Cultural Memory and Identity in Times of Conflict: Analysing the Bulgarian Campaign of 1913 Through Romanian Soldiers’ Memoirs

The formation of collective identity and cultural memory is deeply influenced by the historical context and the area in which they develop. Memorial writing entails the reconstruction of the realities of the age under focus, drawing on the author’s objective and especially subjective memories. It is influenced by the one who analyses the events, the language and the underlying values. Thus, the boundary between fiction and reality is often indistinct, as memory gaps are filled with the aid of imagination, without diminishing the documentary value of the text. Since memoirs represent a crossover between history, identity, and literature, an armed conflict can be narrated in many ways. This is also true for Romania’s military campaign in 1913, a moment that is not sufficiently explored by Romanian historiography and literature. Those who serve as chroniclers of the time, enduring endless marches through hostile environments and encountering a largely unfriendly population, contribute to Romanians’ discovery of a reality of the country south of the Danube River that is both similar to and different from theirs. Writers, historians, and publicists fill their pages with memories of a campaign where almost no shots were fired but which resulted in over 5000 victims killed by cholera.