Zdravka Evtimova, a prominent Bulgarian writer and president of the Bulgarian PEN center, has gained recognition for her novel Thursday, which was included in the 100 Slavic Novels collection. Evtimova is highly regarded in contemporary Bulgarian prose and is also known for her translations from English, French, and German.
With nine novels and seven collections of short stories under her belt, Evtimova has received numerous prestigious awards in Bulgaria and internationally. Her novel Thursday, for which she was honored by the Union of Bulgarian Writers, has been published in several countries, including the USA, China, Italy, North Macedonia, Serbia, and recently in Slovenia, translated by Eva Šprager.
Thursday delves into the lives of five heroines, unraveling the societal complexities that emerged during the enduring Bulgarian transition. It explores the fate of Eastern European societies in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the challenges faced by individuals as they navigate new life circumstances, seeking understanding and their place in the world. The novel vividly portrays the struggles faced by the impoverished who lack basic necessities like food, healthcare, and shelter, while those who have acquired wealth find no fulfillment in their ill-gotten and purposeless abundance. Evtimova masterfully weaves a modern, fragmented narrative that authentically reflects the language and voices of diverse social groups, ranging from security guards and outcasts to intellectuals struggling to make ends meet and insufferable snobs.
