he Golden Age (A.D. 893-927) of the first and second
Bulgarian kingdom, Bulgarian arts and letters dominated the Slavic
world. Exposed to the flourishing culture of neighboring Byzantium,
Bulgarians absorbed its influence, adapted it to their own Slavic
culture and language, and then spread it among the less advanced Slavic
peoples in the Balkans and to the north.

After the Turkish conquest in 1396, cultural development was retarded
for several centuries until the drive for liberation in the nineteenth
century rekindled its creative spark. In contrast to the Golden Age,
however, when Bulgarian culture was widespread, modern artistic and
intellectual expression tended to be provincial in both its audience and
its content. After independence, although interest in cultural and
intellectual matters was high, support for it was restricted to a
minority in Sofia and in a few of the largest towns. The government made
some contribution to the country's artistic development through small
subsidies to institutions and government jobs for artists and
intellectuals, but the subsidies were not always on the basis of merit.

Before World War II few people could made an adequate living through
creative work alone, with the possible exception of members of the
National Theater and Opera. The prestige of university professors,
members of the Academy of Sciences, and the leading singers, artists,
actors, and writers was high, but the financial rewards were hardly
commensurate with their standing. Despite their prestige, Bulgarian
writers and intellectuals have not enjoyed the same position of
leadership and influence that has been traditional in other countries of
Eastern Europe.

The communist government had promoted pride in the cultural heritage by
restoring and preserving the country's medieval treasures and national
revival masterpieces and by promoting traditional folk arts both in
their own right and as inspiration to other forms of artistic
expression. Considerable funds and efforts have been devoted to the
promotion of new artistic and intellectual expression, which is seen as
an important medium for the political and social education of the
people. For this reason the leadership has tried to keep artistic and
intellectual expression under control and to use it for its own
purposes.

Despite controls, artistic and intellectual life is active. Not all
creative effort becomes public, and that which does not meet the
prescrib