“Time is a Neutron Bomb” by Georgi Gospodinov

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The Season of Delicate HungerNothing will be knocked down,
the houses will stay,
the streets will stay,
the cherry tree in the yard will stay.
Only we won’t be here.
That was the lesson
about the neutron bomb.

I’ve known since then,
death is a cherry,
ripening without me.

–Georgi Gospodinov,
translated from the Bulgarian
by Katerina Stoykova-Klemer
The Season of Delicate Hunger:
Anthology of Contemporary Bulgarian Poetry
(Accents Publishing)

Georgi Gospodinov was born on January 7th, 1968 in Yambol. He holds a Ph.D. in literary history from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. He is a poet, writer and playwright, and one of the most translated Bulgarian authors since 1989. Georgi has published four poetry books that have received national literary awards, among them the National Debut Award and the Best Book of the Year Prize. His poetry has appeared in many international anthologies, and his book Natural Novel has been translated into over 20 languages. He has authored screenplays, as well, including the short feature Omelette, which received honorable mention at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. Georgi is an editor of the respected literary gazette Literaturen Vestnik. He lives and works in Sofia.

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