In this profoundly moving episode of The Creative Process, we sit down with celebrated Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov and acclaimed translator Angela Rodel to discuss their International Booker Prize-winning novel, Time Shelter. We delve into the prescient themes of their work, examining what happens when a civilization facing a deficit of meaning attempts to retreat into carefully reconstructed decades of the past. They explore the crucial difference between personal nostalgia and collective propaganda, highlighting how the stories we tell ourselves shape our humanity.
Beyond the novel, the conversation touches upon the musicality of language, the profound art of translation, and the intimate lessons learned during the final moments of a loved one's life. Georgi Gospodinov shares how literature slows down time and serves as a vital antidote to a polarized world, while Angela Rodel reflects on translating the subtle emotional atmospheres of Eastern Europe.
