Boris Khristov's writing speaks to the tragedy of the human condition, particularly as that tragedy unfolds in the spiritual and political slavery suffered under communist regimes. His poetry and prose contrast sharply with the ideologically charged, semi-official art that was encouraged for decades by the Bulgarian government. Khristov's art is essentially the exploration of a question: how can a person live in an unfree world and protect himself as an individual? In his answer the poet focuses on personal life and the language in which all that is expressed makes it into a psychological character sketch, one created by body gestures, actions, and sensations, in images and symbols that are often archetypal. The theme of hopelessness and the individual's resistance to it results in a narrative of human life that is interlaced with metaphor, analogy, and a sense of the grotesque. Lyricism transforms that personal confession about the...