Georgi Gospodinov, one of Bulgaria’s foremost contemporary writers, has reflected on the impact of his 2023 International Booker Prize win and the broader significance of literature in confronting nostalgia and political pressures. Born in Yambol and now based in Sofia, Gospodinov is a novelist, poet, and playwright whose work often explores themes of memory, history, and identity.
His award-winning novel, *Time Shelter*, centers on a clinic for Alzheimer’s patients that reconstructs past decades as a coping mechanism. The novel’s English translation by Angela Rodel helped bring international attention not only to Gospodinov but also to Bulgarian literature. Before the prize, Gospodinov said it was difficult for Bulgarian authors to be taken seriously abroad, often facing stereotypes that pigeonholed their work into exotic or historical clichés focused on violence and uprisings. The Booker Prize win, he noted, has not only boosted his career but also sparked greater interest in Balkan literature among publishers outside the region.
Gospodinov’s recent book, *The Man with Many Names*, comprises short stories written over several decades and contains elements ranging from absurdist portraits to reflections on communist Europe. The collection revisits characters such as Gaustine, who first appeared in earlier stories and later in *Time Shelter*. Gaustine embodies a fixation with the past, living as if trapped in another era, a motif that Gospodinov uses to explore how people relate to history and memory.
Central to his storytelling is the blending of mundane details with magical realism, as well as a rejection of conventional linear narratives. Inspired by traditions of oral storytelling, particularly from his grandmother, Gospodinov seeks to create stories that traverse time and space in labyrinthine ways. He contrasts this approach with the monumental and ideologically driven literature of Bulgaria’s communist past, emphasizing instead the power of “small stories.”
The theme of “unhappened things”—experiences denied or prevented by political and social constraints—pervades Gospodinov’s work. Under communist rule, restrictions such as travel bans sharply limited individual freedoms and shaped collective consciousness. Trains and railway stations often appear in his stories as symbols of journeying and connection, representing the opposite of the isolation and broken communication he sees in today’s world.
Gospodinov warns that a “pandemic of loneliness” exacerbated by misinformation, propaganda, and political tensions—particularly relating to Russian influence in Bulgaria—has led to increased social fragmentation. He identifies the weaponization of nostalgia as a dangerous political tool, citing current Bulgarian debates around education and single-narrative historical texts promoted by the ruling party of Prime Minister Rumen Radev.
Looking ahead, Gospodinov remains open in his creative process, describing his next project as an exploration of a seemingly uneventful moment—3 p.m.—where, paradoxically, much can happen beneath the surface. *The Man with Many Names* was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on October 22.