Days of Bulgarian culture in Moscow

Presentation of the world bestseller of Georgy Gospodinov “Natural novel”

On September, 5 in the framework of Moscow International Book Exhibition and Fair and Days of Bulgarian literature in Moscow in All-Russian Exhibition Center, Conference hall № 3 at 2.30 p.m. presentation of the world bestseller “Natural novel” of one of the most famous Bulgarian writers Georgy Gospodinov as well as the meeting with the author will be convened.

Georgy Gospodinov is one of the most readable modern Bulgarian writers. His debut collection of stories “Lapidarium” (1992) won the National award “Southern spring”. The next lyrical collection “Sweet cherry of one nation” was republished 3 times (1996, 1998, 2003). Georgy Gospodinov is co-author of two books of literary mystification “Bulgarian reading book” (1995) and “Bulgarian anthology” (1998). In 2001 the collection of short stories of Georgy Gospodinov “And other stories” was published and immediately translated in several European languages. In 2007 the English version (Northwestern University Press, 2007) was included in the list of awards “Frank O’Connor Award”.

Georgy Gospodinov is the author of the play “D.J.” (abbreviation from Don Juan) which won the annual “Ikar” award for the best dramatic text in Bulgarian (2004). The play was staged in Sofia Satire Theatre, it was translated in Russia and published in the collection of stories and poems “Modern Bulgarian literature” and “St. Petersburg magazine” (2004). Georgy Gospodinov participated in literary readings in Paris, London, Coimbre (Portugal), Viene, Praha, Istambul and other cities. His poems and stories are printed in English, German, French, Polish, Check, American, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian and other periodicals.

Georgy Gospodinov published the book “I lived during socialism. 171 life stories” (2006) which unites stories of ordinary people and their life in the Soviet era. The book resulted in “Inventory book of socialism” (2006), a specific catalogue of Bulgarian everyday life in 1956-1989.

Georgy Gospodinov defended PhD thesis in Problems of New Bulgarian literature, now he works in the Institute of Literature, edits “Literaturnaya gazeta”, is week observer of the paper “Dnevnik” and issuing editor of Oxford-based literary news-paper “Orient Express”.

In 2008 the writer was invited to participate in Berlin Cultural Programme (DAAD). In 2009 his script-based short film “Omelette” won the prize of the festival “Sundance” (Sundance Film Festival). According to “Le Soir” (Brussels) “Natural novel” is “a refined debut… impressive transformation of view points”.

Action of the novel belongs to late 1990s. Georgy Gospodinov writes about a young writer whose marriage collapses when it turns out that the wife is pregnant from the other man. However, the plot is just a frame for a vivid set of fragments: dreams, lists, plan for a novel consisting only of verbs or creation of Fly Bible as well as the chapter “Notes to natural story of closets”... According to the author: “All the lack of modesty in my wish implies to write a novel consisting just of beginnings, a novel which goes, promises, moves up to page 17 and starts from the beginning”. (The New Yorker, 12.03.2005). The work combines the personal and philosophical.

The first publication of the novel was in 1999 in Bulgaria. Since than it was republished 5 times in Bulgaria (in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) and awarded by Special Prize in “Development” contest in the nomination “New Bulgarian novel”, nowadays it is one of the most readable books in the country. “Natural novel” is translated in 15 languages including English, German, French, Check, Italian, Danish etc. The book was published in Serbia, France, the USA, Check Republic, Austria and Germany.

“Natural Novel” was marked and commented by influential and prestigious editions in both the USA and Great Britain. “New Yorker” defines it as “anarchic, experimental debut”, charming in its refusal to look like anything created. “Guardian” says it skillfully combines “personal and philosophical”. “Los Angeles Times” considers the novel is very representative in the context of trends which were formed in modern Eastern European prose.

“Le Nouvel Observateur” calls it “special and amusing”. “Le Courrier” (“The only novel”) defines the book as “story machine”, “Livres Hebdo” regards Gospodinov’s novel as “simultaneously amusing and intellectual, vulgar and refine, but, all in all, bright and innovative in form”.

Organizers of the event: the International association “Live classics”, Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications

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