“Bay Ganyo”, “To Chicago and Back”, “Various People, Different Ideals” are one of the most popular works of the famous Bulgarian authors Aleko Konstantinov.
Bay Ganyo is a fictional character created who is an exemplary image of an anti-hero: uneducated, ignorant, egoistic. Sometimes perceived as an ethnic stereotype of the uneducated, profit-driven and oriental Bulgarian and indeed the average Balkan person, he is often seen merely as a social stereotype, a member of the Principality of Bulgaria's newly-formed lower bourgeoisie. Bay Ganyo has a real prototype – the Karlovo tradesman Ganyo Somov.
Many people say that the author Aleko Konstantinov is the antipode of his character. This can be seen in his next book – “To Chicago and Back”. The author was a cosmopolitan traveler; he visited Western Europe and America and wrote down his trip in a book.