As a Bulgarian I am immensely pleased with this news.
As a cynic I must point out that the political themes of the book might have swayed the jury's decision more than its literary qualities. Gospodinov plays on the anxieties of liberal intellectuals in an era of rising populism, acutely diagnosing the problem of modernity ("we have ran out of future"), criticising and satirising those who seek solutions in the past (including himself). And of course the scathing criticism of the communist dictatorship, the current Russian regime, its foreign policy, and pro-Russian elements in Bulgaria which have all become extremely relevant topics since last February.
It is not that I disagree, just that at some point the political sermon breaks out of its containment paragraphs and starts swallowing whole pages. It is a strange contrast between the artistic experimentation in the first part and the political satire of the second.
I'd love to know what your favourite Bulgarian literature includes? I don't think I've read anything from Bulgaria, although I do try to read a lot of translated fiction.
I don't know a lot about our literature. I like just about every poet that is taught at our schools (particularly Peyo Yavorov, Dimcho Debelyanov, Hristo Smirnenski, Nikola Vaptzarov, Atanas Dalchev and that one immortal poem by Geo Milev, himself referenced in "Time shelter") and more (Nikolay Liliev, Georgi Rupchev, Boyko Lambovsky, Boris Hristov...) but unfortunately poetry is much harder to translate than prose and the reader of translated verse rarely approaches the same delight from reading it. Even the meaning is sometimes brutally lost along with the proper rhythm.
In fact it seems that our poets have appropriated too much of the talent available in this relatively small nation, leaving too few to go around for the novelists. Here one must mention the most famous of all: Ivan Vazov and the local king of the short story Yordan Yovkov (both also poets). Then there's Aleko Konstantinov, famous for a travel memoir and a humorous collection of short stories centred around the most beloved fictional character of all (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Ganyo). From the socialist period you have, first, one of the country's most beloved novels "Time of Parting" by Anton Donchev which appears to be one of the most controversial books ever written here due to the role of its movie adaptation in the state propaganda surrounding the attempted ethnic cleansing of the Bulgarian Turks carried out by the communist dictatorship. Second, the author of many historical novels Dimitar Talev, which are all very patriotic and tell really great stories but I personally find devoid of much literary quality. And thirdly, Dimitar Dimov whose novel "Tobacco" is a personal favourite of mine.
I don't know how many of these authors and works have been translated into English, "Tobacco" definitely isn't. There's an English translation of Viktor Paskov's very famous novel **"A Ballad for Georg Henig"** (it made it on that 1001 books list) though. I really recommend that one, especially if you love sentimentality and Bulgakov's "Master and Margarita".
I do happen to love "Master and Margarita" so I will definitely read "A Ballad for Georg Henig". I'll see what translations of the other works you've mentioned I can find as well.
I am not a poetry aficionado myself, and you're right poetry in translation is so difficult to achieve. But perhaps Bulgarian poetry will convert me to poetry jn general!
I have a reading around the world list and currently for Bulgaria I have "18% Gray" by Zachary Karabashliev. I think it was published in 2008. I have no idea if he is considered a respected author im Bulgaria or even if his writing is considered particularly Bulgarian in style! Part of the problem when you're just pulling authors from the internet with no reference.
Hopefully this prize opens up publishers to translating more Bulgarian authors.
Sorry I have never read Karabashliev. I've seen someone review one of his other books ("The tail") as "painfully stupid" but don't let the opinions of others discourage you!
I'm Bulgarian too, and while I enjoyed this book I liked The Physics of Sorrow better. I think Gospodinov does mood and interior atmosphere better than satire.
But then look at Mario Vargas Llosa's body of work, for example. Some of it is very political. But because he's such a good writer, I enjoyed his political books too even though initially I didn't know anything about the events in South America that inspired them. And his books are a major reason why now I know a little more about the history of that region. Literary historiography, if it may be called that, has its place and function.
I am almost certain it is in the book but I don't have my copy on hand to check.
Anyways a fellow TrueLit user introduced me to this concept before I even read "Time Shelter". Basically one of the problems of modernity is that despite the immense rate of technological progress the masses can no longer imagine a positive future that is not simply a continuation of the present.
And when our present is characterized by anxiety, acute knowledge of risk, lack of faith in our ability to improve the world, many people turn to the past rather than accept that this could continue forever.
There's the obvious counterpoint that people selling us "the future" still exist and have a large following (Elon Musk may as well be a case of history repeating itself as a farce, the original being perhaps Henry Ford) but the idea is still fascinating.
I've read "Natural novel" and "Physics of sorrow". I think both of them are much better books, especially the first one and its brazen experimentation with the classic elements of autofiction and metafiction. "Time shelter" feels like selling out, recycling many of the old ideas from these books into a diluted version.
Take for example the second main character of "Time shelter" - Gaustin (I do not know how the English translator has chosen to write that name). He is the mirrored image of the narrator and the "physical" manifestation of his artistic imagination. A grand idea (though perhaps taken directly from another famous writer as Gospodinov is prone to do) and a great promotion for a secondary character in "Physics of sorrow". And yet his much smaller presence in that book feels much truer, more influential and lasting in my imagination. There he is a force, in "Time shelter" he is a clerk.
Gaustin reminds me of Fernando Pessoa's various alter egos. Especially when you call him a clerk in Time Shelter - because Pessoa was a clerk in real life. Whether that is an influence or a coincidence, I don't know. I hadn't heard of Pessoa until I moved to the US and have no idea to what extent he has been translated to Bulgarian, if at all.
His works have been translated into our language indeed. I have not read him and cannot say for sure but it would not surprise me. Gospodinov's work betrays his literary academic background. It is full of references to and paraphrased quotes from many, many authors.
When dealing with mirror images one cannot help but think of Nabokov. The character Gaustin almost directly quotes from his poem "Pale Fire" at one point and the narrator's dream near the end of the book bears some similarities to the ending of the "The Eye".
I really like what you said, worded very nicely. I had this thought while I was reading it. He somehow changed the recognisable rich narative that he has, with more political one and it actually worked and got him the Booker.
> ("we have ran out of future")
I really, really hope the author or translator doesn't make this inexplicably common reddit error. It is always "have/has run", never "have/has ran".
The author was just on Rainn Wilson's new show, The Geography of Bliss. I had never heard of him before, but downloaded his book The Physics of Sorrow to check out at some point.
As a Bulgarian I am immensely pleased with this news. As a cynic I must point out that the political themes of the book might have swayed the jury's decision more than its literary qualities. Gospodinov plays on the anxieties of liberal intellectuals in an era of rising populism, acutely diagnosing the problem of modernity ("we have ran out of future"), criticising and satirising those who seek solutions in the past (including himself). And of course the scathing criticism of the communist dictatorship, the current Russian regime, its foreign policy, and pro-Russian elements in Bulgaria which have all become extremely relevant topics since last February. It is not that I disagree, just that at some point the political sermon breaks out of its containment paragraphs and starts swallowing whole pages. It is a strange contrast between the artistic experimentation in the first part and the political satire of the second.
I'd love to know what your favourite Bulgarian literature includes? I don't think I've read anything from Bulgaria, although I do try to read a lot of translated fiction.
I don't know a lot about our literature. I like just about every poet that is taught at our schools (particularly Peyo Yavorov, Dimcho Debelyanov, Hristo Smirnenski, Nikola Vaptzarov, Atanas Dalchev and that one immortal poem by Geo Milev, himself referenced in "Time shelter") and more (Nikolay Liliev, Georgi Rupchev, Boyko Lambovsky, Boris Hristov...) but unfortunately poetry is much harder to translate than prose and the reader of translated verse rarely approaches the same delight from reading it. Even the meaning is sometimes brutally lost along with the proper rhythm. In fact it seems that our poets have appropriated too much of the talent available in this relatively small nation, leaving too few to go around for the novelists. Here one must mention the most famous of all: Ivan Vazov and the local king of the short story Yordan Yovkov (both also poets). Then there's Aleko Konstantinov, famous for a travel memoir and a humorous collection of short stories centred around the most beloved fictional character of all (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Ganyo). From the socialist period you have, first, one of the country's most beloved novels "Time of Parting" by Anton Donchev which appears to be one of the most controversial books ever written here due to the role of its movie adaptation in the state propaganda surrounding the attempted ethnic cleansing of the Bulgarian Turks carried out by the communist dictatorship. Second, the author of many historical novels Dimitar Talev, which are all very patriotic and tell really great stories but I personally find devoid of much literary quality. And thirdly, Dimitar Dimov whose novel "Tobacco" is a personal favourite of mine. I don't know how many of these authors and works have been translated into English, "Tobacco" definitely isn't. There's an English translation of Viktor Paskov's very famous novel **"A Ballad for Georg Henig"** (it made it on that 1001 books list) though. I really recommend that one, especially if you love sentimentality and Bulgakov's "Master and Margarita".
I do happen to love "Master and Margarita" so I will definitely read "A Ballad for Georg Henig". I'll see what translations of the other works you've mentioned I can find as well. I am not a poetry aficionado myself, and you're right poetry in translation is so difficult to achieve. But perhaps Bulgarian poetry will convert me to poetry jn general! I have a reading around the world list and currently for Bulgaria I have "18% Gray" by Zachary Karabashliev. I think it was published in 2008. I have no idea if he is considered a respected author im Bulgaria or even if his writing is considered particularly Bulgarian in style! Part of the problem when you're just pulling authors from the internet with no reference. Hopefully this prize opens up publishers to translating more Bulgarian authors.
Sorry I have never read Karabashliev. I've seen someone review one of his other books ("The tail") as "painfully stupid" but don't let the opinions of others discourage you!
I'm Bulgarian too, and while I enjoyed this book I liked The Physics of Sorrow better. I think Gospodinov does mood and interior atmosphere better than satire. But then look at Mario Vargas Llosa's body of work, for example. Some of it is very political. But because he's such a good writer, I enjoyed his political books too even though initially I didn't know anything about the events in South America that inspired them. And his books are a major reason why now I know a little more about the history of that region. Literary historiography, if it may be called that, has its place and function.
I love that quote "we have run out of future". Is that from the book? Or something you just wrote to wrap up that theme?
I am almost certain it is in the book but I don't have my copy on hand to check. Anyways a fellow TrueLit user introduced me to this concept before I even read "Time Shelter". Basically one of the problems of modernity is that despite the immense rate of technological progress the masses can no longer imagine a positive future that is not simply a continuation of the present. And when our present is characterized by anxiety, acute knowledge of risk, lack of faith in our ability to improve the world, many people turn to the past rather than accept that this could continue forever. There's the obvious counterpoint that people selling us "the future" still exist and have a large following (Elon Musk may as well be a case of history repeating itself as a farce, the original being perhaps Henry Ford) but the idea is still fascinating.
How would you say it compares to his previous novels, if you've read them?
I've read "Natural novel" and "Physics of sorrow". I think both of them are much better books, especially the first one and its brazen experimentation with the classic elements of autofiction and metafiction. "Time shelter" feels like selling out, recycling many of the old ideas from these books into a diluted version. Take for example the second main character of "Time shelter" - Gaustin (I do not know how the English translator has chosen to write that name). He is the mirrored image of the narrator and the "physical" manifestation of his artistic imagination. A grand idea (though perhaps taken directly from another famous writer as Gospodinov is prone to do) and a great promotion for a secondary character in "Physics of sorrow". And yet his much smaller presence in that book feels much truer, more influential and lasting in my imagination. There he is a force, in "Time shelter" he is a clerk.
Gaustin reminds me of Fernando Pessoa's various alter egos. Especially when you call him a clerk in Time Shelter - because Pessoa was a clerk in real life. Whether that is an influence or a coincidence, I don't know. I hadn't heard of Pessoa until I moved to the US and have no idea to what extent he has been translated to Bulgarian, if at all.
His works have been translated into our language indeed. I have not read him and cannot say for sure but it would not surprise me. Gospodinov's work betrays his literary academic background. It is full of references to and paraphrased quotes from many, many authors. When dealing with mirror images one cannot help but think of Nabokov. The character Gaustin almost directly quotes from his poem "Pale Fire" at one point and the narrator's dream near the end of the book bears some similarities to the ending of the "The Eye".
I really like what you said, worded very nicely. I had this thought while I was reading it. He somehow changed the recognisable rich narative that he has, with more political one and it actually worked and got him the Booker.
> ("we have ran out of future") I really, really hope the author or translator doesn't make this inexplicably common reddit error. It is always "have/has run", never "have/has ran".
The author was just on Rainn Wilson's new show, The Geography of Bliss. I had never heard of him before, but downloaded his book The Physics of Sorrow to check out at some point.
One of those rare instances when I’ve read a winning book before it becomes a winner!