Time Shelter

The paper interprets the critical (and readers’) success of Georgi Gospodinov's novel “Time Selter”, linking it to the potential crisis of contemporary liberal consciousness. Richard Rorty's concept in his book “Chance, Irony, and Solidarity” (1989) is used as a theoretical approach to defining liberal cultural consciousness. The article analyses the asymmetry in the representation of private self-creation and the construction of collective forms of identity. The main focus is on the workings of memory and the different modes in which the past functions in the construction of private and collective identity.

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’).