site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Writer Georgi Gospodinov Awarded Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French Culture Ministry

Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) of the French Culture Ministry. The award ceremony took place at the residence of the French Embassy in Sofia on Wednesday.

Attending the event, Ambassador of France to Bulgaria Joël Meyer said that the decision of the French Minister of Culture to award the Order to the Bulgarian writer was not only because of his immense literary genius, but also because all of Gospodinov's works are distinguished by their deep humanism. According to Meyer, Gospodinov’s works spread values that are contemporary, universal and European in a world in which those are often forgot.

The French Ambassador added that Gospodinov is a significant author not only in Bulgaria’s 21st century literature, but also in European literature, as evidenced by the many international awards he has received.

The ceremony was attended by Gospodinov's relatives, friends and colleagues - artists, film directors, translators and literary specialists.

Georgi Gospodinov was born on 7 January 1968 in the southeastern city of Yambol. He graduated with a degree in Bulgarian studies from Sofia University and holds a PhD in New Bulgarian Literature from the Institute of Literature at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Among the awards he has received are "Askeer" in 2010, "Bulgarian Novel of the Year" in 2013, "Stoyan Mihailovsky" in 2015, "Hristo G. Danov" in 2023, and others.

Georgi Gospodinov is the author of books of poetry and prose, including Lapidarium, The Cherry Three of a Nation, Letters to Gaustin, And Other Stories, published in French in 2003, Selected Stories, The Invisible Crises, The Inventory Book of Socialism, among others.

Georgi Gospodinov's first novel, Natural Novel, was published in 1999. The same year the novel received the special prize at the second National Competition "Razvitie" for a contemporary Bulgarian novel. Over the years, Natural Novel has been reprinted many times and translated into more than 20 languages, including French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Czech, etc. The book has had its theatrical version staged by the Sfumato Theatre. His second novel The Physics of Sorrow was presented at the Apollonia Arts Festival on September 3, 2011.

Time Shelter is the author's third novel, published in 2020. In 2021, it was selected as the Bulgarian novel of the year in the National Endowment Fund's 13 Centuries of Bulgaria competition. In 2023, Time Shelter became the first Bulgarian-language novel to both be nominated for and win the International Booker Prize in 2023.

The Gardener and Death is Gospodinov's fourth novel.