Ecological Empathy, Time & Memory with GEORGI GOSPODINOV & ANGELA RODEL

Ecological Empathy, Time & Memory with GEORGI GOSPODINOV & ANGELA RODEL

Author: Mia Funk August 7, 2026 Duration: 1:30:21

“We are in the middle of a labyrinth which suggests to us many fake corridors. What's the superpower of literature? Literature is like an antidote against propaganda. Propaganda explains the world easily in a two-dimensional way.  Literature gives you a more complex explanation. Literature tells personal stories.”

Today, we have a conversation about time, memory, and the bittersweet geography of human sorrow. Georgi Gospodinovis widely considered one of the most daring voices in contemporary European literature. His acclaimed novel, The Physics of Sorrow, won the prestigious Jan Michalski Prize in 2016, blending ancient myth and quantum physics to chronicle the delicate realities of post-socialist Eastern Europe. Joining him is Angela Rodel, a brilliant linguist, musician, and translator whose profound artistic empathy carries the flowing cadences of the Bulgarian language into vivid English. Together, this extraordinary creative duo made history by winning the 2023 International Booker Prizefor Time Shelter—the first book written in Bulgarian to ever receive the honor.

Time Shelter is a masterfully dark, funny, and prescient novel. It begins with an enigmatic psychiatrist opening a clinic that treats Alzheimer’s patients by meticulously recreating past decades to match their internal clocks. But the experiment quickly escapes the clinic walls, triggering a pan-European crisis where entire nations hold democratic referendums to choose which era of the past they will retreat into. It is a book that holds up a mirror to our own world, exploring what happens when a civilization faces a deficit of meaning and tries to weaponize nostalgia.

(0:00) The Trap of Nostalgia

(2:13) The Art of Translation

(5:44) The Pandemic of the Past

(11:30) Reading from ‘Time Shelter’

(14:28) Death and the Gardener

(19:34) The Translator's Calling

(26:05) Cultural Rhythms of the Bulgarian Language

(30:00) The Nonlinear Approach to Storytelling

(34:30) Separating Personal and Historical Pasts

(42:55) Storytelling vs Propaganda

(47:19) Bodies, Animals and the Loneliness of the Minotaur

(56:00) Reading ' Eight Minutes and 19 Seconds’

(1:00:28) What makes a good life? What has given your life meaning?

(1:04:18)   Childhood, Memory and Imagination

(1:10:38) Reflections on God and the Stories His Grandmother Told Him

(1:17:20) Education and the Empathic Imagination

(1:23:25) The Museum of Memory

(1:26:15) The Importance of Hugging and Empathy

(1:28:02) AI and the Future of Humanity

Episode Website

www.creativeprocess.info/pod

Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast


Hosted by Mia Funk, One Planet Podcast engages with the defining ecological challenges of our time. This isn't about abstract science; it's about the interconnected systems of politics, energy, and economics that shape our relationship with the natural world. Conversations move from the granular details of regenerative agriculture and the circular economy to the global stakes of biodiversity loss and the race to net-zero. You'll hear from a vital range of voices, from organizers with groups like Greenpeace and 350.org to philosophers like Peter Singer, and representatives from institutions like the European Environment Agency and UNESCO. Each episode unpacks a different facet of the crisis-whether it's carbon footprints, wildlife extinction, or renewable energy transitions-focusing on actionable ideas and the human stories behind the headlines. The goal is to illuminate the tangible pathways forward, offering listeners a deeper, more nuanced understanding of how to engage with the planet's most pressing issues. Tune in for thoughtful, in-depth dialogues that go beyond the soundbites, exploring how we can collectively forge a more sustainable and just future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Sustainability, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Politics, Activism, Biodiversity, Carbon Footprint, Wildlife, Regenerative Agriculture, Circular Economy, Extinction, Net-Zero · One Planet Podcast
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