site.btaWriter Georgi Gospodinov to BTA: Encounters with Readers Are Every Writer’s Reward

Encounters with readers are the reward for any writer once they emerge from the solitude of writing a book, writer Georgi Gospodinov told BTA during a book signing event at the Alley of Books on Thursday evening.

Readers had started lining up to meet the author of "Time Shelter" and "The Gardener and Death" more than 30 minutes earlier. Nearly an hour and a half later, more than 140 people were still waiting for an autograph from Gospodinov.

"A young boy said to me a little while ago, 'This book brought me out of my depression.' This book? And he said, 'Yes, yes. I cried and it brought me out of depression," said Gospodinov, recounting a conversation he had with a reader of his new book, "The Gardener and Death."

It's a pity that I can't remember all the stories from these encounters, said Gospodinov. He said the message he hopes to get across to readers of "The Gardener and Death" is that "It's OK" - "the words the protagonist keeps repeating."

This is Gospodinov's first book since "Time Shelter", which was awarded the International Booker Prize in 2023. “It is a story about departing fathers in a departing world,” the author said about "The Gardener and Death". In his words, this is not a book about death, but about life that is fading.

"The Gardener and Death" was press launched a few days ago at the 40th edition of the Apollonia Festival of Arts in Sozopol.