To Chicago and Back

"To Chicago and Back" is one of the most famous books by Aleko Konstantinov. It was written in 1893 as travelogue. It is as much about America as it is about the Bulgarians. It sounds as current and vibrant now as it did in the late 19th Century. Aleko Konstantinov, went to the World's Columbian Exhibition in 1893 and returned with a travel book that has been set reading in Bulgarian schools for generations. The Happy Man described the Niagara Falls and the Chicago slaughterhouses with alot of humor. Although he had travelled widely throughout Europe and was well read, he realised the moment he arrived that nothing could have prepared him for the culture shock he experienced on seeing New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington. Following are some excerpts from "To Chicago and Back" that the modern reader will be shocked to find it as relevant and spicy today as they were at the end of the 19th Century.