• Pg. 517 •
I have talked a lot with Macedonians in Serbia, in Bulgaria and
in the Diaspora, where there is the largest number. Many times I
asked them what they are, Serb or Bulgar, where I got a large
variety of answers […] Sometimes I would hear a Macedonian
speaking Serbian saying ‘I am Bulgarian’ and vice versa. That is
very funny […] but also very regretful because most Macedonians
are neither Serb nor Bulgar, but just Macedonian.
• Pg. 519 •
‘What are you reading?’ ‘Macedonian songs, brother.’ He
handed me the book — they were folk songs, written in the
Serbian, Macedonian and Bulgarian dialects… ‘But listen
brother, here there are a lot of Serbian and Bulgarian songs,’ I
told him. ‘They’re not Bulgarian nor Serbian. These songs are
ours and we are Macedonians — therefore, Macedonian songs.’
Those were the words of my friend Veljko. I wanted to tell him
that Macedonians are not a separate people, but in order to not
cause a quarrel, I left it alone.
