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Bulgaria

blurry photo of a person
Photo by lbyphoto on Pexels.
The Little Brother
By Yordan Slaveykov
In “The Little Brother,” Bulgarian novelist Yordan Slaveykov follows a young protagonist grappling with loneliness, emotional turmoil, and the heavy burden of unspoken words.
Translated from Bulgarian by Yana Ellis
MultimediaMultilingual
A broom on a dark wooden floor
Photo by Neal E. Johnson on Unsplash
Three Nights
By Lyubov Kroneva
That’s all we need, her mother says, you two fighting over a man, I’d understand if it were over property, not that we have any . . . but a man!
Translated from Bulgarian by Petya Pavlova
Multimedia
The covers of Vengeance Is Mine, Under Our Skin, Negras, Rotten Evidence, MA, Owlish, The Love...
The Best Books We Read in 2023—And What We’re Looking Forward to in 2024
By Words Without Borders
WWB staff members share their favorite translated books of the year and the titles they’re most looking forward to in 2024.
An old village well in the middle of a field
Photo by Vlad Hordiienko on Unsplash
What Fiction (Including in Translation) Can Do in Times Like Ours
By Georgi Gospodinov
Literature, storytelling, and fiction in particular can actually perform simple miracles.
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
Two pears hang from a branch in front of a blue sky
Photo by Mario015 Medeiros on Unsplash
Keder
By Yordanka Beleva
Way back, the old Turks believed that when you die, you bequeath to your nearest and dearest precisely forty sorrows.
Translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel
MultimediaMultilingual
Books hanging on light fixtures
Photo by Hatice Yardım on Unsplash
Invisible Crises
By Georgi Gospodinov
We must admit here that we, people on the side of literature, writers, publishers, and enthusiastic readers, have to a certain extent accepted our own defeat.
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
Make Bulgaria Great Again
By Svetlozar Zhelev & Angela Rodel
Just like every other literature and viewpoint, Bulgarian literature has important contributions to make.
Adriana
By Theodora Dimova
This skin hanging like a wet sheet over bent bones would have seemed devastating to me.
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
Multilingual
Tomato
By Zachary Karabashliev
How is it that in this big whoppin’ America there’s not a single little piece of baling wire?
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
Multilingual
The Meek
By Angel Igov
Then the generous autumn of ’44 suddenly thrust into your hands the power to shape human fates.
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
The Shadow of the Great Masturbator
By Alek Popov
“You’ve been trading in stolen knickers, haven’t you!”
Translated from Bulgarian by Christopher Buxton
Visitors Assume All Risk upon Entering the Premises
By Kristin Dimitrova
He spoke quietly, calmly, with a certain despair that was discernible only on the fringes of his personality.
Translated from Bulgarian by Annie Dancheva
Time to Pack
By Boryana Neykova
Soon I will be leaving this town too
Translated from Bulgarian by Irina Ivanova
Multilingual
A brown dachshund stands on a dirt path in a park
Photo by MATÍAS ALEJANDRO on Unsplash
Seven Ways to Hide Behind a Dog
By Yordanka Beleva
The first question is “Why did you get a dog?”
Translated from Bulgarian by Ivan Kolarov
Old Proud Mountain
By Georgi Tenev
The machines struggled with the mountain, snow sent punctuated volleys against the windshields. Black and roaring, the cars sowed alarm.
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
Multilingual
What Wolves Dream
By Olya Stoyanova
“Have you been watching too much ‘Animal Planet’ or what?!”
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
Multilingual
The Barrister from Bar Doli
By Vlado Trifonov
She often called at this underworld hangout.
Translated from Bulgarian by Peter Skipp
Multilingual
Just the Two
By Agop Melkonyan
The Old Man had been preparing for these questions twenty years now. Nothing could surprise him.
Translated from Bulgarian by Kalin M. Nenov
A pile of cucumbers
Photo by Mohammadreza Ghasemian on Unsplash
Gastarbeiter
By Martin Karbowski
He says that was the most ingenious smokescreen he’s ever seen in his life.
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
From “Mausolée”
By Rouja Lazarova
Under the crowd's gray gaze, a dozen militiamen bluntly push him into a small van.
Translated from French by Christine Schwartz Hartley