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This interview with Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov explores how personal memory and collective history shape the political and existential crises of contemporary Europe. Drawing on themes from his novel Time Shelter, the interview brings to the fore nostalgia as both a refuge and a political tool—capable of offering comfort but also of enabling political manipulation. The narrowing of future horizons, the rise of populist narratives, and the weakening of civic dialogue emerge as defining features of our time. Literature, in Gospodinov’s view, has an important role in navigating these crises, as it offers a way to preserve memory, nurture empathy, and resist ideological simplifications. The conversation explores the performative nature of politics, the limits of the nation-state, and the need to rebuild a sense of community. The interview concludes with a call to imagine the future with the face of child and to rekindle our dream of Europe, as a community that transcends national borders.

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‘Many of the Crises We Face Are Invisible Crises of Meaning’. Interview with Georgi Gospodinov

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Marta Matrakova

摘要

This interview with Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov explores how personal memory and collective history shape the political and existential crises of contemporary Europe. Drawing on themes from his novel Time Shelter, the interview brings to the fore nostalgia as both a refuge and a political tool—capable of offering comfort but also of enabling political manipulation. The narrowing of future horizons, the rise of populist narratives, and the weakening of civic dialogue emerge as defining features of our time. Literature, in Gospodinov’s view, has an important role in navigating these crises, as it offers a way to preserve memory, nurture empathy, and resist ideological simplifications. The conversation explores the performative nature of politics, the limits of the nation-state, and the need to rebuild a sense of community. The interview concludes with a call to imagine the future with the face of child and to rekindle our dream of Europe, as a community that transcends national borders.