"I avoid killing my favorite characters": An Interview with Marin Troshanov

I have been thinking a lot lately about the fact that being around people who read (which is, in fact, some sort of a bubble we can stay in) is actually not a full-fledged communication with the real world and interests of other people. Graduating from the Faculty of Philology, understanding highbrow literature, tasting the complex sentences of Zabuzhko and Joyce – it is about a type of readers I belong to as well, but if you dive deeper into the issue, you can see that readers' preferences are extremely different: from detectives to romance novels, from motivational literature to the spiritual one. Reflections of this kind began to attract hints and signs from all sides to me.

It so happened that I have to spend a lot of time in the Balkans now, mostly in Bulgaria. I specify this fact because the Balkans turned out to be quite diverse, especially in terms of literature. I began to look at the books people read in the subway, at the stops, in queues and cafes more closely. My observations happened to be quite fascinating because about every third book had some mystical cover peculiar for fantasy or science fiction novels. I noticed such books in the hands of teenagers and young people most often. The statistics I later learned proved my hunch: contemporary Bulgarian literature has found huge success in the genre of fantasy and science fiction. The name I am used to seeing most often on book covers is Marin Troshanov. The shelves in bookstores are always arranged in the way that there are the authors of the postmodern process, such as Georgiy Gospodinov, Theodora Dimova, Yana Bukova, Kalin Terziyski, etc., and there are also the shelves with fantasy books, science fiction and thrillers with no less bright covers and unknown names to me - about them we'll talk about later.

At the same time, I turned on notifications in the Facebook group called "The Secondhand Bookshop in Ukraine" because I wanted to see what Ukrainian people read, offer and seek most often as well as I wanted to look for some "book treasures" for myself. Not surprisingly, I can state now that fantasy and science fiction books are the ones that are both best sold and bought there. And the posts about someone looking for Max Kidruk's novels are coming up several times a day. Thus, social drama with science fiction elements, fantasy thrillers, and urban fantasy have become the subjects of my small research. Initially, it was planned to consider postmodern literature alone, but I want to show as much of the literary process in Bulgaria as possible, so there will be two interviews for which I have read Marin Troshanov's novels and made an interview with him. 

I talked with a literary manager Ella Yatsuta, who, among other things, also organizes literary tours of Max Kidruk. I asked her why social drama captures such a large number of readers. She said: "Social drama is popular with a wider audience of readers because it is more understandable for them: we get to know the typical characters and events, phenomena, the process of projection on ourselves and acquaintances is faster. Postmodernism needs deeper immersion. Yes, social drama can also have a double bottom, the reader who is willing to delve into the text can find the psychological, mental, etc. senses put there by the author. However, they are free to choose whether to look for these things or enjoy a shallow story, plot dynamics and so on. And one more thing: there is a stereotype about the complexity, the incomprehensibility of postmodernism, which is frightening; the postmodern work must itself seek its reader. Instead, the social drama plot can be easily retold among friends as well as it can easily make people get interested.”

Max Kidruk is a very active author. He creates media presentations and lectures that are completely different from how other authors and literary corporations work on book promotion. It is easy to organize a book launch for him both in a big city and in a small village where the presentation halls are always full of people as well. With great interest, I also attended the presentation of Max Kidruk's Bulgarian peer, Marin Troshanov, for I wanted to feel the atmosphere of the Bulgarian fantasy and sci-fi book launches. I was also impressed by the number of readers who came to the presentation and the author's signature on every book. I was able to interview the author, whose name I have seen on stranger's book covers so often.

Marin, I would ask you to try and talk to me like to a person who has read quite a lot of books in her life and yet who is far from the genre you write in. I have read your trilogy "Ламя ЕООД" and can only compare it with Stephen King or the aforementioned Max Kidruk. Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie are another thing, not to mention the classic fantasy like "Lord of the Rings" or "Chronicles of Narnia”. Which world-famous fantasy writers does your literature resonate with? / had an impact on your writing?

I like to create in different styles and methods, but the imitation of someone is strange to me. I try to convey all the beauty and melody of the Bulgarian language in the stories I write. I count on both inspirational cinematic action and poetics with melancholy.

 How could you explain the difference between a fantasy thriller and a classic postmodern Bulgarian and world literature?

Bulgarian literature is similar to the Bulgarian political and social systems, it has through a thorny historical path, which had to start from scratch for many times. But it brings a breathtaking experimental spirit when you have to jump throughout decades (if not centuries) to the gradual development of world literature over certain periods. I think I have something to offer in the genre of speculative fiction. The hits of Eastern European origin, such as the acclaimed "The Witcher" series is a great example of something unconventional. It complements the world's treasure-house of literature.

As an author, I wondered what happens to the writer when he has already written a lot and becomes the creator of speculative fiction (fantasy and science fiction?)? 

It has started since childhood. This was probably my vocation. I was born on May 24th, the day of Slavonic writing, and yet when I was so young I knew I wanted to be somehow engaged in art. The opportunity to create a world with my imagination and simple tools like a pen or laptop fascinates me.

Who are the leading lights and gods among the writers of this genre for You? 

The great texts of Tolkien, Zelazny, Pratchett, Martin, Rowling, King, etc. were created with an enormous capacity to work, talent and endless love. Today, their fantasy inspires millions and feeds the huge entertainment industry.

Did you experience any anxiety or pain when you had to kill this or that character in the novel?

I avoid killing my favorite characters, however, I still experience painful moments that evoke strong emotions, both in me and for my readers. I am an architect writer and have a clear idea about the plot development before I am left tête-à-tête with a blank sheet. Nevertheless, I have enough surprises when the characters begin to live their life so independently that they flatly reject submitting to their creator.

Why do you think speculative fiction, social dramas and thrillers get on the shelves of literary fiction so rarely?

I believe that such divisions are outdated and superficial, and the people who say so are retrograde and limited. The great Ursula K. Le Guin once said: “I’m a novelist and poet. Don’t shove me into your damn pigeonhole, where I don’t fit, because I’m all over. My tentacles are coming out of the pigeonhole in all directions!" It is so true.

How do you manage to invent new monsters and horrors every time? Is there so much invisible evil in the world, or is it only the author's fantasy?

Both evil and good have endless manifestations and forms. I like the allegory that images of monsters can be correlated with human falls and vices. I love it when adventure and discoverer's fantasy are combined with complex psychological and social constructs.

And yet, how are all these plots created? Is it all fiction or do you pitch ideas from the news and crime stories?

I like to wander among people. Listen to music and take pictures. This is my therapy helping me to get through my everyday life. I am inspired by every smile or grim face, from the walls covered with plants, the lonely monuments, abandoned houses, a window glowing in the dark.

How does the subconsciousness react to the creation of such texts? Is this somehow reflected in emotions and dreams?

I have a sound sleep and would like it to remain unchanged. However, I sincerely hope that my stories are stirring the minds of my readers for days on end.

At my request, Marin Troshanov shared the names of other fantasy Bulgarian writers.

I grew up with the books of Lyubomir Nikolov and Elena Pavlova. Dimitar Tsolov and Alexander Tsonkov have curious attempts in classic and humorous fantasy. Unique writer Anna Gyurova is my personal favorite in the realm of magic realism, Yavor Tsanev offers masterful stories with unexpected endings while young author Deliyan Marinov focuses on social elements. Younger readers enjoy the stories of Martin Kolev and Alexander Draganov. We also have tons of high quality psychological and naturalistic horror from the authors of the “Lazarus Club” (Branimir Sabev, Sibin Mainalovski, Simeon Trifonov, Ivan Velichkov, Donko Naydenov, etc.) Comic books have recently regained popularity in Bulgaria. The outstanding cinema critic Blagoy Ivanov and the artist Peter Stanimirov issued the graphic novel “Seven Urban Sins”. Meanwhile the legendary artists from project "Rainbow" continue their surreal comic book series "Arakel". Gamebooks are also popular now, thanks to authors such as Alexander Torofiev, Krasimira Stoeva, Nikolai Nikolov, Nedelcho Bogdanov, and many others.

Interviewed by Khrystia Vengryniuk
Translated from the Ukrainian by Yulia Lyubka