“I am not a writer,” confesses Antonina Duridanova in the first line of her memoir, but during her retirement party, she promised a friend that she’d write a book about her life. New Beginnings: From Behind the Iron Curtain to America (Fulton Books) proves that the author keeps her promises.
Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1949, Duridanova immigrated to the United States during the Cold War in 1970, which, she notes, was a time “when it was difficult for even birds to fly over the Iron Curtain.” New Beginnings spans her early childhood in Bulgaria, her escape to the west at age 20, and her life and career in America through her retirement in 2014 — over 50 years in total (including a brief time jump to discuss 2020). That may seem like an exceptionally lengthy timeframe for one book to cover, but Duridanova has thoughtfully curated the selection of memories she shares in an effort to demonstrate “the meaning of courage, sacrifice, endurance, perseverance, and love for family and friends.”
In detailing the years before she left Bulgaria, she focuses on family and education. It’s a complementary pair as her family was made up of several intellectuals — her father was a university professor, her mother taught high school and her aunt inspired her love of reading. But this pairing extends beyond a mere shared interest in academics; her family fought to ensure she had the best education possible.
When her parents discover that an elementary school teacher has been accepting bribes in exchange for better grades, negatively impacting the author, she’s taken to another school. In high school when anti-communist allegations threaten to have Duridanova expelled, her mother has her transferred into another class to prevent further speculation and ensure that she can remain at the English language school. During a weekend trip home from university, her passport is detained by police, but with the help of her mother, she’s able to return to Belgrade temporarily to take her final exams.
Duridanova’s decision to leave Bulgaria and her long road toward a new life in the United States doesn’t occupy as many pages as the reader might expect, but by no means does she skip over the difficulty in entering the free world. She had to leave her family behind; she risked imprisonment and labor camp traveling beyond the limits of her visa; she turned herself in to the German authorities and entered a refugee camp in order to open the door to America. However, despite the realities surrounding her journey, Duridanova does not dwell on the difficult moments from her life: “I always moved on,” she writes, “leaving destructive people and unpleasant situations behind,” and her memoir follows suit.
While Duridanova may not be a professional writer, she’s clearly a storyteller. This record of her memories feels simple and intimate, much like listening to the stories of a friend or relative might. When she reflects on her last moments with her grandmother, which she didn’t know would be their last moments together at the time, the reader aches. When Duridanova slips into Vienna without getting caught, the reader feels the same exhilaration and relief that the author describes. And years later when she returns to her homeland, the significance of the opportunity, this “dream assignment,” to help Bulgaria build a new tax system after its fall to Communism is palpable, especially considering all the hard work and sacrifice she has endured reaching this point.
New Beginnings offers an inspiring story and provides an honest look at life both behind the Iron Curtain and as an immigrant. Duridanova shares the wisdom she has gleaned over a lifetime in a highly approachable and digestible manner. And for readers wanting to learn more about the author’s experiences, her blog shares further insights and several photos from her travels.
