Georgi Gospodinov, one of Bulgaria’s most translated authors since 1989, was born in 1968 in Yambol. He studied Bulgarian Philology at Sofia University and made a successful debut in the literary world with his first poetry collection, published in 1992. After focusing on poetry for a time, Gospodinov turned to prose and published Natural Novel (Metis, 2018) in 1999. The novel, which received international acclaim, and his subsequent short story collection And Other Stories (2001) have been translated into numerous languages.

His second novel, The Physics of Sorrow (Metis, 2017), published in 2012, won several major literary prizes, including Bulgaria’s Best Novel of the Year Award (2013), the Jan Michalski Prize for Literature (2016), and the Angelus Central European Literature Award (2019).

Gospodinov’s most recent novel, Time Shelter (Metis, 2022), published in 2020, won Italy’s most prestigious literary prize, the Premio Strega Europeo, as well as the 2023 International Booker Prize. A versatile writer who enjoys working across genres, Gospodinov’s body of work includes not only poetry, short stories, and novels but also plays and essays.