Gueorgui Gospodínov and Miquel Cabal

Nostalgia is intrinsic to human beings. It helps us navigate the present and give meaning to our past, but it is also a story woven from opportune omissions that subdue and mythify. At a time when the extreme right is finding leverage in nostalgic visions and retrogressive ideals, Bulgarian author Gueorgui Gospodínov imagines, in his International Booker Prize winning novel Time Shelter, a world where time travel is possible, both individually and collectively, and reflects upon the dangers of transforming historical memory into a sure and expedient place.

In a conversation with translator Miquel Cabal, Gospodínov suggests looking reality straight in the eye to see a place where authoritarianism is on the rise, war continues, and where we run the risk of committing the same atrocities from our past.