Георги Господинов

The text explores the strategies of self-preservation in a totalitarian system, such as Bulgarian socialism, through the poetry of three charismatic, non-conformist poets: Ivan Teofilov (b. 1931), Hristo Fotev (1934-2002) and Boris Hristov (b. 1945). The motif of the im/possible escapes and refuges is revealed in their writing. Several thematic and biographical lines are traced: their choice to be "unbelonging," their self-marginalization as an ethical gesture, the theme of the unattainable "world denied," other arts and friendship circles as a shelter, and, above all, the shelter of language and the joy of it, the ability of these poets to unchain and expand the language.

The text is both analytical and reminiscent reflection of the author on the genesis and then the reception of his novel, Time Shelter (2020). He focuses on his research in the field of memory loss diseases and their treatment and his delving into the traumatic past of 20th century that crystallized especially in one day: 1st September 1939 when everyday life became history. Among the various reactions after the publication of the novel, he focuses on two academic discussions: a theosophical one in the frame of Biblico Festival (Vicenza, Italy), and another one on memory loss and personal stories organized by the Department of Psychology, Bologna University. He also examines (not without a certain sense of humor) the effect of being awarded with the International Booker Prize 2023 for Time Shelter. In an ironic key, the title of the text is an allusion to M. Houellebecq’s title ‘Extension du domaine de la lutte’ (translated in English as ‘Whatever’).