THE ROMANIAN OCCUPATION OF SOUTHERN DOBRUDJA, REFLECTED IN THE MANUSCRIPT HERITAGE OF PUBLICIST DANAIL BEKYAROV

Abstract

This article presents the manuscript legacy of the lawyer, local historian and publicist Danail Bekyarov (1911–2006). In the period 1983–1995, he wrote his memories on more than a thousand pages. The first part of his memoirs focuses on the ethnodemographic characteristics of the geographical area of Dobrudja from the 18th century to the period of the Romanian occupation. In his later memoirs, Bekyarov strove to objectively recreate the events from 1913 to 1940. The political reality in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century is revealed through numerous examples from social life in Southern Dobrudja. The memoirs deal with the complex relationships between Bulgarians and Romanians on the one hand, and Bulgarians and Tsintzars on the other. The personal testimonies of Danail Bekyarov have a special value, as they cover one of the white fields in Bulgarian history.