March book selection: Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov

Ahhhhh, nostalgia!

We jump to Bulgaria in this third meeting of our Book Club and explore the delicate and intricate relationship that we humans entertain with our past and memories.
Time Shelter imagines a world where memory and time take center stage, driven by a compelling idea: what would happen if people could literally live in the past?

About the book
In Time Shelter, an enigmatic flâneur named Gaustine opens a “clinic for the past” that offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s sufferers: each floor reproduces a decade in minute detail, transporting patients back in time. As Gaustine’s assistant, the unnamed narrator is tasked with collecting the flotsam and jetsam of the past, from 1960s furniture and 1940s shirt buttons to scents and even afternoon light. But as the rooms become more convincing, an increasing number of healthy people seek out the clinic as a “time shelter”—a development that results in an unexpected conundrum when the past begins to invade the present.

About the author
Georgi Gospodinov (born 1968 in Yambol, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian writer, poet, and essayist known for his reflective, playful, and philosophically rich style. He studied Bulgarian philology at Sofia University and first gained recognition as a poet before achieving international success as a novelist. His writing often explores memory, time, identity, melancholy, and the everyday absurdities of modern life, blending irony with deep emotional insight.
Gospodinov’s prose is marked by fragmentation, humor, and a strong sensitivity to personal and collective history, especially the legacy of Eastern Europe after communism. His novels Natural Novel and Time Shelter (Cronorifugio), which won the 2023 International Booker Prize, established him as one of the most important contemporary European writers. He is widely admired for his ability to turn intimate experiences and historical reflection into innovative, accessible literature.

About the location of the event
It will be announced at least 2 days before the event takes place with all the details.

Event contribution alert
The event might require a small participation fee (3-5 euros) or the purchase of something to eat or drink in case we are hosted by a coffee shop. I will make sure to communicate that in advance.