Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov, widely recognized for his novels including the 2023 International Booker Prize winner *Time Shelter*, has released a new collection of short stories in English titled *The Man with Many Names*. This volume brings together two of Gospodinov’s original collections, spanning three decades of his career, with many stories newly translated or retranslated by Angela Rodel, co-winner of the International Booker Prize for her translation of *Time Shelter*.
The collection is divided into two thematic sections that chronicle Bulgaria’s complex recent history through a range of personal and communal narratives. The first part revisits the communist era, drawing on family anecdotes and childhood memories to explore life under the totalitarian regime. Gospodinov’s signature understated humor pervades these stories. For instance, in “History Caught with Its Pants Down,” the People’s Militia mistakenly suspects a man of conspiratorial activities late at night, only to find he was simply helping his wife with household chores. This story serves as a metaphor for the absurdities and hidden realities behind official history during the communist period.
The second part shifts focus to post-communist Bulgaria, spotlighting the social and demographic changes triggered by mass emigration following the fall of communism in 1989. Many Bulgarians left the country for Western Europe and beyond, leaving behind depopulated towns and villages. Gospodinov paints a poignant picture of this landscape in stories such as “The Ritual,” where a film crew documents a ghost wedding—a symbolic ceremony linking a Bulgarian émigré marrying a Canadian in Niagara Falls to his home village, which celebrates in absentia. The film director’s growing awareness of the villagers’ loneliness and the emptiness wrought by migration captures the enduring emotional toll on those left behind.
The collection also addresses the difficult realities faced by emigrants themselves, who often work menial jobs far from their homeland. Gospodinov notes, for example, that while some Bulgarians abroad may dream of success, many find themselves employed in jobs such as construction workers, cleaners, and caregivers—details often omitted from more optimistic portrayals.
Despite these somber themes, some stories reflect a more modern, outward-looking Bulgaria. In “O Henry!”, a Christmas tale, a young woman travels from Sofia to New York for a brief holiday with her boyfriend—a scenario illustrating how the country’s relationship with the West has evolved dramatically in recent decades.
Overall, *The Man with Many Names* offers a nuanced literary exploration of Bulgaria’s transformation over the past 30 years, blending irony, folklore, and postmodern narrative techniques. Through his storytelling, Gospodinov provides readers with an insightful glimpse into a nation navigating the legacies of communism and the challenges of integration into the broader European context.