Author spotlight: Irina Gigova

In A Generation of Writers and Bulgarian Cultural Politics: From Independence to Communism, Irina Gigova follows the lives and works of the post-1878 generation of cultural producers who defined Bulgarian identity. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

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What first sparked your interest in this topic?

Irina Gigova: It is a difficult question to answer. In some ways, it originated in my 1998 master’s thesis research on cultural politics in communist Bulgaria. I found the treatment of poets and writers peculiar, whose union enjoyed exceptional wealth and prestige. The dominant scholarly and popular explanations of this high status—literature’s contribution to nation-building in Eastern Europe and the region’s respect for intellectuals—did not seem convincing enough. So, with each subsequent research endeavor—for my dissertation and then for the book—I kept going back in time seeking more satisfying answers. I hope the explanation I have offered with A Generation of Writers is compelling or at least thought-provoking.

What is one book that changed your perspective during your studies?

IG: This is like asking about my favorite song! If you don’t mind, I will list three for different reasons. Early on, Zygmunt Bauman’s 1987 Legislators and Interpreters: On Modernity, Post-Modernity and Intellectualsintroduced the notion that the very term “intellectual” is a self-definition that seeks to elevate the importance of a socially marginal group; it taught me to look for material interests behind moral claims. Then in the early 2000s, I came across a 1950s memoir by Bulgarian prose writer Konstantin Konstantinov. It depicted a country unfamiliar to someone like me, born in late communist Bulgaria: a multilingual society, a cosmopolitan and Europhile educated class, a population navigating endless change. Konstantinov became one of the central characters in this story. Most recently, Benjamin Martin’s 2016 The Nazi-Fascist New Order for European Culture was formative in its transnational approach to interwar continental culture.

What do you hope readers will take away from A Generation of Writers and Bulgarian Cultural Politics?

IG: Ideally, different readers will find the book stimulating, interesting, and valuable for diverse reasons. In presenting the intersection of people, institutions, and laws that shape national but also European culture, I show that cultural production that deserves attention requires artists’ dedication but also sustained material preconditions. It is the latter that often pushes the former to get entangled with politics. Readers that seek human stories will find plentiful evidence of human resilience in the face of adversity, of the value of individual decisions in a world shaped by larger economic and geopolitical factors. Finally, I hope this work reveals a new monarchical Bulgaria. Most existing studies focus on its volatile politics, imperfect institutions, nationalist aspirations, and minority relations. In contrast, this is a book about civil society in action; optimism, initiative, and creativity; and intellectual and artistic exchange across borders and generations.

Which finding from the book surprised you the most?

IG: I would love to hear readers’ responses to this question. I have lived with this project for more than a decade, so it is challenging to return to it with fresh eyes. In some ways, I am surprised that the points I make about the precarious status of artists and intellectuals and the promises and pitfalls of professionalization have not been more broadly acknowledged.

What project are you working on now?

IG: I love the interwar period, which has so many unexplored aspects. I just completed a co-authored article on Bulgarians who studied in Weimar Germany and returned home with very different lessons and experiences. A few of these individuals’ stories are so incredible that they might warrant further investigation. Meanwhile, I am pursuing another topic: childhood and youth in late communist Bulgaria. I am interested in official efforts—foregoing knowledge of the system’s collapse in 1989—to sustain an ideologically sound approach to addressing young Bulgarians’ problems and desires.

What advice would you give to young scholars writing their first books?

IG: I have been inspired by the quality of research and storytelling produced by up-and-coming scholars! Hence, I have little advice to give, particularly as they face increasing pressures to publish and perform to secure or keep an academic job. Nonetheless, I hope they aspire to a work-life balance, which not only keeps burnout at arm’s length but also allows ideas to and ferment mature.