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Georgi Gospodinov

ゲオルギ・ゴスポディノフ

Georgi Gospodinov

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1968-01-07 （Yambol, Bulgaria）
Nationality
Bulgaria
Languages
Bulgarian, English
Residence History
Yambol (birthplace) → Sofia → Zurich (residence / residency)

Career

Occupations
writer, poet, playwright, screenwriter
Active Years
1990-
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature (International Writer)

Education

Sofia University
Faculty of Philology (Bulgarian Studies) / Bulgarian Studies
Degree: 学士
Period: 不詳
Country: Bulgaria
Majored in Bulgarian studies at Sofia University; exact graduation year not specified.
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
New Bulgarian Literature (PhD)
Degree: PhD
Period: 不詳
Country: Bulgaria
Has a PhD in New Bulgarian Literature from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; detailed dates not specified.

Awards

International Booker Prize
2023
Work: Time Shelter
Organization: The Booker Prizes
Result: winner (shared with translator Angela Rodel)
Strega European Prize
2021
Work: Time Shelter
Organization: Premio Strega
Result: winner
Jan Michalski Prize for Literature
2016
Work: The Physics of Sorrow
Organization: Jan Michalski Foundation
Result: winner
Angelus Award
2019
Work: The Physics of Sorrow
Organization: Angelus Centre
Result: winner
Usedom Prize for European Literature
2021
Organization: Usedom Prize organization
Result: winner
Zinklar Prize for Best Short Fiction
2021
Organization: Zinklar Prize organization
Result: winner
National Literary Award Bulgarian Novel of the Year
2013
Work: The Physics of Sorrow
Organization: Bulgarian national bodies
Result: winner
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier)
2024
Organization: French Ministry of Culture
Result: honor (Chevalier)
PEN Translation Prize (US)
2016
Organization: PEN America
Result: finalist
Premio Gregor von Rezzori
2014
Organization: Premio Gregor von Rezzori
Result: finalist

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Natural Novel

2003 Novel (experimental)

An early novel portraying the life of a young writer in post-communist Bulgaria; mixes poetic elements with experimental narration.

memoryidentitypost-communist society
Translations
  • English translation (Zornitza Hristova et al.)

The Physics of Sorrow

2012 Novel / literary experimentation

A novel that weaves personal and historical memories to explore sadness and empathy; widely translated and internationally acclaimed.

sorrowmemoryintergenerational stories
Adaptations
  • [animated short] The Physics of Sorrow (short film) / Theodore Ushev (2019)
Translations
  • English translation (Angela Rodel)
  • Italian translation

Time Shelter

2020 Novel (speculative / reflective fiction)

A novel that questions memory, time and how societies accept history through the premise of spaces that let people live in past eras; translated into many languages and awarded internationally.

timepolitics of memorynostalgia
Translations
  • English translation (Angela Rodel)
  • French translation (Marie Vrinat-Nikolov)

Death and the Gardener

2024 Short novel / reflective prose

A work written from the experience of his father's death; it focuses on processes of mourning and confronting loss.

lossconfronting deathfamily
Translations
  • English translation (Angela Rodel)

Bibliography

  • Natural Novel
  • And Other Stories
  • The Story Smuggler
  • The Physics of Sorrow
  • Time Shelter
  • Death and the Gardener

Adaptations

  • Animated short 'Blind Vaysha' — director Theodore Ushev (2016), based on Gospodinov's short story
  • Short film 'Omlet / Omelette' — screenplay involvement; received Honorable Mention at Sundance (2008/2009)
  • Animated short 'The Physics of Sorrow' — director Theodore Ushev (2019)

Translations of Works

  • Time Shelter — English translation by Angela Rodel
  • The Physics of Sorrow — English translation by Angela Rodel
  • Natural Novel — English translation by Zornitza Hristova

Style & Themes

Literary Style
poetic, fragmentary narrationexperimental, anachronic structuresblend of irony and observational prose
Recurring Motifs
memory and forgettingtime and nostalgiarecent past of Eastern Europe

Legacy

Georgi Gospodinov is one of the contemporary Bulgarian writers who brought Bulgarian literature to the international stage; he has been widely praised through multiple international awards and translations into over 25 languages. His works fuse poetry and prose and are known for philosophical inquiries into time and memory.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature (International Writer)

In Popular Culture

  • The animated short 'Blind Vaysha' was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short, raising international recognition of the original story.

Quotes

  • Georgi's real quest in The Physics of Sorrow is to find a way to live with sadness, to allow it to be a source of empathy and salutary hesitation…
    Source: The New Yorker (review) (2015)

Trivia

  • Spouse: Bilyana Kourtasheva.
  • Works have been reported translated into over 25 languages.
  • Short story 'Blind Vaysha' was adapted into an animated film that received an Academy Award nomination.