# Time Shelter

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2020 novel by Georgi Gospodinov

Time Shelter English edition Author Georgi Gospodinov Original title Времеубежище Translator Angela Rodel Language Bulgarian Genre Fiction Published 2020 (Bulgarian) 2022 (English) Publisher Janet 45 (Bulgaria) Weidenfeld & Nicolson (England) Liveright (US) Media type Print, digital Pages 304 Awards Man Booker International Prize Strega European Prize ISBN 9781474623087 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

***Time Shelter*** ([Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarian_language): Времеубежище, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Bulgarian): *Vremeubezhishte*) is a 2020 novel by Bulgarian author [Georgi Gospodinov](/source/Georgi_Gospodinov). In 2021, the Italian version of the novel, titled *Cronorifugio* and translated by [Giuseppe Dell'Agata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Giuseppe_Dell%27Agata&action=edit&redlink=1) was awarded the [Strega European Prize](/source/Strega_European_Prize).[1] In 2023, the English version of the novel, translated by [Angela Rodel](/source/Angela_Rodel), became the first [Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarian_language)-language novel to both be nominated for and win the [International Booker Prize](/source/International_Booker_Prize).[2][3] The £50,000 prize was equally shared between Gospodinov and Rodel.[4]

## Plot

The novel follows an unnamed narrator and Gaustine, a psychiatrist who creates a clinic for people with [Alzheimer's disease](/source/Alzheimer's_disease) in [Zürich](/source/Z%C3%BCrich).[5] Each floor of the clinic recreates a decade in intricate detail, aiming to transport patients back in time to revisit their memories. Tasked with collecting past artifacts for the clinic, the narrator travels across countries.[6][7] Soon, healthy people turn to the clinic to flee their monotonous lives and the idea becomes widespread when more clinics open. Referendums are held across Europe to decide which past decade each country should live in, in the future.[8][9]

## Development

*Time Shelter* is Gospodinov's third novel to be published in English.[10] In an interview with *The Booker Prizes*, Gospodinov revealed that his inspiration came from the rise of the [populism](/source/Populism) movement in 2016, as well as [Brexit](/source/Brexit), and that his writing was influenced by writers [Thomas Mann](/source/Thomas_Mann) and [Jorge Luis Borges](/source/Jorge_Luis_Borges).[11] Overall, the novel took nearly three years to write and around six months to be translated into English.[11]

## Reception

### Critical reception

In 2022, the novel was named as one of the best books of the year by *[The New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker)* magazine.[12] *[Kirkus Reviews](/source/Kirkus_Reviews)* described *Time Shelter* as "an ambitious, quirky, time-folding yarn",[13] while Nobel Prize winner [Olga Tokarczuk](/source/Olga_Tokarczuk) described the novel as "the most exquisite kind of literature, on our perception of time and its passing, written in a masterful and totally unpredictable style".[4] In its review, *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)* commented "from communism to the Brexit referendum and conflict in Europe, this funny yet frightening Bulgarian novel explores the weaponisation of nostalgia".[5] Sam Sacks, in *[The Wall Street Journal](/source/The_Wall_Street_Journal)* described the title of Georgi Gospodinov’s novel *“Time Shelter”* to a sanatorium established in Switzerland for patients suffering from amnesia. The clinic functions like “a bomb shelter of the past”—each floor represents a different decade and is filled with the minutiae of the era (even its distinctive scents), allowing for full immersion in a cherished period of history.[14]

### Awards and accolades

In 2021, the Italian translation of *Time Shelter* was awarded the [Strega European Prize](/source/Strega_European_Prize), Italy's most prestigious literary award. The win marked the first time that the award was given to an [Eastern European](/source/Eastern_Europe) writer.[15]

In 2023, the English translation of the novel was awarded the [International Booker Prize](/source/International_Booker_Prize). It is the first Bulgarian novel to win the prize.[16] [Leïla Slimani](/source/Le%C3%AFla_Slimani), the chairwoman of the judging panel, described the novel as "a brilliant novel, full of irony and melancholy."[17] The novel was ultimately chosen from a [shortlist](/source/Short_list) of six books.[10] On winning the prize, author Gospodinov commented, "it is commonly assumed that 'big themes' are reserved for 'big literatures,' or literatures written in big languages, while small languages, somehow by default, are left with the local and the exotic. Awards like the International Booker Prize are changing that status quo, and this is very important."[10][11]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Cronorifugio - Georgi Gospodinov"](http://www.voland.it.kirk.frequenze.it/libro/9788862434201). *voland.it* (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-05-28.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov, translated by Angela Rodel, wins the International Booker Prize 2023 | The Booker Prizes"](https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-winner-of-the-IBP-2023). *thebookerprizes.com*. 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-05-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Georgi Gospodinov's 'Time Shelter' becomes first Bulgarian book to win the International Booker Prize"](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/georgi-gospodinovs-time-shelter-becomes-the-first-bulgarian-book-to-win-the-international-booker-prize/articleshow/100461603.cms?from=mdr). *The Economic Times*. 2023-05-24. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0013-0389](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0013-0389). Retrieved 2023-05-27.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_4-1) ["What everybody is saying about Time Shelter winning the International Booker Prize | The Booker Prizes"](https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/what-everybody-is-saying-about-IBP-2023-winner-time-shelter). *thebookerprizes.com*. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-28.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_5-1) McGuinness, Patrick (2022-05-20). ["Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov review – the dangers of dwelling in the past"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/20/time-shelter-by-georgi-gospodinov-review-the-dangers-of-dwelling-in-the-past). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2023-05-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Reading guide: Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov, translated by Angela Rodel | The Booker Prizes"](https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/reading-guide-time-shelter-by-georgi-gospodinov-translated-by-angela). *thebookerprizes.com*. 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2023-05-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Chatterjee, Sukla (2023-05-24). ["Time Shelter: International Booker's first Bulgarian winner is a rich experiment in style, structure and ideas"](https://theconversation.com/time-shelter-international-bookers-first-bulgarian-winner-is-a-rich-experiment-in-style-structure-and-ideas-205895). *The Conversation*. Retrieved 2023-05-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Los Angeles Review of Books"](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-referendum-on-nostalgia-on-georgi-gospodinovs-time-shelter/). *Los Angeles Review of Books*. 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2023-05-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Time Shelter"](https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324090953). *wwnorton.com*. Retrieved 2023-05-28.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_10-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_10-2) Blair, Elizabeth (2023-05-23). ["Georgi Gospodinov and Angela Rodel win International Booker Prize for 'Time Shelter'"](https://www.npr.org/2023/05/23/1177737841/international-booker-prize-2023-time-shelter). *npr*. Retrieved 2023-05-30.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_11-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:3_11-2) ["Georgi Gospodinov interview: 'I felt something had gone awry in the clockworks of time' | The Booker Prizes"](https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/georgi-gospodinov-interview-time-shelter). *thebookerprizes.com*. 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-05-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["The Best Books of 2022"](https://www.newyorker.com/best-books-2022). *The New Yorker*. 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2023-05-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [*TIME SHELTER | Kirkus Reviews*](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/georgi-gospodinov/time-shelter/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Sacks, Sam (May 6, 2022). ["Fiction: 'Time Shelter' by Georgi Gospodinov"](https://www.wsj.com/articles/fiction-book-review-time-shelter-by-georgi-gospodinov-11651848898?mod=opinion_major_pos11).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Georgi Gospodinov, Harriman Writer in Residence"](https://harriman.columbia.edu/georgi-gospodinov-fall-2022-harriman-writer-in-residence/). *The Harriman Institute*. Retrieved 2023-05-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Shaffi, Sarah (23 May 2023). ["International Booker prize announces first ever Bulgarian winner"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/23/international-booker-prize-first-bulgarian-winner-georgi-gospodinov-time-shelter-angela-rodel). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 13 December 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Marshall, Alex (2023-05-23). ["'Time Shelter' Wins International Booker Prize"](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/books/international-booker-prize-time-shelter.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0362-4331](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 2023-05-27.

v t e International Booker Prize winners 2005–2016 Ismail Kadare (2005) Chinua Achebe (2007) Alice Munro (2009) Philip Roth (2011) Lydia Davis (2013) László Krasznahorkai (2015) 2016–present The Vegetarian (2016) A Horse Walks Into a Bar (2017) Flights (2018) Celestial Bodies (2019) The Discomfort of Evening (2020) At Night All Blood Is Black (2021) Tomb of Sand (2022) Time Shelter (2023) Kairos (2024) Heart Lamp (2025) Taiwan Travelogue (2026)

Authority control databases International GND Other Open Library

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Time Shelter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Shelter) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Shelter?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.