bulgaria. It is a
real life story about deep relationships between people, about the choices you have to make. The
world is truly big and beautiful things lurk around every corner, so life must be appreciated.The
book is great and I recommend it.”
Yana, X grade
““The world is big and salvation lurks around the corner” is a compelling book about life and its
struggles. The story is about the Luksov family, who take many hits from life. And when the
protagonist of the book, Alexander, has given up life as a whole, salvation comes when he least
expects it. In the book, the game backgammon is used to show us, the readers, that destiny lies in
our hands. I really enjoyed reading this book; it thaught me some important lessons about life and
about the importance of family. I would recommend the book to everyone.”
Magdalena, X grade
“The book shows that everything is in our own hands and decisions can be made only by us. The
main character shows how you can rebuild your life away from your motherland and your family.
But new life may not be better than the old and modest one. With the loss of his memory, the
main character finds out his forgotten family members. Through them he realises that even the
best life couldn’t compare with family love.“
Desislava, X grade
“In my opinion, the book teaches us to be interested in our family roots and that we mustn’t
forget where we have started our lives from. The book shows the backgammon as our life and the
dice as the chances in it. The main character represents strong features of human personality. The
book teaches us to be happy and thankful for everything we have.”
Dimana, X grade
“I was fascinated by the book because it is very realistic and exciting. The story is about a young
emigrant and his family and from first sight; it seems very complicated because it is full of
flashbacks. I like it because it follows the life not only of the Bulgarian emigrants, but also
follows the stories of other emigrants. Moreover, it shows how the totalitarian regime had impact
on people’s lives and how Alex and his parents were astonished when they saw another country.
Furthermore, I like the book because it is very instructive. In different ways, like playing the
game backgammon, Alex’s godfather shows him life and, most importantly, teaches him that life
is in his own hands, not only in dices. At the end of the book we see the main character as a
grown man who knows how wonderful the other parts of the world are, but he also realizes that
Bulgaria is the most beautiful place on Earth.”
Ines, X grade
“This book represents philosophy of life. The subject makes me think about family memory,
physical and mental survival of human being. Immersing in the story, I rediscover myself, awake
my senses and realize that everyone can fall to the bottom. On the other hand, one can rise again,
because the world is really big and, if you are wise enough, you can find salvation everywhere.”
Fidanka Kosturkova, a teacher